Restaurant G, at Pousada of St. Bartolomeo, Bragança

Text José Silva

One of the most interesting motives for those of us who share this activity of gastronomy and wine is, now and then, to find things that can surprise us and make us happy. It is also one of the reasons why we keep up the will and pleasure to go on and develop this work. That´s what happened in a recent visit to Bragança, much in the interior of Trás-os-Montes, when a friendly hand took me to the Pousada of Saint Bartolomeo, to have lunch.

The Pousada has got a great tradition, that I know very well, as I slept there many times, visiting Bragança, but the big surprise is that the “Geadas” group, that owns the restaurant with the same name in Bragança, assumed the administration. For several decades restaurant “Geadas” has been the best known place to eat in town, supervised by two brothers, serving traditional Trás-os-Montes food. However, in the last years, they developed an alternative creative menu, based on Trás-os-Montes products. Now, with this acquisition, the two brothers decided to transfer this creative concept to the pousada´s restaurant, that they simply called “G”.

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The place has been reorganized, it is now more comfortable and cozy, with a refined offer, based on regional products, that we praise. Room full of light, with a view over town from above, preceded by a living room, where you can see some regional products, like olive oil, smoked sausages and sweets. Tables very well set, with everything good on top, irreprehensible service, including wine service, performed by personnel with great experience.

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During the meal I shared with friends, they first served us some regional Bragança bread and a delicious smoked meat bread, very tasty. And that required the first glass of wine, in this case also from Trás-os-Montes, red wine “Quinta das Corriças Reserve 2011”. Full bodied but at the same time very elegant, the acidity very much present giving balance, soft red fruit notes and some smoke, just a fragrance.

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There are several tasting menus, the price changing according to the number of courses and wines of each. In our meal we began by enjoying a small roll with smoked sausage from Vinhais and fine herbs butter, served in a round brick, which was still warm, the butter easily melting and going deep into the fluffy bread dough. What a good start!

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In another brick, this one thinner and longer, there was a can, like those of tinned food, which served as a receptacle for a Vinhais rocket sausage “à Braz”, with small slices of smoked sausage, the fried potatoes well connected with the rocket sausage paste and the contrast with the smoked sausage as a sophisticated touch.

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Another round brick came as well, with two temperatures pickling brine partridge, the partridge meat very well shredded, all that very well pressed and the pickling brine on top, in a simple but refined execution. As hot dishes we tasted a hunting bird soup (pheasant and partridge), with turnip and pumpkin, juicy and very tasty, the soup very hot, in a beautiful chromatic composition, the color orange of the pumpkin dominating, several tastes very well integrated in a delicious exotic soup.

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The main course proposed was a superb matured “bísaro” pork loin, soft, smooth, very well cooked, with a slight cover of its own fat, an excellence meat. With the company of some pot cabbages, traditional in the pig killing ceremony, here served with style, stuffing a crispy seeds millefeuille, delicious. And still as a side note, a caramelized fig, stuffed with some of the pig´s giblets. Almost a work of art! We closed the meal with a traditional orange tart in good company.

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By that time, the second wine bottle was already at the end…

Contacts

Pousada de São Bartolomeu
Rua Estrada do Turismo, 5300-271 Bragança
Tel: (+351) 273 331 493 Fax: (+351) 273 323 453
guest@pousadas.pt
Pousada-De-Bragança

Lunch at Chalet Vicente

Text José Silva

In a warm and sunny day at Funchal, Olga and I sat down at a terrace table in one of the most sheltering restaurants in this Madeira town, for a peaceful meal. Chalet Vicente, a manorial house with several spaces and corners, between interior rooms and the big terrace.

Right at the entrance of the main room, there is a huge grill, where a variety of fish and meat pass through. But the menu has a great variety, between starters and main courses, and at lunch time there is even an interesting buffet.

All that is ran by a master of Madeira’s gastronomy, a man with great experience and good taste, Nélio Ferreira, who not only received us, but also guided us through a wonderful meal, a trip through very well prepared morsels, a Madeira taste parade in our table, that tasted so good.

