Wine Tourism in Portugal: Expect the Unexpected June 21, 2016 By Mike Vesethin Portuguese wine, wine, wine tourism1 Comment “A World of Difference” is the official motto of Wines of Portugal and it is a good one, too, since Portugal features so many indigenous grapes and distinctive wine styles. Sometimes it feels like a world of its own waiting to be explored. But I think an even better motto would be “Expect the Unexpected.” Or at least that is the theme that I will use in this column to tie together four recent encounters with Portuguese wine. Sala Ogival: Wines of Portugal Tasting Room It was a beautiful day when Sue and I arrived in Lisbon so we decided to shake off the jet lag by...
At Wine With a View we take a careful look at all the materials we use and curate as much as possible our local suppliers. We want to make sure the experience is as authentic as possible and that sustainability is at the core of our offering. One of the major materials we use in our motorcycles is cork. Portugal is the major producer of cork in the world and this material is deeply connect to wine, so we decided it should be part of the design of our points of sale. Our supplier of cork is Sofalca, a company with deep expertise in cork production for special purposes, and for Wine With a View, only the cork from...
There’s this place in Belém, Lisbon, called Water Mirror. Actually, any place by the river in Lisbon is like a magic water mirror. If people in Lisbon are in love with the city, I have the feeling it’s mostly because of the river, this Tagus which keeps us company next to Wine With a View in Belém. There, by the Padrão dos Descobrimentos, a constant reminder of our golden age, lives a new Lisbon, with young and sophisticated people, flooded by tourists who know that Lisbon is a rare gem for travellers who are thirsty for the world. Here, at Wine with a View, we watch them stop, choose a wine according to the weather and seat and gaze at...
The Castle stole my heart. I can’t imagine anywhere else as the flagship of Wine with a View. I always knew this place, overlooking Lisbon, on the all seeing hill of this fair city, would see my dream – of combining the the wonderful wines made in Portugal with fabulous views – come true. The XI century saw the Castle rise by the hands of the Moors and here it remained, for centuries, changed with its Lords, times and seasons. But what it overlooks hasn’t changed: the river Tagus, the sea, the lives of the people of Lisbon and its visitors. The day I realized that the Castle would indeed come true, I sat on a corner of its walls to...
