Tasting room at Quinta do Piloto winery

If you haven’t had the pleasure of tasting Portuguese wines yet, you’re in for a treat and some surprises. Wine tasting in Lisbon is a very popular pastime and there are several wineries near Lisbon so you don’t have to travel far to do a wine tour and tasting session in aRead More →

Kissing Hippos, Sculpture by Karl Heinz Stock at Quinta dos Vales, Estômbar, Algarve, Portugal

In search of the more cultural side of the Algarve, I discovered a sculpture garden amid the vineyards at Quinta dos Vales near Estômbar. Sculptures galore As soon as I saw the smooth shiny curves of the fat ‘Graces’ dancing, I knew I’d enjoy Karl Heinz Stock’s sculptures, which areRead More →

Mountain views from Quinta de Santa Cristina on a vinho verde wine tasting and tour

Vinho verde is often badly translated as ‘green wine’ but it really just means young wine; light, fresh, slightly effervescent and best drunk within a year of bottling. Within this overall category of Portuguese wines, there’s a surprising variety of flavours, as I discovered when I visited Quinta de SantaRead More →

Douro Valley Grape Harvest. Photography by Julie Dawn Fox

Perhaps one of the best times to experience the chameleon-like beauty of Portugal’s oldest wine region is during the Douro Valley grape harvest. You can get involved in the grape picking and even try treading grapes barefoot. Although it’s usually towards the end of September, the exact timing of the Douro grape harvest dependsRead More →

Rows of moscatel wine and aguardente, By The Wine, Lisbon

One of the most delightful wine-related discoveries I’ve made in Portugal is Portuguese muscatel wine, known as moscatel wine in Portugal. This delicate and not overly sweet fortified wine is ideal as an aperitif or with dessert. Or just for fun. You can even dunk biscuits in it as I discovered in Azeitão, one ofRead More →

Herdade dos Grous and lake

It really wasn’t hard to fall in love with Herdade dos Grous, a country estate spread over 730 hectares of Alentejo countryside. For nature lovers who appreciate comfort, good food and fine wine, it’s hard to beat and I’m glad I accepted the invitation to stay there. I would happily put my handRead More →

Moscatel de Setúbal and Azeitão cakes. What to see and do in Azeitao

A day trip to Azeitão, a pretty village just south of Lisbon, proved to be a feast for the eyes as well as my stomach. Among the things to see and do in Azeitão are many of my favourite aspects of Portugal plus some unexpected treats. Not only did I get to tasteRead More →