The “bolo do caco”, that delicious soft bread, toasted and covered with garlic butter, was always present during the meal. It started with some unusual but superb black sward fish eggs, very well seasoned, juicy and crispy, a very good surprise.

Followed by a stewed octopus with sweet potatoes, an enticing, thick sauce, very tender octopus, excellent. By then, our friend Nélio had already opened a bottle of table white Madeira wine, from a small producer, named “Vai de Cabeça”, from Verdelho grape variety. At The correct temperature, it was very well, secure, fresh, very good acidity and that intense mineral touch that performs great matchings. As was the case with the small veal liver steaks, with onion and a lot of laurel, delicate and extremely tasty. Then came some delicious black sward fish fillets, soft and appetizing, covered with banana and passion fruit sauce, wonderful.

During our meal, a small fresh tuna arrived at the restaurant, from which they showed us some parts, already cleaned and prepared. We didn’t resist Nélio’s proposition, and we enjoyed small tuna steaks with villain sauce, in the company of toasted sweet potatoes with sugar cane honey, something very special. The tuna loin meat melting in generous slices, a spicy and thick sauce, the sweet potato with exotic taste, very, very good.

But we didn’t finish without trying one of the house specialties, breaded frog legs, very well done, with their white sauce, delicious. And we couldn’t reach desert…but we could delight ourselves with a Madeira wine from Barbeito, a 10 year old Verdelho that was very good. Intense on the nose, with great freshness and dry fruit notes, tangerine skin and caramel. On the mouth it’s an explosion of minerality, fresh, with vibrant acidity, involving, toasted notes, dry, delicious.

Along with coffee we didn’t resist another glass of this delicious Madeira’s nectar, chilled as it should be, a perfect final for this meal worthy of a Chalet!!

Thank you my friend Nélio.

Contacts
Restaurante Chalet Vicente
Estrada Monumental, 238
9000-100 Funchal
Madeira, Portugal
Portugal
Tel: (+351) 291 765 818
Tel: (+351) 967 793 903
E-mail: chaletvicente@sapo.pt
Website: chaletvicente.com

Justino’s – Madeira Wine Tasting

Text José Silva

Madeira wine still needs a lot of disclosure, it is still a unknown product to the majority of those who appreciate alcoholic beverages, specially liqueur wines (fortified wines). It is a shame, as it is an unique and peculiar wine in the world, with great tradition, that is able to evolve for decades and even become a collection product, a rare and desirable piece, not available to all.

But Madeira wine has also been evolving, modernizing itself and the main producers are trying to bring the wine to young people, who begin, step by step, discovering this wine of excellence, in a certain kind of democratization of a product that has been helping this tiny Atlantic island to be known throughout the world, mainly in high gastronomy and top tasters spheres. But it can still do a lot more for this small region, where quality tourism is more and more an everyday reality, every month, every year.

Visiting Justino’s company and its cellar gave us a slight notion of that wine reality that is the production of quality Madeira wine. A visit that is always a pleasure and moments to learn what is being done in high standard Madeira wines, with a very peculiar philosophy. And the proof of this are the wines that were tasted in excellent conditions, in a guided trip through 13 memorable Madeira wines from Justino´s.

Starting in one of the most modern and young, 3 Year Old Fine Medium Dry, that showed dry and intense nose, a lot of dried fruit, slightly toasted, but elegant at the same time. Some sweetness in the mouth combined, by contrast, with wonderful acidity, well-balanced, still a young wine but therefore, easy to drink, to judge and to understand. A Madeira wine for every day, a wine to have always in the fridge.

The next wine was 5 Years Reserve Fine Dry, already with a classic touch, with a nice gilded amber color, limpid, very fresh in the nose, a pleasant dry touch, with good dried fruits notes, mainly nuts, compelling in the mouth, great acidity ruling the set, again nuts and almond notes, a young wine already getting teenager, steady, long finish.

