In my two previous posts, we’ve explored Portugal’s most renown and cherished artisanal cheeses, learning the basic flavor profiles, as well as common Portuguese terms when buying and selecting cheese. (Read Part 1 and Part 2) Now it’s finally time to enjoy our delicious Portuguese cheese with some equally delicious Portuguese wine.

For many of us, it’s impossible to pick only one ideal Portuguese cheese and wine pairing, as there are several wonderful and interesting combinations to experience. Consequently, I’ve not only listed a few of my favorite pairings at the end of the article, but have garnered the feedback of several Portuguese natives and wine / food enthusiasts alike. So make sure to read on!

But first, allow me to share some “expert advice” on wine and cheese pairings from a non other than a Portuguese wine and food professional. José Manuel Bento dos Santos is a Portuguese engineer, but is better known as a winemaker and professional gourmand. He is Vice-President of the Academia Internacional de Gastronomia, a Gastronomy Chancellor in the La Chaine des Rotisseurs, member of the Académie des Psycologues du Goat, Chevalier des Entonneurs Rabelaisiennes and Chevalier du Tastevin and a distinguished member of the Confraria do Vinho Porto. He is also the author of Subtilezas Gastronómicas (“Gastronomic Subtleties”) and O Sentido do Gosto (“The Sense of Taste”), which is now a TV show. In Subtilezas Gastronómicas, José Bento discusses the complex connection between wine and food, using mostly Portuguese and French references with recipes listed at the back of the book. Reading the Com Queijos or “With Cheese” (Pg. 67-68) section, I was a little taken aback by his ideal Portuguese wine and food pairings. (Photo from Gourmet Food)

Translated from Portuguese to English, his suggestions are as follows:

“It is so typical to say that cheese and red wine are united like flesh and bone, and it’s of no surprise that in several enology courses I’ve given, the audience was perplexed when informed about the enormous fallacy involving the concept behind cheese and red wine. In fact, the presence of cheese undresses red wine, unbalancing it and giving it an unpleasant metallic taste. It gives the impression that you’re eating a piece of tinfoil. Almost all red wines kill the flavor of hard cheeses and their tannins destroys the palate of creamy cheeses. Try taking a full-bodied red wine and pairing it with a Brie or Camembert. Worse yet, if you use a stronger flavored cheese like Nisa or Castello Branco, same with our Serra, Serpa and Azeitão, the fat effects the palate in such a way that only the unpleasant metallic taste in the wine come through.”

“On the other hand, the absence of tannins in white wines makes them better partners with cheese. Even though a red can be acceptable with a very simple cheese, such as a queijo fresco, a Cheddar brand or a young Queijo de Ilha (São Jorge) that’s not overwhelming on the palate, the fact is that for a great majority of cheeses, white wine is best adapted to its fatty structure.”

So what other types of wine does José Bento recommend with cheese?

“Champagne (or in Portugal-Espumante) is a classic, considered as one of the wines best suited for cheese in general.”

He also mentions Port and Sauternes (or similarly sweet Portuguese Moscatel ) as perfect pairings with blue cheese (or very strong cheese in general). And last but not least, he recommends one of his own wines, Quinta do Monte d’Oiro 2003 (harvested October 7th) made from Viognier, having “ideal characteristics for combining with some cheeses, like goat cheeses, a marvelous pairing if the aromas of the cheese are brought out by being served warm, pan-fried or oven baked…also pairs with a Serra or a Serpa…”

I think José Bento makes a good point about pairing white wines with cheese, but I find it hard to completely buy into the theory that most red wines are not suitable with cheese, as many of my favorite pairings involve the two. Although, I’m extremely skeptical about pairing a red with queijo fresco! But to be fair, having paired an aged Serra de Estrella with a full-bodied red, which left a metallic, “tinfoil flavor resonating in my mouth for ages, I’m sympathetic to his point. So maybe the moral of the story is that we should contrast our wine with cheese: balancing acidity with fat & strong/spicy with sweet, instead of matching in relationship to flavor and body. You don’t have to agree with him, but it is something to consider. Try it out for yourself!

