The Douro Valley in northern Portugal is the home of Port, a famous fortified wine style. The region is one of the most beautiful in the world, with steeply…
How Port wine is made: a film from the 2016 vintage
By Jamie Goode and Treve Ring (Gismondi on Wine) In mid-September, we visited the Douro Valley in Portugal during harvest. We spent quite a bit of time chatting with the…
Day 2, in Madeira
Day 2 of our Madeira visit began in the new Blandy’s cellars, which are located near the main Port, just past the airport. They’ve been moving most of their production…
In Madeira with Blandy’s
I’m in Madeira. It’s my first time on the island. It’s quite a beautiful place. The reason? To find out about Madeira wine, with the island’s largest producer, Blandy’s. Day…
Lunch with Dirk Niepoort at Trinity, Clapham
Last week we had a wonderful lunch at Trinity Restaurant in Clapham Old Town, with Dirk Niepoort and his wines. Trinity is a great place, and Adam Byatt had prepared…
Vinhão: red Vinho Verde
I love red Vinho Verde. It’s just so distinctive and different. Usually (but not always) it’s made from a single variety, Vinhão. This has a thick skin, and the result…
The New Douro Tasting 2016
So, today: the New Douro Tasting at the gritty Vinyl Factory in Soho. I went and tasted widely. I’d just been in the Douro with the Douro Boys, so I…
Four Douro table wines from Poças Junior
Founded in 1918, Poças Júnior is one of the few Portuguese-owned Port companies still in the hands of the original family. Port is still their main focus, accounting for 80%…
O Gaveto, Porto, a brilliant seafood restaurant
I had one of my meals of the year at O Gaveto in Porto, a couple of weeks ago. It’s a traditional Portuguese seafood restaurant in Matosinhos, the port area…