Then we went back to 3 years aged wines, now with 3 Years Fine Rich, still a young wine but already very pleasant, perhaps for a more female audience, a lot of dried fruits notes in the nose, slightly fruity, with a slight dry touch. Sweeter in the mouth but with a lot of refinement, some dried fruits and caramel notes, and excellent acidity, connecting this young and very attractive set.

 

The age of 5 years was also repeated, with 5 Years Reserve Fine Rich, this one with exuberant nose, complex, slightly toasted, some caramel, fruity, very much compelling. Sweet in the mouth but very fresh, showing wonderful acidity, already with an intense mouth volume and long finish, a Madeira wine still young, yet with the characteristics of a classic wine, with accessible price, in a very interesting engagement solution not only for the young and beginners, but also to be at hand in daily life.

Than came more serious wines, on the classical sense of the word, wines of another platform, still in a very interesting quality/price level, 10 years wines, from the most well known and appreciated grapes, all showing that amber color touch, only changing in intensity, between the Sercial blond till the Malvasia dark brown.

10 Year Sercial was perhaps the most well balanced one, very refined and fresh in the nose, slightly dry and with very soft nuts notes. In the mouth it is silky, compelling, very much accessible and with wonderful acidity, fresh and mineral, showing itself soft, leaving great finish.

10 Year Verdelho is very refined in the nose, still with that dry touch connected to some dried fruits and slightly toasted. The mouth reveals great structure, compelling, very refined and with extraordinary acidity, intense but steady, even ruling the set, still some dried fruits and long finish, entirely wrapping our palate.

Than we tasted 10 Year Boal, a classic, perhaps the most well-balanced grape. Great elegance in the nose, exotic and complex wine, with extremely pleasant aromas. Sweetness is clear in the mouth, but very well connected with intense acidity, which sometimes takes precedence over the sweetness and makes this wine a fascinating one, with great mouth volume, slightly dry, a great wine!

To end this set of 10 year old wines, we tasted 10 Year Old Malmsey, that proved to have an elegant and soft nose, with nuts, almonds and hazelnut notes and some freshness. Although it was the most sweet of all four wines, it has beautiful acidity, an elegant sweetness, with some complexity, a round wine, well done, a more accessible wine but with very good fulfilment.

Then it was time to change to another level, with three older wines, still very fresh and intense, capable of being tasted in several situations and even perform some good pairings with food, between menu starters and some desserts.

The Colheita 1995 shows a very refined dark amber color, limpid, very much appellative wine. A powerful, intense, very much compelling nose, with strong presence of dried fruits complexity, but also with very pleasant light citric notes. Round and intense in the mouth, it has got a beautiful acidity, persistent, well connected with sweet notes, delivering some vivacity and structure to the ensemble, providing a great finish.

On similar style was the Colheita 1996, with medium and elegant amber color, very beautiful. Very floral and intense nose, dried fruits very evident, giving great elegance to the wine. It is still elegance that stands out in the mouth, with compelling sweet notes, well balanced acidity but always present, lightly toasted, a very enjoyable wine where the prevailing note is in fact elegance.

And in great Madeira wines you can´t miss Terrantez grape variety, very rare and constantly in danger of vanishing, despite laudable struggle of the main producers, trying to sustain it, as it is an island matchless inheritance. We tasted Terrantez Old Reserve, that showed light amber limpid color, a very clean wine. A grape variety that produces drier wines, here was its best, very smooth in the nose, clean and exotic, even inebriant. Excellent mouth, remarkable, dry, very dry, with nuts and bitter almond notes, jam, very smooth, but with fine acidity and a great finish.

The wine tasting was coming to an end, and we entered a superior level, with those Madeira wines to which a wine lover always wishes to reach, rare wines but still full of power, still with a lot to give during many years.

First we tasted Sercial 1940, showing a dark amber and intense color, with green spots, limpid, very elegant. A fantastic nose, full of refinement and exuberant at the same time, a dry and still very fresh wine. In the mouth it is superb, dry, with light “little vinegar” notes and a slashing acidity, intense but very pleasant, nuts notes and a smooth citric touch, a very long finish, fantastic.