And while you’re experimenting with both wine and cheese, why not add some native cheese accompaniments into the mix! Marmelada, Portugal’s quince paste (marmelo in Portuguese), can be found in both basic and artisanal quality, and is a stellar addition to the mix. Additionally, during the summer, choose from an abundant variety of green melons and fresh green and black figs.

Say Queijo!

Andrea Smith

Favorite Portuguese Food and Wine Pairing – What are yours?

#1: “A Lil’ Stinky But Smooth And Creamy”
(Azeitão; Serra de Estrella; Amarelo de Beira Baixa)

Andrea Smith: Queijo de Azeitão with a 95′ Douro red.
Nuno Gonçalo Monteiro:”Queijo de Azeitão with LBV or Vintage Port.”
Tiago Henriques: “Azeitão and Douro definitely!  Such as Duas Quintas, Barca Velha and Esteva. All red ones indeed!”
Jose Luís Maçãs: “Queijo da Serra with a White Port”
Pedro Vital (Marketing Director): “Queijo Serra de Estrella with either LBV Ruby Port or a Douro red, like Quinta da Casa Amarela.”
João (Restaurant Owner): “Queijo Seia (Serra de Estrella Style) and Vinho Verde!”

#2: “Not Too Soft, Not Too Hard And Not Too Stinky”
(Evora; Nisa; Serpa; Pico)

Andrea Smith: Queijo de Pico with a slice of marmelada and any dry white made with Moscatel from the Terras do Sado region.
Vitor Mendes:”Here is my suggestion: Niza or Azeitão cheese, with a nice 2003 LBV Port from Quevedo.”
Nuno Gonçalo Monteiro: “Queijo de Niza with Tawny Port.”
José Eduardo (Cortes de Cima)”DOP Serpa or plain Serpa style with full bodied red Regional Alentejano, plenty of good choices out there”
Jose Luís Maçãs: “Queijo de Nisa with a good Touriga Nacional (if possible also Alentejano)”

#3″Hard, Rugged and Nutty”
(São Jorge”  or “Queijo da Ilha”; Terrincho)

Andrea Smith: Queijo de Terrincho with a 2005 Red Dão Reserva.
Luis Amaral: “I would go for a nice and spicy Queijo da Ilha (S. Jorge) with a good bottle of Barca Velha”
Eduardo Pinto: “I have not tasted all the cheeses and wines from Portugal, but I can tell you that my favorite pairing is a Terrincho with Douro red wine.”

#4″ReFRESHing”
(Queijo Fresco; Requeijão; Portuguese Chévre; Rabaçal; Picante de Beira Baixa)

Andrea Smith: A traditional pairing- Requeijão mixed with Doce de Abobora (Pumpkin Preserves) and Ruby Port.
Nuno Gonçalo Monteiro: I’ve been trying old (5+ years) Bairrada Whites with sheep and goat cheeses and I really like the pairing.”
*And let’s not forget that even Portugal’s “generic” Flamengo cheese can make a nice pairing!
Vitor Mendes: “I love a much simpler pairing, Flamengo cheese with some marmelada on the top. I use D. Pedro light. Great cheese, very tasty, extra smooth, fantastic flavor, and with a artisanal marmelada from Quinta do Caro…. Yummy!!!! Paired with a 10 year old Porto from Khron. I´m a simple man and this is one of favorite desserts.”

Related posts:

• Part 2: The Ultimate User’s Guide To Portuguese Cheese
• Part 1: The Ultimate User’s Guide to Portuguese Cheese
• Iberian Cheese and Wine Pairing – Our Writer's Comment
• H3: Where the Ultimate Mouthwatering Hamburgers are Made in Portugal
• Garrafeira Alfaia: A Classic Wine Bar in the Heart of Lisbon

It’s been a busy the past few months, because Spain is finally waking up to blogging; and we’re excited to be a small part of it. I’ve been buried in two new websites, while trying to maintain a few others. All good news for our small growing enterprise. Today, we head off to Oporto, to consult with a small port house on launching the first ever, blog about port wine. To be honest, we’re really excited about this, and we’re hoping this might lead to some purple feet if we need to visit in the near future.

But for now I want to fill you in on a few experiences I’ve had over the past week. First up, Cork!

