This wine area is on Lisbon’s doorstep—here is learn how to discover it

Waves crash in opposition to the crags under and wind blusters wildly, misting my face with salty Atlantic spray. I’m standing on a coastal cliff in continental Europe’s westernmost winery, the place grapes develop solely with the assistance of the realm’s expert viticulturists. Small, family-run vineyard Mare et Corvus vegetation its vines right here between protecting stone partitions, sheltering them rigorously with nets, and makes use of the grapes to supply round 6,000 bottles of wine a 12 months.

Though Colares — a part of the wine area of Lisboa — is lower than an hour’s drive west of Lisbon, you wouldn’t understand it. Portugal’s capital is within the midst of a heatwave, however right here it’s gray and humid. This microclimate helps give the realm’s wines their distinctive flavour — as does the unconventional terrain the place producers develop their vines.

On the best way to close by Viúva Gomes vineyard, you’ll discover a small part of grapevines that snake alongside the sandy floor beside the highway. The vineyard’s proprietor José Baeta tells me they’re important — not solely have they endured this tough coastal surroundings, they’ve additionally outlived a devastating plague. “Our small region became very famous in the 1860s when we had the grape phylloxera [an insect pest],” he explains. “Our vineyards survived because they’re in the sand.”

Later, at seaside restaurant Azenhas do Mar, a bottle of golden-yellow Malvasia de Colares wine is introduced out for tasting. It’s crisp, salty and citrusy, with echoes of the area’s briny wind. It pairs completely with each an octopus salad and the normal Portuguese stew cataplana, made right here with shrimp, mussels, clams and candy potato.

Continuing north the next day, it’s round an hour’s drive to Quinta da Boa Esperança, a homely vineyard within the Lisboa sub-region of Torres Vedras, the place the salmon-pink Rosé Atlântico is a spotlight.

Nearby AdegaMãe is the subsequent cease— there’s a delicate breeze as knowledgeable sommelier Ricardo Marques guides us across the hanging, modern vineyard. “We don’t use herbicides or pesticides, that’s why we have these natural weeds growing between the vines,” he says, gesturing in direction of the neat strains that stripe the encircling hills.

The panorama appears calmer than the coast, however the wines are nonetheless formed by the ocean. A glass of Arinto is a must-try on the on-site restaurant Sal na Adega. The area’s signature white, it’s energetic with a crisp acidity.

From the swell to the sacred

Aside from wines, Portugal’s west coast can also be famend for its roaring surf. Board riders flock to Praia do Norte, within the seaside city of Nazaré — 1.5 hours from Lisbon— for an opportunity to catch certainly one of its large waves. Created by the underwater Nazaré Canyon, these large barrels are a sought-after visible spectacle, too. The Sixteenth-century São Miguel Arcanjo Fort, on the far finish of the Sítio promontory, provides the right vantage level — in addition to a small browsing museum.

Today the ocean is calm, so as a substitute of using waves, we drive 20 minutes inland to Alcobaça, a metropolis dominated by the grand, solemn monastery at its centre. A UNESCO World Heritage website, it’s a hanging instance of Cistercian structure, its weathered facade mixing each gothic and baroque types.

Just throughout the highway is one other of the town’s sacred establishments — Pastelaria Alcôa. Inside, proprietor Paula Alves pulls a tray of pastéis de nata (Portuguese custard tarts) from the oven. “Listen for the crunch,” she says. “You can’t cut it in half — it ruins the taste.” It’s creamy and completely caramelised, cooked from a recipe initially crafted by the neighbouring nuns. The pastry store’s expert pâtissiers hand-crack between 500 and 1,000 eggs a day to make the scrumptious confections.

Sweet tooth happy, we head south to Alenquer for a closing cease: Casa Santos Lima, certainly one of Portugal’s greatest wineries. The property home is surrounded by undulating, vine-covered slopes that stretch so far as the attention can see. We’re round 15 miles from the coast, however space supervisor Duarte O’Neill tells me this clay and limestone soil was seabed. Over the years they’ve discovered loads of oceanic fossils of their vineyards, which are actually proudly displayed within the wine store.

It’s one other reminder the Atlantic Ocean’s impression could be felt everywhere in the area — its fierce winds and waves reaching throughout land and thru time, residing within the minds of its folks and in its storied vines.,

Three wines to strive

1. Villa Oeiras Carcavelos
This candy however well-balanced dessert wine is created from a mix of Arinto, Galego Dourado and Ratinho grapes and aged for seven years.

2. Quinta De São Francisco D.O.C Óbidos
An fragrant, ruby-red wine with hints of spice and chocolate, created from a mix of Castelão, Aragonês and Touriga Nacional grapes.

3. Cas’amaro Madame Pió Reserva
Combining Arinto, Fernão Pires and Sercial grapes, this refreshing, full-bodied white wine is acidic and barely creamy.