On Saturday, October 19, members of the Algarve Bailliage of the Confrérie of the Chaîne des Rôtisseurs met at restaurant A Tia Bia in Barranco do Velho, in the Caldeirão mountains to the north of Faro, for a lunch preceded by a wine tasting of local Algarvian wines.
The wines tasted were produced by Quinta da Tôr, a winery situated locally in the mountains. The owner Mário Santos and his daughter Catarina were present to introduce the wines and give a background history of the vineyard and its historic connection to their family.
During the tasting, Catarina presented a wide variety of information concerning each wine such as grape varieties, soil types, fermentation storage, and alcohol content by volume as well as suggestions for the ideal serving temperature and best food combinations.
As one of the chosen wines was a single grape production which had produced a strong, robust yet very smooth wine, those present were able to appreciate the later release of the full flavour of this wine compared to the blended varieties, and also its strength. The wine tasting was accompanied by dishes of local cheeses, sausages and fruit.
In order to enable the restaurant to prepare for lunch, a visit to a local Medronho distillery had been arranged. A guided tour with explanation of the distillery process followed and there was an opportunity to taste the Medronho which was produced there.
The lunch menu had been chosen to reflect the restaurant’s surroundings where wild boar, partridge, pheasant and deer are hunted and also the fresh local produce of vegetables, olives and herbs. After starters of fresh cheeses, hams, pâté, and stuffed mushrooms, the main dishes were boar stew, codfish and shrimps, some of which were served as a traditional “migas” in a loaf of bread hollowed out and filled with stew. The food was accompanied by the wines of Quinta da Tôr.
The meal finished with an assortment of traditional dessert dishes from the Algarve, again prepared with local produce such as almonds, eggs, pears and port.
Bailli de l’Algarve Roy Clevenholm thanked Chef Nuno Pires on behalf of those present for his delicacies and Cátia Graça for the attentive service which had been received and presented a token of thanks to the restaurant.
By VALERIE LANTAU