Catalan Cork Institute

Just a quick note about my visit to Catalan Cork country, and  promise more with pictures when I have more time. I do want to say thank you to the Catalan Cork Institute, and Juan Botey Serra whose 300yr old property I fell in love with. (lot’s more pictures to put up on flickr too)

Some of you might remember our experience visiting the largest cork producer in the world last year called, Amorim. The experience, to our great surprise, was an eye opener for this cork doubter, and so I couldn’t pass up a chance to see a smaller version right here in our backyard. The Catalan Cork Institute invited Catavino to see their operations north of Barcelona in Costa Brava to explain the differences between the big guy and the small proud guy. Sadly Gabriella was getting her wrist wrapped in Gesso and was unable to join my friend Richard and I, as we traipsed through the thickets of Catalan cork country.

So, what surprised me? While cork is still produced in Catalunya, it is more of a surviving tradition than a burgeoning industry. Most of the cork produced by the Catalan Cork industy is actually from the forests of Extremadura and Andalucia. Estremadura and Andalucia have large cork oak plantation whereas, the cork in Catalunya is embedded in impenetrable forests that make the groomed trees of Portugal. This in turn makes the harvest a much more difficult endevour. During our visit we did get to visit the largest single cork grower left in Catalunya, and while his 1300ha may seem like a lot, the trees on the property are wild and hidden in thickets of vines, and underbrush that make the harvest one of the more amazing things I have seen. Just getting to the oak takes a few hundred wackes with a machete to get through the underbrush that surrounds them. Combine this with a longer period between harvests, 13yrs as opposed to 9yrs in Portugal,  and you have a mess of undergrowth to deal with each time. Here’s a short video to give you some perspective, though the shots we took, albeit hard to procure, were in some of the more “open” areas.

Later in the day after a visit to the Catalan Cork Institute and a nice lunch we had the chance to visit one of the largest cork producer’s factories, a place whose daily output of cava corks is around 1,000,000. This is a small drop in the bucket of the global market, but always interesting to watch the machines go through their paces as they do their automated tasks. What we didn’t see, however, is the treatment of the cork to help prevent the notorious issues we all know too well. Most of this cork had been  harvested and treated long before it made its way to the floors of the factory, and this in turn left only the final part of assembly for us to watch.

As I mentioned the whole visit was done in the company of the Catalan Cork Institute (Institut Catalá del Suro). Founded in 1977, it was created to do what most of the cork industry was doing at the time, reacting to the outcry and awareness of the affect faulty corks were having on the industry. Now, while they are testing to control for taint and other cork defects, I didn’t see any research or development into what they are doing to prevent cork taint. Not to say that they aren’t, a nice heated discussion over lunch showed that this is a very important part of what they do, but it just wasn’t emphasized on the tour of the labs.

One thing we were shown was an eye opener to me. You see most cork evangelists will claim that cork is neutral and not a contributor to flavor. Well at the Institute we experienced an interesting “scent experiment” of different aromas that come directly from cork. Mind you, it wasn’t just the experience of the smelling differing cork aromas that struck me as strange, but more the fact that they were willing and open to share this idea with us. We smelled: wet earth, cut grass, mushrooms, eucalyptus, along with varying cork faults, a very enlightening and fun experiement.

Finally I want to point out that our day was fill with the latest “in defense of cork” arguement about how cork is environmentally better than other closures,  a sentiment that I generally agree with. Yet, interestingly, the Catalan Cork Indutry actually uses the cork from the other side of Spain! For those that know Catalunya is in the East and Estremadura the west.  So although I agree that the cork is a  carbon sink, if you spend that sink on the effort it takes to transport the product to the production zone you are clearly not gaining any benefit. You might move closer to neutral, but in the end, your whole push of cork as a carbon sink is no longer as potent an argument. Or at least it seems. Historically the producers have been in Catalunya so the infastructure is located there as well as the trained technicians. As we all know it can be hard to move a whole industry.

After all is said and I done, I believe that cork, no matter the end product in Catalunya at least it is a driving force in  preserving the amazing Catalan Forests. While the production is small, what does remain, even if only for the sake of preserving a traditon, is helping to save forests from being destroyed.

