Herdade do Esporão – A Kitchen That Cultivates Silence, Flavor, and Purpose

In Alentejo, the horizon is an endless question. Plains stretching as far as the eye can see, dotted with ancient cork oaks that seem like guardians of secrets and ancient knowledge. It was among these natural nuances, where time seems to stand still, that we arrived at our destination. A vast stage where Herdade do Esporão rises—not as an imposition, but as a natural extension of the landscape itself. A project that, for decades, refuses to bury time under the weight of contemporary haste.

Under the leadership of Carlos de Albuquerque Teixeira, the estate’s restaurant earned a Michelin star and, perhaps more significantly here, the Green Star. But the accolades, truly, matter little. Because at Esporão, it’s not about cultivating distinction—it’s about cultivating the land. And from it, a kitchen with a clean face, firm gesture, and deep respect for the natural cycle of things.

Here, sustainability is not a hashtag for digital marketing—it is a silent, almost dogmatic premise that underpins every decision.

A decision made by those who know that, before any technical virtuosity, comes the act of observing, understanding, and listening. The result is a gastronomic experience that rejects noise and bets on resonance.

Field Prologue

The first idea presents itself in a liquid arrangement of strawberry, combined with elderflower ferment, and perfumed with mint oil. This composition evokes more of an Alentejo dawn than any gastronomic pretension. It’s a prelude of transparency, refreshing just enough, and a starting point for the seasonal exploration of the estate.

Then comes the Ameal 2023 and the ritual of bread—that primitive gesture that, in the right hands, remains revolutionary. Sourdough made with mother dough cultivated on the estate; focaccia with fresh pesto and local almonds; accompanied by a triptych of territorial fats: Alentejo pork butter (with that softness that contradicts its name), butter flavored with garden spices, and galega variety olive oil—a dense liquid that flows like gold, capturing the room’s light.

This is not just a beginning— it’s a geographical declaration. It’s a statement of principle.

Before delving into the dishes, it’s worth highlighting the structure of the offering: two tasting menus, one with 5 and another with 7 moments, which vary regularly according to the estate’s production cycles. Accompanying them are three wine pairing proposals, all composed of the estate’s wines, with distinct profiles that traverse Alentejo, Vinho Verde, and Douro, without ever losing the terroir’s guiding thread. With a small child at the table, we opted for the shorter menu—a practical decision that, nevertheless, did not compromise the richness of the experience.

Vegetable Cuisine with Head and Hands

The snacks arrive as miniature agricultural precision exercises, almost like gastronomic archaeology: Carlos excavates layers of flavor where others see only mundane ingredients. The Alqueva pike-perch tartare, served with a sour apple vinaigrette and shards of pork popcorn, reveals an almost obsessive respect for local products. The vegetable flour cannelé— a powder that concentrates forgotten garden flavors—serves as the base for a composition featuring green beans, green apple, and a garlic foam that floats like morning mist.

 

In the smoked beetroot tartlet with sheep yogurt, the chef reaffirms his commitment to seasonality and the use of the farm. The intention seems clear: to transform the obvious into the extraordinary, without excess, without distortion. There is an economy of gesture here that contrasts with sensory maximalism. More than aesthetics – which is impeccable – there is thought and instinct. A kitchen that knows its place and does not try to be anything else.

 

Courgette – so often insipid, so often forgotten – finds redemption here. A water-rich vegetable, often reduced to soup or dietary sides, finds its redemption in a tripartite sequence: crunchy barley tartlet with homemade chickpea miso; silky courgette purée scented with wild mint picked from the estate’s stream; and finally, a delicately tempura-fried courgette flower, stuffed with sheep curd – lactic, vegetal, earthy.

The bagna cauda and smoked yolk complete the purée, and this narrative has a subtext of umami and fat. Paired with Ameal Reserva 2022, of more complex but equally precise structure, this dish synthesizes the unwritten manifesto Carlos seems to want to convey:

Finding depth where others see surface, extracting eloquence from the most unexpected, without apologizing for it.

From river to mountain

The fish – grilled pike-perch arrives without artifice. It is accompanied by fennel purée in its aromatic purity, a salad of the same vegetable (raw, fermented, and pickled), river crayfish sauce, crispy scales, and a skewer of the crustacean that works as a textural counterpoint. It is a dish that seems to map a territory that starts in the river without ever losing its aromatic connection to the land. Very good.

Paired with Esporão Private Selection 2021, a rare case of Semillon in Alentejo that has endured over time. Notes of white fruit and a persistent finish that paired well with the depth of the sauce.

But it’s i in the lamb chop that the chef and his team once again demonstrate a confident kitchen: serving a “less noble” cut or a rice dish –, although today this has become something of a trend –, is simply the right choice: unexpected product, well handled, without artifice. A rich and well-executed rice, made with bomba rice from Aparroz (grown in Alcácer do Sal, less than 100 km away), and served with liver and orange salad. Nicely accompanied by an Alicante Bouschet 2015.

It may not be a political statement – just the conviction that true sustainability begins with choices,  before it concerns respectful use and zero waste. It is a dish unlikely for a Michelin restaurant – and for that very reason, necessary—a white-glove slap to the establishment.

The final segment reveals itself to be the most restrained – if it were poetry, one would say the chef wanted the meal to dissipate gradually rather than end in exclamation. Malt ice cream, Cordovil olive oil mousse, caramel, carrot, and hazelnut cake. Tasty, yes, but less inspired in form and construction. Like a lukewarm encore after a memorable concert. Still, it fulfills the purpose: to close the estate’s cycle without betraying the logic of the menu.

While many gastronomic temples turn the presence of children into a tacit inconvenience – and yes, I agree with many of them – Esporão integrates them into its narrative. There is a children’s menu that does not infantilize, that does not resort to nuggets or bland pasta. Instead, it offers carefully prepared dishes and the same philosophy – a gesture that recognizes that taste, like any language, is learned gradually.

The wine pairings, made exclusively with the group’s wines, could easily slip into corporate self-celebration, as we often see. But here, curiously, they work. Because the wines span several regions, styles, and intentions, and help reinforce the idea that this is a complete project, where everything is interconnected. Still, an occasional detour or journey through older vintages could bring a welcome breath of air.

Final Considerations

At the center of this entire experience is Carlos Teixeira – a chef who speaks little and cooks a lot. Who does not seek the spotlight, nor rushes to replicate peers and trends. Who rejects the choreography of media haute cuisine in favor of a silent and steady gesture. There is in him a rare maturity: that of one who knows where he is, and more importantly, what he does not want to be.

In a world of restaurants that shine on the outside but repeat themselves on the inside, Esporão does the opposite: it shines from within, with a kitchen that doesn’t need to announce itself because it is grounded in something far more profound than the immediacy of applause. It’s a gastronomy of long roots – less concerned with what blooms on the surface than with the invisible system that sustains everything.

Esporão is not just a great restaurant – it is a necessary reminder. That silence can be more eloquent than noise. That restraint can be more revolutionary than excess. That sometimes, the most radical gesture is simply doing what is right, with patience and without fanfare, always with belief and dedication.

In the increasingly noisy landscape of haute cuisine, this is a voice that whispers – and for that very reason, deserves to be heard with redoubled attention.

Esporão is a lesson in restraint, substance, and truth. One of those rare places where everything seems to be precisely where it should be. And it remains, because of all this, the most relaxed and accessible starred offering in Portugal— a must.