Category: Blog

Ervideira is a famous Portuguese wine brand present in more than 20 countries worldwide. The history of this winemaker located in Alentejo,  Portugal goes back to the 19th century, more precisely in 1880. In this year Count D´Ervideira was honored by King D. Carlos I of Portugal. His public functions and contribution as a politician and social work in the Évora region. He was the first mind to start the production of wine in Évora, the major city of Alentejo. 

Count D´Ervideira name was José Perdigão Rosado de Carvalho (Born in Évora, 1862). He founded the local newspaper “Distrito de Évora” and served as Provedor in Santa Casa da Misericórdia and Real Casa Pia of Évora. First was honored with the title of Viscount of Erveira. After, to Count D´Ervideira. As governor, he had a major role and be responsible for the implementation of infrastructures in Évora, such as schools, churches, fountains, and drinking fountains.

He left a legacy, that went generations after generations till the present with a wonderful property of vineyards. During the last decade, improvements were made and will continue. It is a family wine business. Located in Vendinha, near Reguengos de Monsaraz, 30 minutes distance of Évora.

The name itself means for the owners a legacy of passion in every product they launch to the market. You find innovation in the processes, you taste the passion for the wines and you feel the history in every single glass of wine. Each wine is a tribute to the man who loved and respected the land, weather conditions, vineyards, and loves wine.

Ervideira wine means also character, complexity, structure. However, they match with softness, subtlety, and softness, all profile characteristics of Count D´Ervideira himself.

Ervideira Highlights

Annual Production: +800.000 bottles of wine;
Wineshops: 4 (Portugal)
Wine products: S de Sol, Flor de Sal, Lusitano, Terras D´Ervideira, Vinha D´Ervideira, Conde D´Ervideira, Late Harvest.
Other products: Alcohol Gel (production during pandemia).
Exports: More than 20 countries on regular basis.

Would you know more about Alentejo wines in Portugal? Something related to Alentejo wine region? Get in touch or choose our Alentejo Food & Wine Full Day Tour. You can also join our Facebook page or Instagram.

Portuguese sidewalk is already part of the country’s Intangible Cultural Heritage. Four months later, it is recognized as the art of know-how of the Portuguese Pavement. It is also a homage to the millenary activity and specific techniques in the first half of the 19th century. 

The “art and know-how of the Portuguese pavement” was registered in the National Inventory of Intangible Cultural Heritage. The goal is moving on to the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. This process takes some time, as almost every process in the past. Fado or even Évora in Alentejo with the fantastic protection walls of the city tooked the same path.

Portuguese sidewalk, threats to the preservation

The Portuguese Associação da Calçada Portuguesa (association of Portuguese Sidewalk) identifies has one of the major problems: the decrease of human resources in the sector. They are considered master pavers and the number of specialists decreases. You may find other factors such as the lack of pavement maintenance. Poor construction or even the strong competition from other types of pavements. In the sector, there is also the decline of the paving industries, extraction, and processing of stone.

“The art of paving is millenary, but the production of Portuguese pavement began as a specific technique in the first half of the 19th century, in Lisbon, where it developed and gained expression in extraordinary quantity and quality, expanding throughout the country and across several continents, as an indisputably striking feature of the matrix that is not only Lisbon but national”, quoting the intangible heritage file.

Lisbon and Portuguese pavement

In Lisbon and almost in every location in Portugal, you will be able to enjoy the unique pavement. Lisbon is perhaps the major city where drawings and art of pavement will show more effects while walking. It is possible to make almost every draw, from animals, phrases, lines, squares, spirals. It is unique and it is common to see travelers taking pictures. 

The oldest restaurants or more traditional ones will present you with the floor with drawings on Portuguese pavement. Some have on the entrance the year they were established, while others add their name. However, it becomes a visual component of the whole experience for good food and wine experience.

In conclusion, get the very best of Lisbon and Portugal while you visit the country. Join us on Instagram or share if you love the content.

Family Wine tour and Dinner with a Sommelier were the kick-offs for an amazing day with a family group from New York / United States of America. Grabbing the initial idea and what is possible to make with total safety and security on this pandemic season, we tailor-made a program. This customization joins a full-day wine tour in Lisbon & Tejo Valley wine region.

After finally meet them at their accommodation when we made the pick-up, we drove to the countryside chatting about their trip, what they visited already and what they will visit after. We shared a little bit of history and culture, that they could establish the missing links in some points of Portuguese gastronomy and history.

Arrived at the first spot, we had Ana guiding us through the history of vineyards and winemakers, sharing the step by step of winemaking art of their products. In the end, we finally sat and enjoy the wine tastings. Some concerns for the 2021 year were shared. The main reasons are due to irregular weather and climate, but with hope in terms of quality as usual. Meanwhile, at lunch hour, was reserved the best wine for the wine pairing with the meal. A delicious starter, a Portuguese dish, and the unforgettable dessert Sericaia. Time to depart and go to another winemaker and proceed with this family wine tour.

We move to another winery in the afternoon, after some sightseeing in the local village. Once again, the explanations of their methodology to produce unique wines. Interesting to the family to understand that visiting the same wine region, the winemaker work in a different direction of winemaking.

Family wine tour afternoon

They elected different grape varieties, geography, and climate impact on the vineyards. Winds from the Atlantic Ocean have a major impact, however is still possible to produce amazing quality wines. After the premium wine wasting, we return to Lisbon. Requested by the family, which would love to acquire some gifts. Why? Because they depart on the next day to their country.

At the end of the afternoon, we took our family to a portion of very unique, private, and exclusive food and wine pairing in the Portuguese capital. They met our sommelier and shared their amazing day. However, they were ready to start their wine dinner with the sommelier experience. Pedro (sommelier first name) starts to talk about the wine regions and main grape varieties. He also spoke about blends and single grape varieties (Monocasta in Portuguese) wines.