Hotel el Prado, Madrid

Other news. A few months ago, while in Madrid, I met with my good friend, Jimmy Pons, a social media expert leading the good fight here in Spain. He wanted to share a new hotel focused completely on wine. Hidden down a street near Plaza Santa Ana is a small 3 star hotel called, Hotel el Prado. Each room is named after a different Denominacion de Origen, and there is a guidebook in each room explaining Spains’ wine regions (with all contact info for each DO, worth the price of the hotel alone!). While this may be enough they also have something that is as rare as a water in the Sahara, FREE WIFI (wine bloggers take note). For this alone you should stop by but wait there is more, a lounge area with stacks of reading materials dedicated solely to wine and in several different languages. Not to mention, they have ties to a “certain” powerful winemaking family; hence, wine is always within reach!

All that said their site is ok, check it out here: Madrid Wine Themed Hotel, and notice they have some package deals that are quite attractive. It is a three star in Madrid so some of the rooms are a bit small, but with a terrace or two in some rooms, and with the location it’s at, I can honestly say this is a steal for anyone trying to focus on wine and food while in Madrid. Check them out, and tell them Catavino sent you. We do not financially gain from a mention, though we would love for them to refer their guests to us!

Twitter Tasting

We want to say thank you to Craig Drollet of Binendswine.com and Eric Solomon from European Cellars for having us as co-hosts at their twitter tasting. We had a great time, and out of the 6 wines tasted, my favorites were: Bodegas Castaño Monastrell Yecla Solanera Viñas Viejas and Louro while Gabriella preferred the Pazo de Senorans Albarino 2007 and the Castano Yecla “Solanera” 2005.

Ryan Head’s to Minnesota Next Week

If your in Minnesota (I know at least one or two of you are) next week, Wednesday the 29th, I’ll be talking about wine blogging and our experience moving to Spain. Not entirely sure what I’ll say, so I’ll expect some good audience questions! Please come join us, all the details can be found here.

Catavino Judges Wines Blogs in Catalunya

Finally, we will be judging an event very near and dear to our hearts. This Septemeber, DO Catalunya (warning, flash based site, very slow) will be giving 3000 euros to the best wine blog in Spanish or Catalan. We write in English, so we are disqualified, though it should be interesting to see who does enter. There are still not a lot of wine blogs in Spain, but the number is growing. We’re really looking forward to the first Wine Blog Awards with a cash prize! We’ll fill you in with the results!

So there you go. Right now I’m probably sweating in the middle of some schist covered vineyard, while trying to find shade in the middle of the Douro heat. Please have pity for us, more so for Gabriella. Can’t imagine being in that heat with a plaster cast on your arm! UGH!

Cheers,

Ryan Opaz

Related posts:

• Part 1: The Real Cork – Video
• How Cork can Contribute to CO2 Sequestration: An Interview with Carlos de Jesus of Amorim
• Part 1: The Real Cork – Where does cork come from?
• Catavino's Video Debut with Danny the Catalan Chef
• Quiz! 13 Facts about Cava Wine

Gabriella fondly remembers when she was a child, sitting in front of the TV listening to Cookie Monster teach the alphabet, and on this particular day, words that started with the letter “S”. This episode is firmly ingrained in her head, because unfortunately, she couldn’t pronounce the letter “s” as a child, handicapped with a severe lissssp. Therefore, words like snake became th-nake and summer became th-ummer. Clearly, this doesn’t bode well when you’re watching your brother happily sipping on his vanilla shake and all you can come out with “Mom, I want a thake too!”

Well, today, we’d like to thank Grape Juice for hosting Wine Blog Wednesday, by celebrating anything directly related to a bottle of wine that begins with the letter “S”. Considering that we are in Spain, we thought there would be no better opportunity than to feature our favorite “S” word, Sherry! Eric Asimov recently published an article on this much under appreciated style of Spanish wine, claiming that, “… certain wines require more of an effort to appreciate than most people are willing to give and therefore are consigned to a form of marginal status.” We wholeheartedly agree with him, and are hoping that today, we can motivate you to get off your keester and enjoy a delicious and thirst quenching glass of sherry.

Osborne’s Coquinero is a wine that we both immediately fell in love with. Incredibly delicate, with a honeyed nose, while the palate packs more of a punch. We seriously want to drink this on the beach in Cadiz with a plate of fried marine creatures! The salty air on the body are so big and creamy, you would imagine that you’re drinking a red wine, rather than the pale and elegant sherry.

