The grape harvest may be all but over in the Algarve but further north it’s still in full swing and so the Algarve Wine Society (AWS) appreciated the willingness of Lagoalva winery in the Ribatejo to take part in a winetasting and dinner held on Thursday, September 26. In a first for the society, the venue was Hápetite, located just outside the walls of the old town in Faro.
Built originally for the church as a fruit warehouse in 1742, Hápetite’s premises then changed roles and became a well-known glass workshop, before it was eventually converted to a restaurant in 2016.
By contrast, the estate of Quinta da Lagoalva merely dates back to the 19th century, but as a winery it certainly has a long pedigree, having started production in 1888.
So it was intriguing to hear from Diogo Campilho, the most recent member of his family to carry forward the winemaking tradition, that he has brought back to the Tejo the benefit of experience gained studying and working in Australia, and that the philosophy of the winery is to use both Portuguese and international varieties to express the unique terroir of the estate, located less than 50km from the Atlantic ocean.
The event proved to be a superb marriage of food and wine as the 73 AWS members present enjoyed dishes like ‘arroz de peixe’ with Lagoalva Sauvignon Blanc and ‘secretos de porco preto’ with soy sauce, accompanied by Lagoalva Castelão e Touriga.
By the time all six wine and food pairings had been sampled, Lagoalva and Hápetite had both gained many new fans among the diners, and Diogo’s time away from the harvest was rewarded with a sheaf of orders to take back to Ribatejo.
The AWS next meets on October 23 for a tasting and dinner at Quinta da Ria near Tavira.
Hápetite (now rebranded Sabores do Churrasco Premium) can be found on Facebook – “Hápetite”
www.lagoalva.pt | www.algarvewinesociety.com
By ALISON WEST
Photos: NEIL ADAMSON
