The Algarve

For connoisseurs who want to know more

The fact that the Algarve is a great destination for gourmets
has long since gotten around. In addition to the two Michelin-starred chefs Dieter Koschina (Vila Joya) and Hans Neuner (Restaurant Ocean at the Vila Vita Resort & Spa; see also here), gourmets can also stop off at a whole host of other top addresses on Portugal's south coast.


Recently added are
the Vista Restaurant at the Bela Vista Hotel & Spa in Portimão (chef: João Oliveira) and the Gusto by Heinz Beck restaurant at the Hotel Conrad Algarve in Quinta do Lago, which has held three stars for years at its "La Pergola" restaurant in Rome. However, those who are more interested in the roots of regional delicacies can do so as part of the Eating Algarve Food Tours. Accompanied by local guides, the gourmet tours lead to restaurants where local cuisine is cultivated, to winegrowers who embody the upswing in wine production in the region and to producers who produce the best food in the old-fashioned way - every gourmet's mouth is watering just thinking about it.


Those interested can choose from five programs
The "Ria Food Tour" leads through the colorful market of Olhão, which offers the best fish and seafood in the region, which is served in typical tascas and restaurants after the tour. Along the way, participants get to know narrow alleyways, secluded squares and striking points in the town - and there is also time for a boat trip to the Ria Formosa nature reserve.


On the "Farum Food Tour"
focuses on typical regional fish dishes, cheese and sausages from the Faro area, while the "Arade Food Tour" takes you to Silves, the former capital of the Algarve. Among other things, you can try the typical stew Cataplana, which is prepared in the copper cookware of the same name, and fully ripe oranges. The "Fisherman Food Tour" follows the path of the Algarve's abundant fish from the market in Faro to various restaurants where sardines and octopus are served. And the "Petisco Food Tour" through the center of Faro is almost all about the delicious little appetizers ("petiscos"), which are perfect as an appetizer for a meal or as a snack with a good glass of wine. (Booking via www.eatingalgarvetours.co)


Speaking of wine: The Quinta dos Vales
one of the most renowned wineries in the Algarve, offers those interested the opportunity to immerse themselves in the world of winemaking or even become a winemaker themselves. Because let's be honest: what wine fan doesn't sometimes dream of opening a bottle for their friends and casually saying: "By the way, I made this wine myself." The beginner's class in the "Wine Experience" is the approximately three-hour bottle blending workshop, in which participants create their very own cuvée from five single-varietal base wines under expert guidance. The course also includes a guided tour of all areas of the estate - and of course one or, on request and for an extra charge, several bottles of your "own" wine - professionally corked and sealed with wax.


The barrel cuvée workshop is much more demanding.
whose participants assemble an entire 225-liter French oak barrique barrel from the cultivated red wine varieties Touriga Nacional, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, Alicante Bouschet and Touriga Franca. The cuvée then matures there for up to 12 months, with the budding cellar masters having the opportunity to visit their "baby" every three months and thus accompany the maturing process of the wine. At the end of the maturation period, the wine is drawn into 288 fine bottles, in which the fine wines then mature for a further two years until they are ready to drink.


If, after this experience, you are in the mood for even more winemaking
can also buy their own vineyard at Quinta dos Vales, build a house there and wake up in the morning surrounded by their own vines. However, as it takes around seven years from planting the new vines to the point at which the harvest meets the requirements for a quality wine, new winegrowers need plenty of patience. Alternatively, they can take advantage of the offer to lease one of the other Quinta dos Vales hills in the meantime and use the yield to start making wine almost immediately (information at www.quintadosvales.e).


More info:
www.visitalgarve.pt