The Estate
A property with more than a century of history
The Wild Heifer Estate — known in Portuguese as Herdade da Bezerra Doida — is a mixed property of approximately 57 hectares in the parish of Serpa Salvador and Santa Maria, district of Beja, Baixo Alentejo. It comprises three rural agricultural plots and three traditional manor houses, all surrounded by olive groves, holm oak woodlands, and protected steppe habitat.
Property records date back to before 1951. The olive grove was first planted in 1903, with a second wave of planting in 1953. The principal manor houses were registered in the cadastre in the 1960s. The estate was held in undivided inheritance for several decades, during which time it was lightly farmed but not intensively developed.
In April 2026, the estate was acquired by Monte Ardila — Atividade Agrícola e Agropecuária, Lda., a Portuguese family-led agricultural company committed to the integrated regeneration of the Alentejo. A long-term plan is now underway: heritage restoration of the manor houses, valorisation of the centenary olive grove, integrated cattle ranching, and the careful introduction of high-end agritourism in the spirit of the place.
Three manor houses, one identity
The estate is articulated around three traditional montes alentejanos — the whitewashed manor houses of Alentejo's pastoral tradition. Each has its own history and its own role in our restoration plan.
Monte da Bezerra Doida
Main estate house, 1967
The oldest of the three buildings, with the best preserved structure. Comprises the main living quarters and ancillary buildings, totalling 208 m² of built area. The plan is to recover this as a refined private suite for our most discerning guests.
Monte Novo
The new house, 1967
A five-room building of 198 m², with full residential licence already in place. In our restoration plan, this will become the central agritourism unit — multiple suites, communal dining, library, and welcome area.
Bezerra Doida House
Traditional Alentejo cottage, pre-1951
A traditional ground-floor Alentejo cottage with three rooms and an attached cattle shelter. Its vernacular architecture, with thick whitewashed walls and small openings, will be preserved as a low-impact countryside retreat.
Olive trees with more than 120 years of life
Our olive grove is the soul of the estate. We have 1,033 georeferenced olive trees, of which a significant proportion was planted in 1903 — trees that have stood through two world wars, the Estado Novo dictatorship, the Carnation Revolution, and now the early decades of the European century.
The remaining trees were planted in 1953, completing a grove of remarkable historical and productive depth. We are currently in the process of certifying the grove as organic, with a view to producing a small-volume premium olive oil with deep terroir character — the kind of authentic, ungimmicky Alentejo olive oil that European markets increasingly seek and value.
The iconic Iberian montado
Most of the estate is covered by montado — the silvopastoral landscape unique to the Iberian peninsula, where holm oak (azinheira) and cork oak (sobreiro) trees coexist with extensive grazing. This is one of the most biodiverse semi-natural ecosystems in Europe.
Cork harvesting follows a strict nine-year cycle, in line with both Portuguese law and ecological best practice. The estate's cork oaks are scheduled for assessment ahead of the next sustainable harvest. The holm oaks, meanwhile, produce acorns essential to traditional Iberian cattle and pig farming.
At the heart of the European Natura 2000 network
SAC Guadiana
Special Area of Conservation Guadiana — code PTCON0036, integrated into the European Natura 2000 network. Covers virtually the entire estate.
SPA Vale do Guadiana
Special Protection Area Vale do Guadiana — code PTZPE0047, dedicated to the protection of the iconic steppe and cliff-nesting birds of the region.
Vale do Guadiana Natural Park
Created in 1995, the Natural Park covers approximately 70,000 hectares of Mediterranean steppe and river valley. The estate is fully integrated within its boundary.
Images of the estate
Would you like to visit, or learn more?
We welcome enquiries from agritourism guests, journalists, prospective Active Retirement members, and institutional partners.
Contact the Estate