However, after Ryan spent a considerable amount of time hunting for information on the wine, he came up empty-handed, well, at least on the Osborne site. True to our previous vow, we HIGHLY recommend not visiting this website, if you are interested in gathering information. It’s not only full of flash, it’s slow to load and is missing information in various sections. However, we did eventually learn that Coquina is a small shell fish that I assume are gobbled up by people lounging on those very same beaches that I am am currently dreaming of…. Ok, we’re back! Thus, we assume that the Coquinero is the individual who harvests coquinas. Ryan voiced how proud he would be to be a Coquinero and have this specific sherry named after him. Now, if only Osborne would release the Blogguero Fino, a wine for the sedentary lifestyle!

Back to the wine. Even though we are Certified Sherry Educators, you really need at least one lifetime to fully understand the myriad styles and techniques for producing this style of wine. That said, we do know sherry pretty well, and have even taught a class or two (if you need one, please let us know!). But this wine befuddled us a bit. It’s classified as Fino Amontillado! What’s that? Are you a Fino or an Amontillado? Well, this one wants to be both, and we can tell you from a taste perspective, if handed to us blind, the color would scream Fino, while the palate, Amontillado. Yet strangely, Osborne fails to explain why they classified this wine as a Fino Amontillado, while other sites seem to choose a style based on whatever is convenient for them. That said, if you take a peek at the label, the wine is fortified more than a Fino (approx. 15%), listed at 17.5% – a percentage much closer to Amontillado or Oloroso. The wine has also been aged under flor for 4 years (biological aging) and then undergoes a short oxidative aging, though this must be minimal seeing how the color is so light.

So can you get you’re hands on this? Well you Spanish and UK readers may have some luck, and there are even some small stocks in the US it appears, but I don’t know how easy your hunt will be. Coquinero is a wine that we both recommend and wonder what Wine Speculator was smoking the day they gave it an 87? I mean really, we drink a lot of sherry, and this wines only fault is an identity crisis. Uniqueness never wins as many awards as correctness.

Our hats are off to this amazing wine, and now to take the rest of the day off to both study the bottom of the bottle and the culture of a siesta here in Spain!

For more information on Spanish Sherry, check out some of our past articles:

Cheers!

Gabriella and Ryan Opaz

• Top Five Mistakes in Serving Sherry
• The Fear of Sherry
• The More Entertaining Side of Sherry
• Timeline of Spanish Sherry
• Sherry 101 – Basics of this noble wine!

*Thanks to Lulucat and Debris for the use of their photos.

Related posts:

• Palomino Fino
• Sherry 101 – Basics of this Noble Wine!
• We're Sherry Educators
• Sherry to invest €2.8m in marketing sherry to new markets! Will they get it right?
• Sherry Bar Madrid – La Venencia

Last month, we interviewed Cristina Brito, President of Mouriscas Tours, a customized tour company based in and around Lisbon. The podcast not only covers the history and the creation of Mouriscas Tours, but also gets into a bit more detail as to what they offer, which include, but are not limited to:

Escorted Tours: A sightseeing tour of Portugal with a professional guide.
Hosted Tours: It’s like having your own personal assistant during your trip. They handle all those annoying details no one really enjoys doing like booking a new flight or deciding which restaurant is better for children, while you sit back and drink a glass of Vinho verde.
Customized Tours: You give them the dates, where you want to go, what kind of place you like to stay in, what you enjoy doing, and they do the rest.

Cristina has taken her tourism wisdom one step further by offering us a list of suggestions to put on our Portugal Map as to where you should go if ever in Lisbon, including: restaurants, cafes, bakeries, outdoor terraces, points of interest and more!

Enjoy both the Podcast and our Portugal Map, and please check out the Mouriscas Tours website for more information!

View Portuguese Wines Report – Catavino.net in a larger map

No related posts.

Portugal equals Port wine, right?! This statement is dead on for so many of you, but this wasn’t the case if we go back a few generations. In the 1940s, there were two brands that epitomized Portuguese wine to the global market: Mateus and Lancers. Both wines were presented in uniquely shaped bottles that appeared to be created for one purpose only, to hold candles, which consequently, made them unforgettable. Roses and slightly sweet, both labels helped shape a generation of wine drinkers, appreciated for their icon value than for their sophistication or “rating”.

