At A Glance
- Field
- Detail
- Base
- Quinta da Boavista in Alenquer, north of Lisbon
- Ownership
- Family owned
- Range
- Red, white, rosé, sparkling, lightly sparkling, light, and dessert wines
- Featured reds
- Dão Reserva and Cigarra Reserva
- Regional reach
- Lisbon, Algarve, Dão, and other Portuguese regions
The Producer
Casa Santos Lima has its headquarters, shop, and largest wineries at Quinta da Boavista in Alenquer. The family owned company produces, bottles, and sells Portuguese wines.
Joaquim Santos Lima established the original Quinta da Boavista property in the late nineteenth century. He became a major producer and exporter of Portuguese wine. The current portfolio includes Lisbon, Algarve, Alentejo, Vinho Verde, Douro, Dão, and the Azores. Casa Santos Lima produces wine from about 400 hectares of vineyards. Fermentation takes place in a modern style lagar, a vessel for fermenting grapes.
Place
The Lisbon vineyards sit on gentle slopes between 100 and 220 metres, with good sun exposure. The Atlantic Ocean is 25 kilometres from the property. The sea tempers the climate. The vineyards are principally planted on clay and limestone soils from the Upper Jurassic period.
Most of the Algarve vineyards are around Tavira. The conditions there are Mediterranean, with more than 3,000 hours of sunshine per year, ocean proximity, and clay and limestone soils. Wines from this area are smooth, velvety, and fruity.
Wines
Casa Santos Lima began bottling its own brands in 1996. The portfolio includes red, white, rosé, sparkling, lightly sparkling, light, and dessert wines. Dão Reserva and Cigarra Reserva are among the named red bottlings.
Dão Reserva 2024 is composed of 65% Touriga Nacional, 20% Jaen, and 15% Tinta Roriz. It comes from predominantly granite soil and has an ageing potential of two to five years. It shows ripe strawberry, cherry, blackberry, violet, herbs, subtle minerality, and soft tannins.
Cigarra Reserva 2024 is made from 60% Shiraz and 40% Tinta Barroca. It is aged for three months in a mixture of new and old French barriques, small oak casks. It shows oak, dark cherry, violet, blackcurrant, raspberry, and vanilla.
Final Word
Casa Santos Lima is a family owned company based at Quinta da Boavista, with a Portuguese range that includes wines from Lisbon, Algarve, Dão, and other regions. Its styles include red blends, sparkling wines, and dessert wines.
Sources
- www.casasantoslima.com/en/casa-santos-lima/our-history
- lisbonwineroutes.com/en/2025/07/06/casa-santos-lima
- woodberrywine.com/project/casa-santos-lima
- www.casasantoslima.com/en/casa-santos-lima/about-us
- www.casasantoslima.com/en/regions
- www.giertz.se/sortiment/casa-santos-lima-dao-reserva
- www.systembolaget.se/produkt/vin/cigarra-256501