Situated in the Douro Demarcated Region, although already on the edge of it, Casa de Mateus represents a component of the high-altitude Douro wine region, where Port still has a place and the aptitude for producing quality white wines has great potential, which has been confirmed. Red wines, particularly those made from the Alvarelhão grape variety, were also historically important in the production of wines that were more open in colour, compared to those from warmer areas near the Douro river, one of which developed into a rosé that is very famous internationally.

The Museu da Vinha takes advantage of the south-facing slopes of Mateus to offer an audio-guided tour that takes you through the complex landscape of the Casa de Mateus, including the ornamental gardens, the transition zones, the edible landscapes provided by the organic vegetable garden and the woodland area, a fundamental resource for biodiversity and environmental sustainability.

Opening up, we can better understand, through a tour of the soil, what we mean when we talk about terroir: what the soil is made up of, how the vines put down their roots and go in search of the water and nutrients they need to give us their nectars. Then we learn about the historical succession of the different ways of cultivating vines, in goblets or other free forms from before phylloxera, schist supports, bundling... Finally, we travel through the region's grape varieties, the ones we have cultivated the most over the last few centuries: Alvarelhão, the grape that was at the origin of the mythical Mateus Rosé, of which we present the largest vineyard in Portugal; many square metres of other red grape varieties and a significant corridor of white grape varieties, in a total of twelve different specialities that contribute to the uniqueness of the wines grown in this terroir.

The Vineyard Museum should be visited with the help of the Audio Guide, which provides more detailed information on each step of the route. And, of course, you should end your visit in our Wine Shop, the place where you can taste what you have learnt while walking the paths of the Vineyard Museum.

The Wineyard Museum project was developed on the basis of a proposal by Prof. Nuno Magalhães and was developed as part of the Lugar Comum project, an initiative to boost the human capital of the Casa de Mateus Foundation, with the support of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation.