Portugal Wine and Food Exploration Tour
SIGNATURE MOMENTS
1. Learn the secrets of those delicious egg tarts
2. Taste port with the maker in the cellars
3. Enjoy scenic pousada accommodation
4. Roll up your sleeves for two hands-on cooking classes
5. Savour an exquisite meal at the Michelin star Belcanto with Chef Jose Avillez
Day 1 - Arrive in Lisbon
We are met at the airport when we arrive and transferred to our city centre hotel. There’s time for short rest and to freshen up this afternoon. Then we leap in to the cuisine and culture of Portugal over dinner accompanied by traditional fado music. There are musical expressions that reflect the soul of a people, in Portugal this mirror is called Fado. Overnight: Hotel Heritage, Lisbon
Meals: Dinner at CLUBE DO FADO with Fado Live performance.
Day 2 – Lisbon
The egg is perhaps Portugal’s most prized ingredient. It appears in nearly every course and particularly shines in desserts. The Belem egg-tart is a hallmark of Portuguese cuisine, so we start the day with a taste of one of the very best egg-tarts in the country!
Later, we learn more about la comida Portuguesa in a hands-on cooking class with Chef JustaNobre. With more than 20 years culinary experience under her apron, Nobre is a reputed name in Portuguese cuisine and is on the panel of judges on Portuguese Master Chef. Using her imagination and local ingredients to conjure up new and innovative dishes, Nobre has largely contributed to what defines modern-day Portuguese cuisine Chef JustaNobre will teach how to make some of Portugal most traditional recipe as Pastéis de Bacalhau( Codfish cakes ) or Abade de Priscos pudding, besides others.
Overnight: Hotel Heritage, Lisbon
Meals: Breakfast, Cooking Class & Dinner with Chef JustaNobre
Day 3 - Areias do Seixo, Óbidos
Today we head north, making our way first to the delightful Silver Coast.
After a welcome tea at Areias do Seixo vegetables garden, overlooking the sea, on a virgin beach, we will participate in the activities ranging from fishing with a cane till mussels harvesting. After, you will see how to cook a traditional fish stew in a natural lake scenario. Enjoy your lunch as surprises are yet to come...
After lunch, let ́s take a walk into the delightful medieval village of Óbidos. Besides the monumental scenery, we will discover Ginja de Óbidos, a natural handmade sour cherry liqueur of unique quality. It is a richly flavouredsmoothe cherry liqueur with a complex structure and a long bouquet.
Overnight: Pousada de Óbidos
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch in Areias do Seixo
Day 4 - Matosinhos and Porto
We continue our travels along the coast to Matosinhos, situated on the north bank of the River Leça. The town is famous for its high-quality fish and seafood canning industries. We’ll be tasting some unique canned gourmet food here and learning more about how this important industry operates in Pinhais factory. Pinhais& Co. Ltd was founded in 1920, in a fishing village – Matosinhos - on the outskirts of Porto, on the west coast of Portugal. Pinhais& Co. Ltd Have opted for continue using the traditional methods, instead of those used by other canning industries. And what makes this process so unique is that very little of today’s technological innovation is implemented throughout the whole process. In fact we could say that nearly everything is done by hand.
Nearby we’ll visit the Castelo do Queijo (Cheese Castle), a 17th century garrison. The end of the day brings us to Porto for a two night stay.
Tonight we’ll sample the dish most closely associated with the region; tripas à moda do Porto, or tripe Porto-style, a slowly simmered casserole of tripe, pigs' feet, chicken, smoky sausages, white beans, and a good dose of warm spices including cumin, curry, and clove. It's so woven into the fabric of the city's history that residents of Porto are called tripeiros, or tripe eaters.
Overnight: Intercontinental Porto
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 5 - Porto
We’ll spend the day discovering the UNESCO World Heritage site of Porto. Its historic centre, built along the hillsides overlooking the mouth of the Douro River, is over a thousand years old and a warren of narrow, twisting streets. Our focus is the city’s Port wine cellars where we taste one of the world’s finest fortified wines. We’ll also sail on a private Rabelo boat, the traditional boat of the region, to enjoy the city from the river.
Overnight: Intercontinental Porto
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner at DOP, by Chef Rui
Paula Part I.
Day 6 - Douro Valley
Today we turn inland to the Douro Valley, an exceptionally beautiful landscape of terraced hillside vineyards, patches of woodland and charming little villages. We are lunching today in one of the region’s very best restaurants where Chef Rui Paula uses prime regional ingredients such as bisaro pork (meat from pigs fed only on chestnuts), cured sausages and wild mushrooms.
We stay for two nights at a beautiful wine lodge, set in 51 hectares full of vineyards stretching down to the banks of the Douro River. The estate is one of the oldest in the region and one of the first to bottle wine under its own label.
Overnight: Quinta da Pacheca
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch at DOC, by Chef Rui Paula, Part II.
Day 7 - Douro Valley
We’ll experience the Douro River by boat today as we head upstream to the Alto Douro wine region. The grapes for the wine used to make port are grown here. This is the world’s oldest formally identified wine region and some of the original stone markers dating from the 1750s can be seen here.
Overnight: Quinta da Pacheca
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch at Quinta do Crasto.
Day 8 - Seia, Serra da Estrela, Belmonte
A Portuguese home is never without some sort of cheese, be it the simple queijo fresco that every cook makes or a world class variety such as the Queijo de Serra. This is the cheese we will focus on today; our day is dedicated to cheese making with a producer in the village of Seia. Set at the foot of the Portugal’s highest mountain, this light, airy town is lined with shops selling ewe’s milk cheese and high-quality sheepskin goods.
Tonight we’re staying in another lovely pousada on the hillside of the Serra de Esperanca. The building has preserved the historical heritage of the ruins of the Our Lady of Hope Convent and has a breathtaking view of the mountains.
Overnight: Pousada de Belmonte
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner at Pousada de Belmonte.
Day 9 - Estremoz, Évora
The rolling plains of the Alentejo are dotted with dozens of picturesque medieval towns and we’ll discover one of the most beautiful; the medieval town of Estremoz, set within sturdy ramparts of a striking 14th century castle. The Alentejo is also famous as Portugal’s hidden gastronomic paradise. The porcopreto (black pig) of the Alentejo, which grazes on fallen acorns from cork trees, is particularly prized here and we’ll taste this in a visit to a local producer. We’ll learn more about Alentejan specialties in a hands-on cooking lesson today.
Overnight: Pousada de Evora
Meals: Breakfast, Cooking Class and Dinner
Day 10 - Évora
This morning we discover the old town of Evora, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, famous for its 16th century aqueduct, the 2000 year old Roman Temple and the macabre crypt of the stunning Capela dos Ossos. Equally importantly for us are the wines of the area and we’ll travel into the countryside for a tasting lunch with a wine producer. There is free time this afternoon to explore Evora.
Overnight: Pousada de Evora
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch at Herdade do Freixo do Meio
Day 11 - Lisbon
Today we make our way back to Lisbon. We’ll stop on the way to taste one of the world's great dessert wines, and no it's not Port! These are the red wines of Palmela, a region with a rich assortment of indigenous vines, which produce a nice, medium-bodied and red-fruited style of wine.This evening we celebrate our Portugal experience with a top-of-the-top meal at Lisbon’s famed Belcanto with Chef Jose Avillez.
Overnight: Hotel Heritage, Lisbon
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner at Belcanto, by Chef José Avillez
Day 12 - Departure
Private transfer to airport.