Panascal belongs to the family Fonseca Guimarães, famous Port wine Producers, and is part of Fladgate Partnership witch includes Taylors and Croft Port Producers.

As a visitor, what are you expected to find in Panascal?

One think you will notice is that Panascal is not a bus tour oriented winery.
Individuals and small groups are the focus for this winery.

Up on arrival you will be welcomed with a fine refreshing  lemon juice with mint leave, both Panascal production. I can guarantee you that is really great, specially  during hotter days.
From their on you will have access to an audio tour along the vineyards and the small winery where Port wine is produced.
Tasting is done at the cellar, with a fantastic view over the valley and you’ll have the opportunity to purchase any of their wines.

Staff is well knowlegable and trained to provide educational tastings.

If you are arriving in the morning, with a small group between 10 and 20, don’t make the mistake to go somewhere for your lunch.

Why?

Lunch is prepared by their local staff, with local products and cooked according to the local tradition.
If the weather is good, lunch will be served outside, in a beautiful courtyard with water fount, viewing the valley.
Don’t forget to take your camera with you, as it will be definitely one of the highlights of your tour.

Because of the overall quality it’s with no surprise that Quinta do Panascal was awarded “Best of International Wine Tourism Porto/Douro 2005”

If you plan to visit Quinta do Panascal, tell us how did it go.

Cheers

Happily the opportunities are plenty, such as Portugal, Spain, France, USA, Australia, Chile to name a few. But for now I’ll talk about Portugal:

We have 700 Km by 300 km of cost line, and that means plenty of surf spots along 4 wine regions. Minho, Dão, Lisbon and Algarve. Although Alentejo is also along the cost line, most of the wine region is inland.

Depending on the available time the options are plenty, therefor one can consider to concentrate most of the time in a specific region or take the opportunity to travel from Algarve to the north of Portugal and selected some nice spots along the way.

The best time to engage in such a tour is between March and May, then from September to November.

Surfs good and plenty, lower hotel rates and restaurants are not crowded. As for the wineries is also a great time to visit them, specially during September/October due to the harvesting period and also because of  the warmer temperatures.

What can you do beside surfing and visiting some nice wine producers?

One thing I find great is, after surf, to play Golf with my friends or just indulge my self in a nice late sea food  lunch or just taste different “petiscos”,  the equivalent of the spanish tapas. But that’s me.

What about you? Are you more into cultural activities, relax, food, adrenaline junky? There are plenty of options depending on what you enjoy spending your free time.

By the way,  surfs up and I’m off for some surf….see you on the next post  “weekly winery :Quinta do Panascal”. But if you have some questions about wine and surf in Portugal I’ll be glad to provide you with some tips.

Cheers.

In 2010, Great Wine Capitals, awarded Quinta do Seixo as Best of Wine Tourism on the category Architecture, Parks and Gardens.

Upon arrival, you will immediately understand wy this award. Although modern in style it’s perfect integrated on the Douro Valley.

But this is not only wat you’ll notice.

Service quality is present from the first moment you step in the estate.

Training the staff has been one major priority for  Isabela Morais, responsable for the 3 visitor centers from Sandeman (2 in Porto 1 in Douro)

Staff is well prepared and most of them master more than 2 languages. In fact tours are available in English, French, German, Spanish and of course Portuguese.

During the tour, you will become  familiar with Sandeman history, with the support of a nice film presented at the beginning of the tour, walk through educational corridors with very interesting information about the Terroir of Douro, observe the robotic lagares, were an educational movie about the region and harvesting is shown, and you’ll end the tour in a wine tasting room connected to the wine shop with breathtaking view over the Douro valley.

Here you can select a normal wine taste or indulge your self in VIP area for an educational wine tasting with 5 Port wines.

If you take the time to visit Sandeman, then I strongly recommend you to book for the picnic lunch. It will be served in the top of the hill in the middle of the vineyards and it will be for sure a great experience.

The wine tourism manager from Quinta do Seixo is Helder Silva and he is the best contact for you to plan the tour visit.

If you have been there or decide to go visit it in the near future, share with us your experience. We will appreciate your opinion

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• Discovering the Douro (travel.nytimes.com)

Not only brings summer but also the fish that I spent all year waiting for..Sardines.

