PORTUGAL 

Portugal brings to mind its two port cities, Lisbon and Porto. In reality, most of the country is rural with agriculture being the way of life. The Lisbon sphere includes central and southern Portugal, quasi-Mediterranean regions dominated by cork, olives and wine. The green north, Porto’s region, feels completely different with small-scale farms and kitchen gardens. Uniting it all is the long Atlantic coast which for centuries made Portugal a seafaring nation. Today you could say it’s a seafood nation.

both surrounded by miles of open coastline and rural wine country, encompasses landscapes ranging from small farm wet and green North, wide open specialty product central to south. Portugal offers diverse local food and wine alongside an atmosphere utterly different from anything else in Iberia.

Portugal’s imperial past is most visible in capital Lisbon, where the architecture and global influence create a fine European powerhouse full of grand boulevards, ancient neighborhoods, creative restaurants and cocktail bars. What you won’t want to miss in Lisbon are the viewpoints. The city of seven hills starts to make sense once you catch the views over red-tile roofs and the great Tagus River making its way to the Atlantic.

The heartland of Alentejo near Lisbon is a wide-open expanse of whitewashed estates, olive and cork tree groves, vineyards and luxurious countryside hotels. The contrast between city and country illustrates Portugal’s outward looking 21st-century side in Lisbon and its traditional cork, olive and wine economy in the central region of Alentejo.

It’s in northern Portugal where food and wine command center stage. Porto, Portugal’s understated second city, was built on the back of wine shipped from there all over the world. Strong sweet Port wine filled the cellars of the city, shipped from the estates upriver in the Douro region.

In the Douro Valley quinta estates red and white Douro DOC wines flow freely making it a fine place to visit whether your taste runs to sweet Port or to dry unfortified wines.

Yet fine wines are found beyond the Douro Valley. The boutique wineries of Dão, Bairrada and Vinho Verde, surrounded by forest in little hamlets, bottle wines that have put Portuguese wine on the global map not just for its quality but also for its diversity.

And the food! Coastal cuisine must be Portugal’s signature food, from the no-frills seafood houses in fishing villages to fine dining restaurants embracing the full range of Atlantic products in Lisbon and Porto. Expect to feast on Clams, octopus, lobster and fresh grilled sardines in season. Hearty country cooking in the villages expresses the long-standing traditions of Portuguese cooking, while the Portuguese culinary avant-garde has spread all over the country, with creative menus revolutionizing local cuisine.

What to Expect in Portugal

Lisbon

What to expect

• A city at once modern and old world

• Innovative cuisine inspired by Portugal’s former colonies such as Mozambique, Cape Verde and Goa

Don’t miss

• Spicy Piri Piri Chicken

• The fish market in Setubal. Stay for a seafood lunch overlooking the water

• Lisbon’s still extant traditional gourmet food shops selling those beautiful cans of sardines and clams and the like as well as cheeses, Portuguese chocolate and specialty coffee

• A food tour to explore Lisbon’s wine bars and petiscos restaurants

Alentejo

What to expect

• It’s all about disconnecting

• Estate winery hotels, from casual to casual luxury

• Farm to table fine dining

• Robust wines paired with rustic cuisine

Don’t miss

• Carne de Porco a Alentejana (Pork, clams and potatoes)

• Cork estates, wineries and olive oil producers

Porto

What to expect

• A vibrant second city hugging the Douro River hills

Don’t miss

• Port wine lodge visits

• Seafood lunch in Matosinhos fishing port

• Francesinhas, Porto’s iconic layered meat and cheese sandwich. Bring your appetite.

The Douro Valley

What to expect

• Port wines and fine DOC Douro wines often at the same estate

• Luxury lodgings and comfortable wine estate country hotels

• Fine dining

Don’t miss

• Traditional fare while wine touring

• Alheira, a smoked chicken sausage created by Portuguese Jews in the 15th century and Caldo Verde (potato, collard greens and chorizo soup)

Dão

What to expect

• The Burgundy of Portugal. Remote small-scale wineries. Fine wines made from Touriga Nacional (red) and Encruzado (white) grapes

Don’t miss

• Serra da Estrela sheep’s milk cheese, known as the king of Portuguese cheeses

Bairrada

What to expect

• Long-aged red Baga wines

• Portugal’s blanc de noir sparkling wine

Don’t miss

• Pairing Bairrada wines with leitão, whole suckling pig rubbed with garlic, white wine and pepper and slow roasted in wood-fired ovens