Palmela Grape Harvest — Pick Grapes, Stomp Grapes & Lunch

Pick & stomp grapes at a winery in Palmela

Once a year, in September, the Palmela wine region comes alive with the grape harvest — and this 7-hour experience puts you at the centre of it. Teresa and her team welcome your group at 9AM with a Grape Harvest Kit and take you straight to the vineyard, where you pick grapes by hand alongside the winery’s own harvest workers, with finger food and wines of the region served in the vines. The winery tour follows — covering the full production process from the processing area and machinery through to the aging barrels and the cellar with oldest vintages. Then comes the moment everyone remembers: stomping the freshly harvested grapes with your feet at 11AM, in the traditional way that Portuguese winemakers have used for centuries. Lunch is served at 12h30 in the Barrels’ Cave, with wine tasting alongside a traditional Portuguese menu. At 4PM, Teresa sends every guest home with a bottle of Palmela wine. Steven Bortoli said it was “the best decision.” Groups of 2 to 20. September only.

Itinerary

• 09h00 — Arrival at the winery in Palmela. Welcome from Teresa and the team. Each guest receives a Grape Harvest Kit
• 09h30 — Grape picking in the vineyard. Cut grapes by hand alongside the harvest workers. Finger food and Palmela wines are served in the vines as you work
• 11h00 — Winery tour. Teresa guides the full production process: grape processing machinery, fermentation tanks, aging barrels, and the cellar storeroom with the winery’s oldest vintages.
• 12h00 — Traditional grape treading. Stomp the freshly harvested grapes with your feet in the traditional way. The moment that most guests describe as the highlight of the day
• 12h30 — Lunch in the Barrels’ Cave. Sit down to a traditional Portuguese lunch surrounded by aging barrels, with wine tasting of Palmela wines throughout the meal
• 16h00 — Farewell gift. Every guest receives a bottle of Palmela wine to take home as a memento of the harvest day.

What’s Included

• Grape Harvest Kit on arrival
• Guided grape picking in the vineyard with finger food and Palmela wines
• Full winery tour: machinery, processing area, aging barrels, and cellar with oldest vintages
• Traditional grape treading by foot
• Lunch in the Barrels’ Cave with wine tasting
• A bottle of Palmela wine to take home
• Guide Teresa and team throughout the full 7-hour day

Highlights

Grape Treading — The Moment Everyone Remembers Picking grapes by hand is one thing. Stomping them with your bare feet in a traditional lagar, feeling the cold juice rise between your toes, is something completely different. This is the moment that guests talk about long after they leave — the visceral, sensory, completely irreplaceable experience of participating in winemaking the way it has been done in Portugal for centuries. Alex Dergar listed grape treading as one of the defining moments of the day. It cannot be replicated in a city wine bar.

Teresa — The Guide Who Makes a 7-Hour Day Feel Too Short Every review mentions Teresa by name. Alex Dergar specifically thanked her: “Special thanks to Teresa, our welcome and friendly guide.” Katy Grand called her “a great addition to our group of 10.” Steven Bortoli praised “Teresa and Ana, both so informative and accommodating.” A 7-hour harvest day requires a guide who can sustain energy, knowledge, and warmth from the first grape to the last glass — and Teresa delivers that, consistently, for groups of 2 to 20.

Lunch in the Barrels’ Cave — The Most Memorable Meal of Your Portugal Trip The lunch at 12h30 is not a catering break. It is served in the Barrels’ Cave — the aging cellar of the winery, surrounded by barrels of wine at various stages of development. Katy Grand described “delicious local food and wine and brilliant company.” Steven Bortoli saw “some of the really old wines.” Eating a traditional Portuguese lunch in this setting, after a morning of picking and stomping grapes, is the kind of meal that becomes the story you tell when you get home.

The Full Winery Story — From Vine to Oldest Vintage Steven Bortoli described seeing “the machinery, processing, aging barrels and store room with some of the really old wines” — calling it the kind of complete winery education he had never experienced. Teresa walks you through every stage of production, from the moment the harvested grapes enter the processing area through fermentation, ageing, and the oldest bottles in the cellar. By the time you sit down to lunch, you understand exactly how Palmela wine is made.

September Only — The Rarest Experience on the Platform This tour runs once a year, in September, when the harvest is ready. That seasonality is not a limitation — it is what makes it genuine. You visit when the entire winery is at peak activity, when the grapes are ripe, and when the tradition of the harvest is alive around you. A bottle of Palmela wine to take home seals the day. If you are planning a September trip to Portugal, this is the experience to build your itinerary around.

Transportation

• Not included – contact us if you need private transfer

Meeting point

• After booking we will send all the details of the farm, location (meeting point) and contact