Her deep brown eyes surveyed the dusty, sun-kissed plains and suddenly caught my gaze.

Slightly startled, she stood transfixed for what seemed like an age, curled one of her long eyelashes into a wink and appeared to nod in my direction.

The Portuguese stunner then stretched her long, shapely legs and began to saunter off through the scrubland, the late afternoon sun reflecting on her perfectly tanned skin.

Now I understood the attraction of the rare Garvonesa cow. The beast is, indeed, a beauty.

Fortunately, Barbara Thomann and her husband, Georg, felt the same thing when they clapped eyes on the Garvonesa breed 19 years ago.

If they hadn’t, the chances are the iconic cow would have been wiped off the face of the earth.

Barely 100 Garvonesa were left when the Swiss couple decided, with predictably perfect timing, to sell up their brewery business in Winterthur and buy 70 hectares of farmland in southern Portugal’s Alentejo region.

They bought ten cattle, with their distinctive black faces, horns and reddish brown skin, and set about breeding them at their Herdade da Mata farm, alongside other endangered species.

Now they have close to 100 Garvonesa, with 500-plus cows at other Portuguese farms, and it’s fair to say the future of the breed looks assured.

A welcome by-product of the Thomanns’ actions has been to help beef up Alentejo’s littleknown food and wine scene.

The Garvonesa meat, once traded at the famous Garvao Fair - from where the cow derived its name - is now marketed under the Estremoz Carne brand and sold throughout the country.

Barbara, a modest and friendly mother of three girls who reminds me of Born Free actress Virginia McKenna, is rightly proud of her achievements. She lets the cattle roam the fields throughout the year and supplements their diet with a mix of herbs grown on the farm.

It is her dream to one day be able to serve up “the finest cuts you could taste” at her own restaurant within the estate.

But, for now, she is content with helping to rear other endangered animals such as Serpentina goats, Sorraia and Lusitano horses and delightful Miranda donkeys.

Guests can stay in the farm’s guesthouses, ride horses at the impressive equestrian centre and immerse themselves in the country life.

To taste the fruits of the farm’s labours, it’s best to head into the beautifully preserved medieval town of Evora - a Unesco world heritage site - where restaurants abound inside the 14th century walls.

But before tucking into the renowned black pork, salt cod, wild mushroom and asparagus dishes, it’s a good idea to get an understanding of the wide variety of wines on offer.

My wife, Carole, and I find the Conde D’Ervideira Reserva particularly agreeable, which sets us up nicely for lunch at Cafe Alentejo, just off the town’s central square.

Fortunately, there are plenty of wonderful sites in Evora to visit and walk off such a delicious meal, such as the second century Templo Romano, more commonly referred to as the Temple of Diana, the fabulous aqueduct that sweeps around the town and the gruesome Capela dos Ossos - Chapel of Bones - a large room adorned with the bones of more than 5,000 monks from the 16th century.

To get a feel of the real Alentejo, head south from Evora, through the cork oak trees and along the dusty lanes to the delightful Herdade da Malhadinha Nova Country House & Spa, near Beja.

It’s advisable to have a good GPS navigation tool and to arrive by daylight, as signposts are few and far between, but it’s worth the effort as the large, beguiling estate oozes class.

Here they breed horses, Alentejo cattle and black pigs, which feed on acorns from the cork trees, and if you can tear yourself away from the pool and underground spa, it’s worth a walk around the vast vineyards and winery.

Further north, the landscape becomes hilly and altogether more interesting, with picturesque, whitewashed towns and imposing fortresses.

On the way, we stop off to sample the fruits of the familyrun Almojanda olive oil business at Herdade da Almojanda, near Portalegre.

The previous summer, I had spent time in Puglia, southern Italy, which produces 80 per cent of the Italy’s olive oil, but its flavours would struggle to match those of the Almojanda.

Owner Teresa was proud to show us around her ancient olive groves, which produce an intensely flavoursome yet smooth extra virgin olive oil.

Travel Facts
Chris Wiltshire was a guest of Sunvil Discovery (020 8758 4722; (sunvil.co.uk) who offer tailormade itineraries across the Alentejo. His trip cost from £684pp (two sharing) including return flights (Heathrow) with TAP Portugal (flytap.com), two nights at the Herdade da Malhadinha Nova, one night at the Pousada de Arraiolos and one night at the Pousada de Marvao, and car hire. For further information about the Alentejo, see visitalentejo.pt/en