Sercial 1940 © Blend All About Wine, Lda.

Malvasia 1933 © Blend All About Wine, Lda.

We concluded this Justino´s wine tasting with Malvasia 1933, already a collection piece. With an amber brownish color, dark, very elegant. Great nose, full of dried fruits, complex but still very fresh, citric, a remarkable wine. It fills your mouth in an explosion of sensations, toasted, silky but with an indescribable and powerful acidity, leading the set, but allowing all the flavors diversity to be always present, including a very slight and delicious “small vinegar”. Structure, body, intensity, in a single word… excellent.

Contacts
Justinos´s, Madeira Wines, S.A.
Parque Industrial da Cancela
9125-042 Caniço, MADEIRA
Telefone: (+351) 291 934 257
Fax: (+351) 291 934 049
E-mail: justinos@justinosmadeira.com
Website:bwww.justinosmadeira.com

Lunch – Palco Restaurant

Text José Silva

On the first Blend tasting panel meeting, we were received at Palco restaurant, in a refined and quiet atmosphere, for a meal where we wanted to taste great Portuguese modern wines, matching with a modern kitchen, based in good Portuguese products.

After introducing every one and with the presence of Paulo Costa, the Hotel Director, who joined us, the meal started, revealing a great quality level, with the help of the excellent job of the restaurant´s table personnel, both in the service introducing each dish and the wine service, between glasses, temperatures and amount of wine to be served.

The wines, very well introduced and equal to the menu, made like a dance between them, tasted in pairs, and had a serious dialogue with the food, affording us great moments of pleasure. We started with a sparkling wine from Bairrada, Encontro Special Cuvée 2010, very thin bubble and smooth mousse, dry and toasted aroma, refined in the mouth, excellent acidity, dry, dry wheat, great finish.

We then began a delicious trip through a tasting menu that started with a good looking dry tomato “tapenade”, well connected, with smooth and elegant texture, to spread on the bread and that came to the table in a round dark rock of good result. It was followed by an olive cornet with codfish “barandade”, which came spiked on a vessel full of toasted seeds, in a very well achieved contrast: the crispy paste and the filling of the small cornet very well connected, melting in our mouth, the contrast between codfish and olive running through our palate and leaving good memories.

Rosé Principal Tête de Cuvée 2010 that came next was astonishing, with a refined pale salmon colour, exotic aromas, dry smoke notes, smooth red fruit fragrance and a superb mouth volume, blueberry and raspberry smooth notes, well balanced acidity, some freshness, very long finish.

Still on the menu entries level, the rustic bread “torricado” with smoked mackerel and toasted onion cream surprised us, the bread, very good, toasted, was the base to the exoticism of the smoked mackerel, crowned with the toasted onion and two pieces of salicornia plant on tempura. An explosion of sea and smoke in your mouth.

Again on the menu entries, with growing intensity, the chef presented us with something he called “a different version of stake tartar, and French fried potatoes with Savora mustard”, just like that: a very thin and crispy toast, curved to form a tube, stuffed with the tartar prepared accurately, very tasty, matching in an unusual way with the strong mustard flavour that stuffed two small French fried potatoes.

Afterwards came to the table a white wine from Dão, from “Quinta da Passarella”, Vila Oliveira white 2012, Casa da Passarela. An extraordinary wine, with fruity and wild plants complex aromas, great structure in the mouth, some minerality, very good acidity and a long and smooth finish.

Closing the menu entries cycle, a dish that looked more like a colour palette but that revealed in the mouth great freshness and an interesting connection between different ingredients such as scallop, avocado-pear with spider-crab cannelloni, smoked celery root purée with citric and small river shrimp, those tiny river shrimps with intense aroma and flavour, which made everything match, excellent.

