National Museum of Wine

Alcobac, 95 km north of Lisbon, is well known for its Cistercian abbey of Santa Maria, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and has a huge kitchen with a pyramid-shaped chimney of circa 1750 resting on eight cast-iron columns, one of the first structural applications of cast-iron in Europe.

The region is celebrated for its fine red and white wines, and the National Museum of Wine was established in 1968 under the patronage of the Portuguese Institute of Vineyards and Wine. It is located in a former wine co-operative building, in which wine matured in 20 huge oak casks. The displays provide a full picture of the processes of wine-making, and also show how some local wines were distilled into brandy.