The Methuen-Pombal Link & The Demarcation of the Douro
Roy explores Portuguese history and how the Methuen Treaty, the relationship between the Portuguese and the English, and the demarcation of the Douro shaped the Port trade.
Roy’s Madeira Musings
Observations of Madeira, the island, did not begin for me in the mid-1990’s as did my early tasting adventures with the eponymous adult beverage. It took another dozen years before I was finally able to visit the island in person. My tour business partner Mario Ferreira and I began hosting Portuguese wine tours in 2005, [...]
Starting the Process of Moving to Portugal
My first overseas flight of the year, Portugal of course, but somehow this one was very different. I was not heading over for wine tasting, nor a wine tour. I was flying to Porto, to find a new place to live … a new home. This was a first, and I was unable to sleep [...]
Adrian Bridge on Portuguese Wine Tours
In this fine very brief video, Adrian Bridge, CEO of The Fladgate Partnership, (Taylor's, Croft, Fonseca and Krohn) speaks about the extremely high quality level of our Portuguese Wine Tours. He especially focuses in on the unique style of our tours, in his positive off-the cuff-remarks. Worth watching if you are [...]
Impressions of 2015 LBV’s
My overall impressions after tasting a dozen LBV Ports is based on the 2015 vintage quality as well as the common thread that ties these Ports all together. The commonality of course is that 2015 is right up there beside the quality of 2016 and close to 2017, the latter of which I believe [...]
Two Half Centuries of Port Wine – Part 2 (1970-2020)
Two half centuries of Port a 2-part series and the first half was filled with oldies, the 1920’s through 1960’s. Part 1 can be found here. It is known that over the course of recent centuries, there have been on average three Vintage Port declarations per decade. If you could afford a bottle from the [...]
Two Half Centuries of Port Wine – Part 1 (1920-1969)
Two half centuries of Port is a 2-part series and the first half is filled with oldies. It is well known that over the course of history, from the time that Port was fortified, there has been an average of 3 Vintage Port declarations per decade. But in those decades what are the gems to [...]
Top 7 Portuguese Cocktails to Pair with Chocolate and Cheese
Photo Source: Upsplash.com Article by Rebecca Siggers © June 2020 Portugal’s drinking culture is known for its etiquette, as there is never any real impetus to get drunk. The drinks are savored with each sip; no wonder some of the best cocktail recipes come from the Portuguese. The individual wines and Ports are [...]
The Fascinating History of Port Transportation
The Douro Valley, the birthplace of Port, is one of the oldest wine regions in the world, and the only place legally able to produce “Port wine” — it was officially demarcated by the Marques de Pombal, an important Portuguese Prime Minister, in 1756. But, before the advent of roads and railways, the Douro wine region could only be [...]
Top 10 Finest Hotels and Wines of Portugal
Article and photos by Rebecca Siggers © February 22nd 2020 Portugal is among the most ranked countries in Europe in terms of scenic views and beautiful landscapes. The place is also famous for its elegant hotels and delicious food and wines. If you are planning to take a trip to the country, you need to [...]