Our winery of the month for April is Casa Santos Lima from Portugal

Portugal is better known for its cork production and fortified red wines (aka port) than for its high quality dry reds and whites, but this month we aim to shine a spotlight on another side of this most western European winemaking country - and delve into the exotic world of Portuguese wines from Casa Santos Lima.

This is our winery of the month. It's a family owned winery with over 400 hectares of vineyards growing nationwide in a diverse range of regions fromf Lisboa, Algarve, Alentejo and Vinho Verde to the well known Douro Valley - home to port. The range of wines from these different regions reflects the diversity of these widely different regional climate variations and the incredible range of indigenous grape varieties, most of them only grown and known in Portugal. These include the well known Touriga Nacional (queen of the port grapes), Tinta Roriz (the Portuguese name for Tempranillo) and Alvarinho (same as Albarino) as well as lesser known grapes such as Castelao (the most planted grape in Portugal), Camarate and Tinta Miuda, among many others.

Casa Santos Lima is now run by the fourth generation of family members and was founded by Joaquim Santos Lima at the end of the 19th Century and grew out of a wine exporting business. Most of the company’s estates are located in Alenquer, 45 kilometres north of Lisbon. The vineyards are planted on gentle slopes at between 100 and 220 metres above sea level where the vines benefit from excellent sunshine and a climate tempered by the nearby Atlantic Ocean, 25 kilometres away.

This month we delve into the exotic world of Portuguese wines from Casa Santos Lima, a family owned winery with over 400 hectares of vineyards growing throughout this most western European country.

The vineyards owned by Casa Santos Lima span the regions of Lisboa, Algarve, Alentejo, Vinho Verde and Douro. The range of wines reflects the diversity of these widely different regional climate variations and the incredible range of indigenous grape varieties, most of them only grown in Portugal. These include the well known Touriga Nacional (queen of the port grapes), Tinta Roriz (the Portuguese name for Tempranillo) and Alvarinho (same as Albarino) as well as lesser known grapes such as Castelao (the most planted grape in Portugal), Camarate and Tinta Miuda, among many others.

Casa Santos Lima is a family owned wine business, now run by the fourth generation of family members. It was founded by Joaquim Santos Lima at the end of the 19th Century and grew out of a wine exporting business. Most of the company’s estates are located in Alenquer, 45 kilometres north of Lisbon. The vineyards are planted on gentle slopes at between 100 and 220 metres above sea level where the vines benefit from excellent sunshine and a climate tempered by the nearby Atlantic Ocean, 25 kilometres away.

* Read more in our weekly newsletters (sign up, if you don't receive them already each Tuesday) - and pop in store to ask staff for a taste of our Portuguese wines open all month under Coravin.

* And... join us at Wine Wednesdays this month for a taste of our Portuguese wines of the week.