Then we went through two Alvarinho wines from Melgaço, with very different profiles, both very good. First, Curtimenta 2011 by Anselmo Mendes, that was very gentle in the nose, refined, tropical mature fruit and freshness notes, compelling in the mouth, structured and mineral, intense but well balanced acidity, a complex but exuberant wine.

On the fish section, we started with sea bass with “Bulhão Pato” sauce, muscle, razor clam and spherical potato, very much delicate in texture and taste, the sauce very smooth, creamy potato, the sea fish texture very correct, muscle and razor clam intensifying the sea taste, everything with a fine texture.
Second fish dish was a mullet in its one sauce and potato gnocchi, the fish with the right texture, firm, tasty, creamy and silky sauce, tasty potato gnocchi, in a very good and exotic set.

Along with this came another great Alvarinho, Soalheiro Reserva 2011, with oak aromas, toasted, slightly mineral, intense in the mouth, great volume, fresh and with fine acidity, smooth vanilla notes, leaving a great finish.

Third fish dish was half-cure codfish with toasted onion sauce, small caramel onions and onion seeds, codfish cheek and savoy cabbage cannelloni. Very complex in its matching, it revealed incredibly simple in taste and texture, everything matching so well and taking upon our palate, wonderful.

After this M.O.B red 2011 was served, presenting floral and elegant aroma, some freshness, exotic, wonderful acidity, very round tannins, well assembled, elegant and steady, red fruit notes, silky, a wine to keep on discovering. Then we tasted “Quinta da Casa Amarela” Grande Reserva red 2011, tight, refined, intense red fruit aroma, oak and smoke notes, spicy and rustic in the mouth, good volume, mature red fruit, a gastronomic wine.

Going over to the meat dishes, we started with an extraordinary product, “maronesa” veal tail, with potato and truffle cream and foie gras. A variety of textures with good matching between them, the foie gras on top and the creamy potato underneath the meat, delivering a small touch of the truffle, the meat melting in our mouth, intense and delicious flavour.

Then there were presented two great wines from two great regions. The red wine from Dão, Vinha do Contador 2008, is a classic from that region, full of refinement, with sophisticated flower and wild plants aromas, with incredible mouth volume, well structured, good acidity and some freshness, mature red fruit, smoky and a great finish.

 

The wine Quinta do Crasto – Vinha Maria Teresa red 2011 represents the Douro excellence, very refined in the nose, silky, floral notes of rock-rose and heather. Excellent mouth volume, creamy, sophisticated, superb tannins, well matched, a long wine with an enormous finish. These two wines accompanied all the refinement and delicacy of the deer meat in its tenderloin and the beetroot, the “reineta” apple and chanterrelles, earthy and humus dry tastes, the meat very tasty and smooth, the sauce matching the whole dish, already in a very high culinary level.

Before dessert, we tasted an Amontillado from Jerez, dry and with incredible acidity but contrasting sweet notes. Dessert was so called “lemon and nuts in their textures”. And so it was, a variety of textures of both the nuts and the crispy piece of various toasted leaves, the lemon between a sphere, a cream and a toast. Resounding effect.

For dessert we appreciated Barros old white Port that was refined, intense dry fruit aromas, slight smoked notes, some complexity in the mouth, some freshness and very good acidity balancing the wine. And the Moscatel de Setúbal from Casa Horácio Simões was really good, intense in the nose, citrus notes, caramel, fresh. Compelling in the mouth, smooth, with excellent acidity, a touch of tangerine skin, dry fruit light notes and some spices.

Dinner ended with an offer with a name full of humor, still very well achieved: “the wood seen from downtown Oporto”. Very good.

Our hard work was complete with a very special sparkling wine, Quinta dos Abibes Grande Reserva Brut Nature 2009, full of elegance , very thin bubble and persistent cord. Charming nose, aromas passing through white fruit, some nuts, dry wheat, a lot of freshness and strength. In the mouth it has a steady volume, great acidity and luxuriant aromas, dry, smoked, creamy, silky and long finish.

A great finale!

Cheers!