“How well do Alentejan table wines age in general, and more specifically, Cortes de Cima wines age?” This is a question we are constantly asked, and one which lead us to decide to participate in a recent debut ‘Library Collection’ tasting, a new initiative organized by MWsTim Atkin and Charles Metcalfe. [...]

Now that our teenage children have left the winery to attend boarding school outside of Portugal, we seize any chance to arrange impromptu family gatherings, with all of us flying in from our different abodes, sic., wine fairs in Germany, tastings in Stockholm, winemaker’s dinners in Denmark. Last weekend was just such an [...]

An impressive array of foreign journalists descended upon Cortes de Cima and Beja this past weekend, in connection with a big wine exhibition, VINIPAX, a name derived from Beja’s Roman ‘Pax Julia’ , appropriate as the Romans were once prolific winegrowers in this area!
The event was orchestrated by a known [...]

After the amuse-bouche and the starter, my stomach welcomed a fillet of beef au gratin with gorgonzola cheese, accompanied by potatoes with rosemary and presunto, peperonata and grilled courgettes. The desert was a creamy tiramisu and Tia Maria liqueur, stracciatella ice cream and a fresh fruit sabayon with Amaretto. The wines were [...]

Lunch with the chef of the Cliff Bay hotel was another highlight during my trip to Madeira. Our aim was to try some of Cortes de Cima’s wines and to experiment with some wine and food pairing ideas, during a casual encounter. Benoît Sinthon, who had just arrived from his holidays, prepared various dishes [...]

In July, whilst speaking to Carrie over the phone and telling her I was going on holiday to Madeira, I heard, nearing the end of the conversation through a smile: how about writing a piece for the blog? Madeira is our best market outside of the continent.
Once on the island, I decided to phone the [...]