For forty years, the Herdade dos Lagos estate in the Valley of the Camels (Vale de Camelos) has been owned by the Zeppenfeld-Kreikenbaum family. Many changes have taken place in the course of this time.
The Alentejo region is located in the south of Portugal and was considered in previous years as the granary of Portugal. So the origin of the good lies in agriculture.
When the Bremen shipowner Horst Zeppenfeld, then still captain, fell in love with this landscape, there was already a dream: the cultivation of wine and olive trees. Together with the family and the administrator Dietmar Ochsenreiter, the realization was constantly carried out.
Today, about 1000 sheep still graze on the 1000 hectares of land with its five reservoirs, but the cultivation of wine, olives and carob are in the foreground.
From the family, the daughter, Antje Kreikenbaum, took over the marketing and distribution of the products of HDL and Vale de Camelos and the responsibility to advance new visions supported by her husband, the landscape architect Thorsten Kreikenbaum. Meanwhile, her son Jannes is also active on the winery and thus the third generation of the family.
A dedicated team led by Helena Manuel, a trained agricultural engineer, supports the family.
The change to organic farming has been a major challenge and one of the biggest changes on the farm so far.
There were some bureaucratic hurdles along the way and reservations had to be overcome. But after a controlled conversion phase, one can now speak with pride of a organic certified winery.
This makes use of the optimal conditions that can be found in the Alentejo with its vast, untouched areas and conserve natural resources. This creates natural wines and products that allow you to enjoy undisturbed.
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