Lancers
At the end of WWII, Americans wanted a beverage to toast in celebration without having to drink the bold European wines of the age. Inspired by Antonio Soares Porto’s creation of a light rose called Faisca, Henry Behar sailed to Portugal in 1944 to visit Maria da Fonseca. Suggesting that they market Faisca to the American public as both a versatile and refreshing wine that is spec, Fonseca stuck a deal with Behar’s distribution company and launched the emblematic rose wine, Lancers.

What is of particular interest to me is how the original name and shape of the bottle morphed into what we know it as now. As a result of the wine’s baptized name, “Faisca” being too close a bedmate to Fiasco, they canned it entirely for a fresh new name based on the title of Behar’s favorite Velasquez painting, “Las Lanzas”. The shape and material of the bottle, however, was based on a marketing ploy to offer Americans something easily distinguishable from other wine bottles of the time. The campaign was extremely successful causing sales to soar over 1 million bottles in th 1970′s, there was a slight problem. Ceramic breathes. And when ceramic breathes, it allows oxygen to exchange at a rate not optimal for a simple light rose.

So, being the forward thinkers they were, they changed the bottle to a frosted glass design, which later was revamped to a festive opaque glass allowing festive cranberry color of the wine to speak for itself. Interestingly, the frosted glass design is still quite popular in Central Europe as a result of Europeans associating the opaque bottle with liquor, rather than a Rosado.

Through Lancer’s market research, they’ve also found an interesting trend in their consumer demographics. Although we all know that women tend to be the driving force behind pink bottle of rose, they’ve found that their consumer base is half women and half men. Why? Simply because men, bless your hearts, acquiesce to us just like they do when we need good shoe fix. And, as a result of Lancer’s new sexy design, which I really like, the young twenty somethings are all over this bad boy, making it a fun festive party drink that they can dually enjoy with their grandparents at the holidays while reminiscing about B2 Bombers and Swing music.

We tried Lancer’s last night among a group of friends. Opening the ridiculously heavy frosted glass bottle, watching the wine splash into the shallow depths of the glass, I honestly assumed that I would find serious fault with this wine, but that was far from the truth. Putting the glass to my nose, noticing a faint cranberry aroma with a slight effervescence, the wine is simple, lightly sweet and flawless, perfect for a summer outing. Similar to white zinfindel, it’s a slightly fruity one-dimensional wine that can be found just about anywhere for about the same price you most likely have in pocket change, less than 5 bucks.

Mateus

Before Henry Behar even stepped foot into Portugal, Fernando van Zeller Guedes, SOGRAPE’s founder, wanted to launch an attractive and interesting wine from Portugal that had international appeal. Not local appeal, but international. This is not an easy task when considering the lack of information Van Zeller Guedes had at his fingertips in 1942. Without computers, surveys or consumer demographics, he created a rose made from red varietals native to the Douro, such as Baga, Rufete, Tinta Barroca and Touriga Franca. The result was a light, young, fizzy, easy drinking wine showing flavors of watermelon and medicinal herbs, offering itself as the perfect alternative to beer, soda or champagne.

Clearly, Mateus hit the market flying, making itself a household name as fervent as Lucky Strike, but like Lancers, part of its market appeal was the result of its packaging. A squat, disproportional bottle, it had

as much use as a doorstop as it did a wine bottle. Evidently, the bottle was inspired by the flasks used by soldiers in WWI, a shape that was not only familiar to so many Europeans and Americans, but also something that was completely different from any other bottle on the shelf. And if we consider the fact that no one buys Mateus to store in their cellar, but rather drink the moment they walk in their door, I can imagine the bottle being very effective, slightly awkward, but effective.

Like Lancers, Mateus has also changed its image in an effort to reach a younger hipper crowd. The Mateus Rose Argones (or Tempranillo here is Spain) 2006, is a neon lollipop red color that beams from the traditional squat opaque bottle. Showing the same radical red cherry aromas as the brilliant color in my glass, the big ass cherry flavor immediately takes me back to my grandmother’s jar of maraschino cherries she would place with perfect grace on both my Shirley Temple and her Manhattan. And in all honesty, it’s a decent wine. Would I run out and buy a case, no, but if served on a steaming hot day alongside the coast, I would happily accept a second glass. Unfortunately, it doesn’t appear to be available outside of Portugal yet; however, if we hear otherwise, we’ll let you know.

