They were immeasurably assisted in planning and executing their trip by Jorge Sampaio, the driving force behind Bairrada tourism, and Pedro Dias, the Director of the Bairrada Museu do Vinho.

After a detailed introduction at the modern and very well organized wine museum in Anadia, the group got its trip off to a perfect start with a visit to the Luis Pato winery. Pato is arguably the best known of all the Bairrada winemakers, and he honoured the AWS by personally showing the group around his winery, after which he hosted a tasting of his wines followed by lunch in his private guest house. In the afternoon those interested went to the Military Museum in Bussaco Forest, while the evening was spent in the extensive cellars of Caves Aliança, in Sangalhos, where an interesting variety of wines were tasted and an excellent dinner featuring Leitão (Bairrada’s best known dish) was served.

The next day started with a visit to the old convent in the Bussaco Palace Hotel’s grounds. Then it was off to the Caves de São Domingos, a traditional, family owned winery founded in 1937, where Eugénia Freitas took the group around the heavily cobwebbed subterranean passages where her wines were maturing. Lunch was at the ultramodern Quinta do Encontro winery, an affiliate of the Dão Sul group and a complete contrast to São Domingos. A late afternoon visit to the nearby Campolargo winery was a perfect end to the day’s activities, with a personal presentation by the very influential winemaker Carlos Campolargo.

The next activities planned by the Algarve Wine Society will be: a) a tasting of the Ribatejo wines of Fiuza & Bright at the EVA Hotel in Faro on Thursday, May 28; and, b) the annual golf outing (at Quinta da Cima) followed by the Summer Party (at the Tavira Pousada) on Sunday, June 28, following which the group will take its usual summer break. If you are interested in having further information about the Algarve Wine Society please contact the Secretary, Larry Hampton, by e-mail at: hampton@mail.telepac.pt.