Each moment of the meal commented by Pedro, wine after wines and dish after dish, how the wine defines the pairing with food. Authentic food with amazing wines to end a perfect day of this family wine tour. Tailor-made, unique, and exclusive.

Porto Cooking Classes are one of the best activities to make in the city, while you visit. Depending on your preference you might love to discover the fresh ingredients in a local market or just cook with a local chef.

Visiting a local market during a market tour with a cooking class, you will learn about the typical fresh ingredients to cook a Portuguese traditional meal. During the visit, you will be in touch with local sellers. They love to share their knowledge about the history and culture of the city, but with the main focus on their products.

Fish, meat, vegetables will be the main ingredients, however always with a concern of your potential health restrictions. If you prefer to avoid the visit to a local market, you will find always options for a private and exclusive Porto cooking class. Step by Step, the chef will give assign tasks and explain all the processes that you will be able to replicate at home after your trip to Portugal. Of course, you will also receive the recipes.

Porto Cooking Classes, possible cooking dishes

One of the dishes you might learn, based on Portuguese traditional gastronomy is the Kale Soup, especially in Autumn or Winter. Onions, Portuguese Olive Oil, garlic, potatoes, and Portuguese cabbage will be served hot with some slices of pork chorizo. Kale soup is considered one of the best soups worldwide, however, it is comfort food. Read more about Kale Soup here. Porto Cooking Classes is the perfect plan to learn local gastronomy.

Being in Porto, the major city in the North of Portugal is always a good motive to try some of the best Douro Wines. By default, they are kings in a cooking class that you will be able to taste authentic flavors from Porto and Douro wine regions.

Porto Cooking Classes have many other options in dishes. Fish stews are possible due to visit the local markets on the market tours with Cooking Class. The possibility to grab amazing fresh fish becomes reality and the step by step of recipe is easy.

Alfrocheiro is a Portuguese grape variety produced almost exclusively in the Dão wine region. In fact, that´s a curious and mysterious grape variety, since the first references are after the phylloxera crisis. The origin of Alfrocheiro is not known. Research history says that is perhaps a foreign grape variety, while for others it is important the characteristics of the grapes. It is a small, compact bunch of grapes with a heterogeneous color and uniform.

The pulp is juicy and soft and this variety has a regular production with an average maturity. These two factors create almost a perfect balance between acids and sugar, good color on the wines with fine and fruity aromas. Usually, wines based on Afrocheiro become complex over the years.

Alfrocheiro, besides Dão Wine Region

The Alentejo wine region, Tejo and Bairrada have also the production of Afrocheiro grape, however, Dão remains the top producer. The grape is also present in Spain, perhaps because of the similar climate or even soil, but it has a different name. It has the name of Baboso Negro in Tenerife while in Oviedo the name is Albarin negro or even Brunal in Zamora. Afrocheiro grape variety has a cultivation area of 1850 ha. In Portugal. New plantings growth depends on the year but is around 3 to 3,5%.

Dão is surrounded by mountains that protect vines from the chill and rains of the Atlantic Ocean and the influence of the Continental climate. You will find vineyards from 200 to 1000 m above sea level in the center of the country. In general, the region has an amazing diversification of grape varieties. You will find the famous Touriga Nacional and of course on the white wines the famous Encruzado, among others. Afrocheiro is perfect for single-grape variety wines and blends. On blends, it will give more color to the wine, red tones. Take a look at the multi-day tour section to Dão Wine Region.

How to serve white wine is one of the questions following the diversity that Portugal wine regions have to offer. It is an excellent question that genuine connoisseurs have and love to know respecting the characteristics of each wine, local consumption, weather, and perhaps hours of the day.

People love to enjoy wines with food or social drink while engaging, or simply during the cooking process, however, the art of serving well and enjoy the wine, in this case, the white wine is always present.  A question with praise-worthy interest in the art of serving perfection.

How to serve white wine is always up to date and often open to different opinions and customs. It depends on the conditions you have to keep your wines at home and in your home you are the king. Some people have wine coolers, others may have the home cave or even a specific area just for wines.

On the red wines, the precautions to be taken are not extreme, however, in the case of the white wines, the serving temperature also assumes great importance for everyone. Each person will have a temperature that may like, besides the recommendations of the wine producers. The white wine service requires some logistics and we will advise you some points. 

Considerations of how to serve white wine

1. Never leave a white wine in the refrigerator. Depending of the food and type of wine you like or your guests, you are also saving space.

2. Some people love the white wine very fresh, which sometimes it is not the correct temperature for the wine or even for the food pairing.

3. Being in Portugal, we have our climate/weather which is totally different from Alaska in the United States or even Berlin in Germany. For this reason, the way of drinking wine, taste, preference, will always be different, due to what you do on your daily basis.

4. You took your white wine bottle from the fridge or wine cooler, open it and it is ready to serve. However, always confirm if you a recipient to put ⅓ with fresh water and add some ice. You will preserve part of the temperature.

5. If you take out the wine too soon from the fridge or wine cooler, it will increase the temperature. For this reason, always open the bottle when everybody is at the table, ready to start to eat.

6. At table, let each one refill their glass of wine through the meal. For some people 1 glass is enough, for others two glasses of wine will be perfect. Keep it flow and avoid leftover of the wine.

Enjoy your white wine with great food. Portugal has white wine in every wine region. We have several grape varieties, and a lot of varietal white wines (Monocasta, as we say in Portuguese). Encruzado is a good example of a local Portuguese wine region, common in Dão.