Cheers,

Gabriella

To listen to audio tasting notes on these wines, join Pownce and make us a friend: http://pownce.com/ryanopaz/ – if you need an invite let us know!

*If you have a story that involves either of these wines, please let us know about it. We would love to hear about how either Lancers or Mateus affected your life, for better or worse!

Related posts:

• Interpreting the Port Wine Label
• Interpreting the Portuguese Wine Label
• 100+ Varietals and Counting!

The best part of our happen chance experience, was the unexpected wine tasting from the regions from which they studied the mask culture. Obviously, we couldn’t pass this up, so we paid our 2.50 Euros and not only saw amazing masks, traditional garb and photographs of the festivals themselves, but we also had a chance to try some AMAZING sparkling wines from the producer, Murganheira. We love sparkling wines from all over, but these were something special, and we were fortunate enough to have met the winemaker of Murganheira the following day at Viniportugal.

History of Mascara Iberica
Mascara Iberica (Iberian Mask) exposition will be traveling throughout Iberia until the 5th of November. The goal of the exposition is not only to create more cross cultural dialogue between Spain and Portugal, but also as an effort to preserve and promote the cultural traditions of Iberia as a whole. The exhibit features the mask traditions in both Galicia, Spain and Zamora, a region in northern Portugal showing over 60 photographs from 17 different celebrations, as well as 12 original masks and 4 mannequins in traditional dress. “Mascara Iberica” has also been published as a book by Bernardo Calvo Briones, Antonio Pinelo and Helder Ferreria.

Listen to the podcast below!

Cheers,

Ryan and Gabriella Opaz

Related posts:

• Restaurant Profile- Sacramento – Lisbon, Portugal
• Catavino Heads to Lisbon!
• Holiday Dessert Wines
• Podcast #2 – Interview with Roy Hersh
• Regional Profile – Galicia

Part tourist trap, part great deal, Solar do Duque is not only a nice little restaurant we had lunch at last week, but it is also situated right near a bar we just so happened to have a drink at on our very first visit to Portugal four years ago. Located in a small, narrow alley along a set of stairs where a few restaurants are set up to serve lost tourists, the day was HOT, and we barely made it through the meal before melting into the sidewalk! Fortunately, we were not alone in our suffering, forcing all the tables to consume much water and wine, while our waiter somehow managed to speak in 3-4 different languages with sweat beading down his forehead. Here’s a quick Audio note from Gabriella and I about the wine and the food we ate. Plus, we add in a few tips on how to find spicy food in Portugal!

Hope you enjoy it!

Solar do Duque
Address:Rua do Duque, 69, Lisboa, 1200
Telephone: +351 21 342 6901

Till Soon,
Ryan Opaz

Ryan’s Tasting Note
Quinta da Aveleda 2005
White wine produced by Quinta de Aveleda in Vinho Verde, Portugal
Note: Almost literally green in color. The nose is moscato like with tons of peach, and citrus. Zingy acidity in the mouth with a rich mouthfeel and flavors of peach and lemons.
Food pairing: Porco Alentejana
Rating: 4 (in 5)
(Tasted on August 3, 2007)

Gabriella’s Tasting Note
Quinta da Aveleda 2005
White wine produced by Quinta de Aveleda in Vinho Verde, Portugal
Note: In the heart of Lisbon at a bar called Solar do Duque, we drank this perfectly light and refreshing lime green wine to ease our heat ridden suffering. With aromas of peach and citrus, the slight bubbly texture and bright acidity was the ideal pairing for both the food and the day. Nice simple fun Vinho Verde!
Food pairing: Boiled Octopus, green beans, potatoes and carrots
Rating: 4 (in 5)
(Tasted on August 6, 2007)

Related posts:

• 2005 Miguel Torres S.A. Catalunya Nerola
• 2005 Bodegas Julián Chivite Navarra Reserva Coleccion 125 Vendemia Tardíva
• 2004 Quinta do Feital Vinho Regional Minho Auratus
• 2002 Gramona Gewürztraminer Penedès VI DE GEL
• 1996 Mestres Cava Brut Nature Millessimé

Let’s be honest, we try to only taste good wines, hoping to share with you the ones we like. This is not to say that we don’t taste bad wines. We do often try bottles that we’d rather not finish, or wine that even may end up down the drain, but generally, these are wines we purchased from the grocery store when all we wanted is something wet! Today, however, we tried a higher end wine that we had anticipated being quite tasty, but ended up failing the test. Listen to the show and see what you think.

