AWE Portugal Trip Overview

AWE Portugal Trip Overview by JAYNE BRIDGES.

It is always a pleasure to be invited to participate in an educational wine trip.  Indeed, one enjoys most trips and learns something. But I always return from Portugal truly inspired.

Why? Primarily because the Portuguese are so pragmatic. Although they are absolutely up to speed as far as ‘Worldwide Trends’ are concerned, they maintain a solid determination never to change simply for the sake of changing; they take stock, decide on their priorities and stick to them.

They have been very adroit at obtaining EU funds for development and along with private investment, some sensational new wineries have been built in the last few years. Their winemakers and viticulturists have looked at what the international consumer requires, so there are some outstanding wines available from international grape varieties. But, unlike some other areas of the wine world, they have never abandoned their own indigenous grapes. These represent their unique point of difference and along with Cabernets and Chardonnays and some sensational Syrahs, they are producing outstanding wines from Aragonez, Touriga Nacional, Trincadeira, Castelão, Arinto, Fernão Pires and Alicante Bouche. Furthermore, these wines are very food friendly and whenever they are shown at tastings, the consumer loves them. They deserve a wider audience.

My only plea would be, with so many different names for the same grape variety, it is often hard for the uninitiated to know what they are buying!

For the wine educator the Portuguese are also very easy to talk to. On some trips communication with wine-makers is difficult, as they are reluctant to ‘tell their story’ and explain their philosophy. This trip has shown once again that not only do Portuguese wineries have a story worth telling, they are happy to share it.

As a footnote, their cuisine has improved dramatically over the past few years.

We enjoyed some memorable meals, particularly at‘ Alma’, a fine dining restaurant run by one of Portugal’s TV celebrity chefs, Henrique da Pessoa.  This was, by far, the best meal of the trip.

At the heart of every trip is the guide. We were very fortunate to have the wonderful Marta Galamba, representing ViniPortugal. A trained wine-maker, she was the key to making everything work so well. Her knowledge of the areas, and the wine-making techniques was invaluable to us all and no matter how many hitches there were, she was unfailingly cheerful and charming. She was a wonderful representative for ViniPortugal.