Most of the Countries of Western Europe are names that are familiar to the majority of Americans, even if they haven’t traveled to those countries. France, England, Italy, even the Netherlands, evoke a spark of recognition with most Americans when the countries are mentioned. One exception to this general familiarity is Portugal, which is the unknown sister of Western Europe. Portugal’s much larger neighbor, Spain, is recognized by most adults, stirring visions of Mediterranean beaches, bull fighting, tapas, and Sangria. Portugal, on the other hand, when its name is mentioned, results at most in a contemplative blank stare akin to “Hum, I think I’ve heard of it, but I’m not sure where it’s located”. “Is it near? …, well I’m not sure exactly where it’s located”, might be the response.
Atlantic Ocean at Ericeiera, North of Lisbon
Indeed, Portugal is off the tourist map for most Americans, even those who are frequent travelers. Geographically located in the extreme southwest of Europe, sister to, and dwarfed by, its only neighbor, Spain, Portugal enjoys all of the attributes of its more recognizable neighbor. Portugal is blessed with a long Atlantic coastline on both the South and West, a mostly blissful climate, and a varied topography for such a small country. Lisbon, Portugal’s cosmopolitan capital, sits at roughly the same latitude as San Francisco. The one and only item that is likely to ignite a flickering spark of recognition is Portugal’s most famous export, Port wine. Although the name itself “Port” implicates quite obviously both the name of its country of origin and the City where it is produced, it is not unusual for an American to be familiar with Port Wine, but to never have made the cognitive connection to the Country from whence it originates. “Port” – “Portugal”; but who thinks about where Port comes from, since Portugal itself labors largely in anonymity.
Disembarking from Lisbon’s Portela International Airport after a long flight from LAX to Paris De Gaulle, and on to Lisbon, thoughts of adventure ahead bring excitement that relegates jet lag to secondary status. Grab the rental car and head northwest to the Atlantic seaside at Ericeira. Pulling up to the first night’s hotel on any trip is always a pleasant proposition because the trip is just beginning. On this occasion, it was Vila Galé Ericeira, a striking Hunter Green and White resort perched on a rocky promontory directly above the Atlantic’s politely cresting waves at low tide. Full of archways and balconies, the hotel’s vibrant color scheme contrasted as intended with the cerulean blue of the sea, yet looking every bit as if it belonged. An immediate deeply relaxing inhalation of salty ocean air wafting on a light breeze transformed the always pleasant “Ahh…, I’m finally on vacation” anticipation to reality.
Atlantic Ocean at Ericeiera, Portugal
Hotel check-in provided the first contact with my host country’s denizens, other than the airport car rental desk, which is always a harried and generally not particularly memorable experience, no matter the country. Finding the hotel staff to be pleasant and efficient, the next thought was a peaceful stroll around the adjoining seafront of Ericeira. Now being in the six o’clock range, evening descending to the sound of waves breaking below the cliffs, I happened upon an attractive seafood restaurant, with an employee busily sweeping and preparing tables for the evening’s diners. A refrigerated glass front case displayed various of the freshly caught offerings.
In European travel it is axiomatic that the French eat late, and the Spanish still later. The Portuguese dining customs unsurprisingly fall into the “still later” category. Restaurants typically do not open the doors for evening meal until 7:30p.m., although still early compared to the customary Spanish opening time of 8:00p.m. The Southern European lifestyle is unparalleled when on lazy vacation time, but it remains an unsolvable mystery how anything in commerce or industry ever gets accomplished. Now, having already “wound down” to vacation pace, it was back to the hotel for the first taste of indigenous wine.
Villa Gale, Ericeiera
Years of experience have led to the conclusion that when traveling in Europe (certainly not true in the U.S. or New Zealand), unless the mission is exclusively to evaluate a regions’ best known or high end wines, it is most satisfying to also find time to enjoy the local and regional table wines. Until one becomes acquainted with the quality of these wines, it sounds illogical to tender such counsel.
However, with the often complex methodology utilized country by country in Europe to determine how a particular winery is permitted to label its wines, coupled with the sometimes too complicated or expensive process, or ineligibility for classification (nothing about the classification and labeling of European wines is simple or straightforward), virtually every western European nation has good quality inexpensive table wines. This proved absolutely true of Portugal, as the primary goal of the wine exploration on this trip was to explore the regional and local wines along the way, with the Port wines of the Douro region being the anticipated highlight.
Comfortably ensconced with my lady at an ocean view table in the characterful dining room, having secured an “earliest available seating” at 7:30p.m., it was time to experience that first bottle of regional wine. A bottle of Vinho Versatil fit the bill. Although a young, light tinto (red) wine, it was, as its name suggests, “versatile”. Coming in at a wallet friendly €9.50, it paired just fine with the Portuguese national dish, Bacalhau. This wine was from the Alentejo region, east of Lisbon, encompassing a sizeable area of central to eastern, and even southwestern Portugal. Climatically, it is southern Mediterranean, with quite warm, dry summers, and mild winters with reasonable rainfall. The Vinho Versatil suggested a light Pinot Noir with red berries, accompanied by nuances of spice and spring flowers. Sparsely populated, the Alentejo is an area full of medieval hill villages and important Portuguese history. We will visit the Alentejo in more depth in a future installment.
Ubiquitous throughout Portugal, Bacalhau is cod that has been salted and dried, as in the days before refrigeration. Nevertheless it remains today a Portuguese favorite. What better way to toast new adventures than imbibing in a regional wine paired with a traditional national dish. Served with potatoes and onions, one would never have known that the flaky cod had previously been dried and salted; it neither smelled nor tasted salty.
Seafood market, north of Ericeiera
Not being married to wine snobbery, I prefer to be (hopefully) a somewhat knowledgeable wine drinker, sans oenological degree. Thus I do not find it a crime against all that is sacred in the wine world to pair a youthful, light red, with a healthy cut of seafood and potatoes.
I discovered early on that the small tourist Portuguese conversational vocabulary that I had studied was unnecessary around the multi-lingual hotel staff, but insufficient on the street or in the small villages. Yet everywhere, a well placed “Obrigado” or “Obrigada” (Thank you) sufficed to bring a smile of welcome in return.
In our next installment, we move northward and slightly inland to Obidos, a medieval hill village topped with a many centuries old castle, and the forested Bussaco Palace, on way to Porto. I can still smell the well-aged, fortified jewel of the Portuguese wine industry, where I was anxious to do my first tasting in its birthplace, two days hence.
Taste of Wine TV's newest travel/wine writer, San Diego (Poway) resident Don Nunn has traveled to many of the world’s most prominent wine producing regions, including Bordeaux, Burgundy, Champagne, Tuscany, Napa-Sonoma, & Alsace, other areas known to wine enthusiasts, such as Hawkes Bay, New Zealand, the Willamette Valley, Oregon, the Rhone region of France, and the Piemonte region of northern Italy, as well as lesser known wine destinations, such as the Jura, Croatia, Slovenia, Guadalupe Valley in Baja, Mexico, and the Kocabag Winery in Cappadocia. Don’s travels have taken him to France, where he has tasted and evaluated wines in virtually every wine producing region. Italy, western Germany, Spain, Portugal, all of the wine producing regions of the US West Coast, as well as all of the areas mentioned above have been on Don’s itinerary as he visits tasting rooms around the world. E-mail Don at: nunnd2@sbcglobal.net
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