Here’s a link to the last group of Spanish cavas we tasted from this producer.

• N.V. Dominio de la Vega Utiel-Requena Arte mayor – Spain, Valencia, Utiel-Requena (6/11/2007)
  Chardonnay/Macabeo Blend 36mo in bottle 6mo in Oak
  Larger bubbles, and a light gold color. Not what I expected from something with it’s age. Buttery nose with light pineapple, peach, and somewhat bready. Overall a nose that does not draw me in. Big in the mouth due to the large bubbles, there appears to be very little acidity. Peach, carmelly lemon confit, and wood. Really not what I was expecting a bit flat overall in the mouth without the vibrance and sublty that I would hope to find in a wine at this level. 2.5-3/5

*There is the possibility that this was a bad wine – meaning that it was flawed. With the ultra low acidity and lack of vibrancy or subtlety, I wouldn’t be surprised if this wine was not the best sample.

No related posts.

Here is Part two of my Interview with Gerry Dawes. We talk a bit about exploring Spain, Wine and food pairings and the personalities behind the wine. I want to thank Gerry for taking the time to talk with me. Please take some time to browse through his site: www.GerryDawesSpain.blogspot.com A bit out of date but lots of fun stuff to pick through.

Also if you have any questions for Gerry feel free to leave them in comments section here, and I’ll let him know about them.

Cheers,

Ryan Opaz

Podcast #29 – Spanish Wine, Food, and Travel Writer Gerry Dawes (pt1)

No related posts.

Today, I present part one of an interview I recorded at FENAVIN with Gerry Dawes. Gerry has been traveling Spain for over 30 years and has written several books and articles on his experiences, which have gained both the respect and attention of several other well-known Iberian authors:

“In his nearly thirty years of wandering the back roads of Spain,” Gerry Dawes has built up a much stronger bank of experiences than I had to rely on when I started writing Iberia…His adventures far exceeded mine in both width and depth…” James A. Michener, author of Iberia: Spanish Travels and Reflections * * * * * * * * * * “Gerry Dawes, the gastronomy/travel writer known for good reasons in wine and periodical circles as “Mr. Spain’ (is) an inexhaustible fund of knowledge…” – Michael & Ariane Batterberry, Food Arts* * * * * * * * * * “Gerry Dawes–has emerged as the leading American speaker, consultant, and writer on the subject of Spanish wine. . . suffice to say that everyone from The New York Times to the James Beard Foundation, from 60 Minutes to CNN, has sought Gerry’s wisdom on the subject of Spanish wine, food and culture.” – -David Rosengarten, The Rosengarten Report

Taken from his website, Gerry sums up his adventures trekking throughout Spain all while taking impeccable notes on his gastronomical and wine experiences. :

Gerry Dawes has been traveling in Spain for more than three decades. Since 1995, he has made sixty extensive food and wine trips to Spain, twenty since 2003 alone. In his Daytimer notebooks, he has written down every dish and every wine he has had in Spain for the past 15 years and photographs most of the dishes with digital cameras.

From beginning to end, the entire interview lasted about 40 minutes and I think its a great peak into Gerry’s career, along with some of his opinions about Spain, Spanish wine and Spanish food. If you’ve been interested in Spain as a culture, you’ve probably read at least one of his articles, if not several over the years without even realizing it. His endless knowledge on the subject is impressive and worth listening to if you desire an understanding of Spain’s gastronomical and wine evolution beginning right after Franco’s three decades of oppression.

I want to thank Gerry for taking the time to talk with me, and I look forward to crossing paths with him many more times as we continue to explore Iberia.

Cheers,

Ryan Opaz

Podcast #29 – Spanish Wine, Food, and Travel Writer Gerry Dawes (pt2)

No related posts.