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    “Portugal’s advantage in wine terms – its isolation, which has kept its inheritance of indigenous vine varieties intact and virtually unaffected by Chardonnay- and Cabernet-mania – has also been its disadvantage. The Portuguese have had this strange habit of… making wines to suit the palates of other Portuguese rather than making the sort of fruity, juicy-yet-structured wines that appeal to the majority of the world’s wine consumers. The wines that have traditionally been most respected within Portugal are incredibly tough reds that have typically spent rather too long in storage before being bottled and some slightly tired whites whose unfamiliar flavours may strike some outsiders as slightly rank. In fact Portugal has some first-class raw materials and is increasingly demonstrating the will and skill with which to transform them into exportable wines.

    It is so sad that top-quality Portuguese wine is not has much widely known and appreciated. Admittedly, the fact that Portugal now has such a vibrant wine culture (I’m told that something like seven annual wine guides are published in Portugal) has meant that prices for wines most highly regarded by the Portuguese have escalated, but these wines have such a strong personality, I don’t think any interested drinker should deny themselves the Portuguese experience.

    Portuguese wine is well placed to take advantage of current fashion for “heritage varieties.”

    1999… “The Alentejo Region, hot and dry, in the southeast, is perhaps the most promising source of accessible table wines, full-bodied, with intense colours… and this is without a doubt one of the most promising wine growing regions in the world.””
    by Jancis Robinson
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Chaminé in Magnums and Ancient Sea Battles

Posted by Carrie on Sunday May 3rd, 2009 at 18:05

Showing off the Chaminé magnum

Last weekend was a holiday in Portugal,  Revolutionary Day –  25th April, 1974 –  35 years ago!   We flew down to Lagos in Hans’ Cessna 182 to enjoy a day at the seaside, and went to one of our favourite restaurants, O Camilo, perched on the cliff top behind Lagos.  We brought a present for our friends the restaurant owners, Francisco José, Rui Machado and Joaquim  - the first ever bottle of Chaminé tinto in a Magnum bottle  (1.5 liters)!

How lovely to sit on the cliff top admiring the fine views over Lagos bay, dining on freshly caught, grilled local fish and drinking a well chilled Chaminé branco with it’s spicy, delicate fruit flavors of melon and lime, and day-dreaming of the history which has been played out in this large bay below.

Lagos is an ancient marine town first settled more than 2,000 years ago by the Carthaginians, followed by Romans, Visigoths, and Moors, who arrived in the 8th century and stayed until 1241.  Home to Henry the Navigator in the 15th century,  many a Discoverer set sail from here.  It was completely destroyed in 1755 by the big earthquake and tsunami.  Famous naval battles took place in this bay we are gazing upon from our splendid vantage point,  i.e. in 1693, when the French defeated the Anglo-Dutch fleet, and in 1795 when the British got their revenge on the French.

Francisco José showing off the day's catch


3 Responses to “Chaminé in Magnums and Ancient Sea Battles”

  1. 1
    sandra Says:

    Bom peixinho e bom vinho é mesmo no Restaurante O Camilo

  2. 2
    Gonçalo Correia Says:

    Áhh pois .. Grande restaurante ! Tou lá sempre batido ! Pudera ! LOLOL

  3. 3
    Filomena Alves Says:

    Restaurante o Camilo, onde se come muito bem, a uma bom preço, com uma localização de excelência e um atendimento fantástico.

    O Ruben é um amor.

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