Lisbon's wines: Part 2

A few columns ago, I shared my first impressions of Lisbon, this somewhat undiscovered wine region of Portugal

The common thought when anyone mentions Portuguese wine is port. But there is much more to explore.

Much like the Okanagan, the Lisboa wine region is trying to make a name for itself against bigger and better-known areas.

How often are we compared with Napa? Sure, there are similarities, but the Okanagan has a distinct terroir and a different vibe.

And the vibe around Lisbon is different than other European wine regions. That vibe is relaxed, varied, and embraces the grapes and wines that reflect the region, but with an eye to many export markets. Portugal is, after all, a country of traders.

The “old” wineries rest on properties that have been around for hundreds of years, such as Quinta do Sanguinhal, an estate with one of the oldest distilleries in the country. The 17th century chapel is still used for special occasions, and the company stamp on the wine labels has been in use for a few generations.

The fortified wines here can compete with any port.

The “new” wineries are embracing wine tourism, building boutique hotels to complement their wine tasting experiences. The nine-room, exquisitely decorated hotel at Romana Vini, which will open soon, belongs in an architectural magazine.

Quinta do Gradil is rebuilding a palace, upon which the shadows of giant, modern tanks will fall, and has a restaurant and a chef determined to marry historical roots with modern cuisine.

The 12-year-old estate is young, but is exploring tradition.

Quinta do Pinto served wine to kings in the 1700s in its “house” (think miniature castle), and names its concrete tanks after the grandchildren in the family. And it is family run, like the majority of wineries in the area.

We have our spectacular, architecturally stunning wineries here, but AdegaMae? Wow! Big, bold, and showcasing the scenery with peek-a-boo cut outs in the exterior walls. In almost every direction, you feel as though you are looking at a live vineyard painting.

But perhaps the most interesting stop is CMOeiras - Villa Oeiras Carcavelos Wine, in the Marques de Pombal Historical Farm. The “urban” winery, with an 18th century farm encircled by modern apartment buildings, is studying and researching fortified wine.

This former palace now holds a barrel room and is part of a heritage recovery program.

Imagine this in the Okanagan: a mayor creates a public project with the ministry of agriculture to research wine (fortified in this case) and hires municipal workers to run the whole thing and study how wines work with different technologies.

Yes, a municipal winery in the middle of a city, cared for by civil servants, on historical land essentially rescued by the mayor.

We travel to discover new experiences, to learn about other cultures, to create new friendships, and to eat and drink and taste new flavours.

The Lisbon area offers all this, and so does the Okanagan. A continent and an ocean separates us, but we are not all that different.

This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.