Sardines is a small fish from Atlantic waters and when in the grill the odor is quite intense. But it’s taste is unique.

Between June and September they are at their best. When very fresh, the skin peals out immediately and the meat detaches very easily.

The best way to eat them?

Grilled on coal, then tasted over a bread or  together with a salad, fresh  tomatoes, cucumber, pepper and onion all seasoned with olive oil and vinegaar. Gather around the grill and socialize while eating sardines. It can be a late lunch after the beach or an early dinner after a hot day.

What wines goes best with sardine?

There are several opinions. Most people like to drink red young wine, preferably a bit colder (14ºc) and others with sangria (red wine, sprite, orange, lemons, ice, sugar, mint).   I always go for the first option and, if possible, I like to have it with red vinho verde Afros Vinhão as it’s kind of magic combination.

Here is a  “have to go” suggestion if you happen to be in Lisbon:

Choose a restaurant in the old city part of  Alfama, as for example the Pátio 13 It’s a great place to eat at during summer months as fresh fish is cooked and served straight up on a relax and traditional set up.

As a tip, before dinner, take the tram nº 28 that takes you in to the heart of Alfama and, after eating sardines, look for spots where the locals are singing Fado.

If you have already eat them, tell us your opinion. Did you enjoy it?

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When talking about Wine & Food Tourism Destinations, countries like France, Italy, Spain, USA, Australia are on people’s mind.
Therefore, it’s with some surprise that many tourists, after spending some time in Portugal, are completely amazed by the quality and diversity of  wines and food that they had the opportunity to try during their visit.

Portuguese always love to eat. In fact every weekend thousands of people are willing to travel until 200 Km from their homes only to have lunch at a certain restaurant that is famous for a special dish.

Portugal is a small country,  but you will be amazed to see how the food and wine culture changes so rapidly from region to region.

From the simple and fresh sea food and fish, to the more seasoned and elaborated game the options are plenty. Generally speaking you’ll find mostly   Mediterranean food culture at your table.

As for the wines, there has been recently a big buzz about the Portuguese wines. Diversity followed by quality are the most frequent words used to describe them.

To understand this diversity, both in wines and food, that you’ll find in Portugal you have to look to the geography and history. Only than you can fully understand it.

Sadly, most restaurants although have excellent  cuisine, lack considerable attention to the wine service. They have interesting wine list but, correct serving temperatures, adequate wine glasses, option on wine by glass and professional wine service have been deeply neglected by many  restaurants.

The good news is that restaurants are actually paying more attention to the importance of quality wine service.

One thing you can be sure off.  You will find excellent hospitality and the average cost for a meal in most wine regions will be quite affordable when compared to other more famous international destinations.

What can I recommend if you are planning to visit Portugal?

You can read  The Wine and Food Lover’s Guide to Portugal by Charles Metcalfe and Katheryn McWhirter or, you can trust our services in helping  you plan well run and interesting wine and food tours in Portugal.

Tell us your opinion about food and wine in Portugal or if you have never been to Portugal what is your perception about it?

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• Gourmet Portugal (Portugaldiary.com)

Algarve is most known as golf and beach destination, rather for wine destination. Compared to other wine regions in Portugal, it’s not included in the Top 5. But one of the joys of wine is finding those unexpected suprises that worth sharing.

Quinta dos Vales is a fairly recent wine project from the german entrepreneur  and artist Karl Heinz Stock. More then a business is a passion turn reality.

Located in Algarve region, to be more exact in Lagoa near Estombar village, it worth a visit after a day spent at the beach or playing golf. Wy?

You can have the opportunity to enjoy more then the simple pleasure of tasting nice wines while looking at the vineyards. At Quinta dos Vales, there is an art showcase and a mini zoo, adding this way a more enrich experience.

If you are planning a tour to Algarve and enjoy quality wines make sure to include  in your agenda a visit to Quinta dos Vales, a Selected Winerie member.

What do you think about it?

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• Best beaches in the Algarve, Portugal: Praia da Marinha, Lagoa (telegraph.co.uk)

Just like when we are looking at birds we could think about how they got there….

Watch this great movie, if possible with a nice glass of wine, and enjoy it.

Cheers.