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A Trip For Wine Lovers in PortugalBY: Markus Lockwood | Category: EUROPE | Submitted: 2011-01-03 18:51:07
During September and October, visitors can now witness these ancient rituals up close, by taking part in the harvest itself, touring through the many vineyards, crushing the grapes if they desire, or even lodging within the walls of a grand wine estate. Often the estate will have a restaurant and offer wine tasting dinners, complete with a view of the vineyards from whence the grapes came. Port wines may be the oldest and best-known wines from Portugal, but they are certainly not alone. Nearly 8 percent of Portugal's landscape is given over to vineyards today and the result is a wide variety of quality wines, each with their own personality. UNESCO designates two of Portugal's wine-producing regions as World Heritage Sites. They are the Douro Valley Wine Region and the Pico Island Wine Region in the Azores Islands. From the plains of the Alentejo towards the south, to the northern valleys of the rivers Dao and Douro, each harvest and harvest celebration has a unique, local flavor. The vineyards sit among stunning landscapes and are easily toured by car or on bicycle. The vineyards of the Douro region, the oldest demarcated region in the world and birthplace of Port wine, run in a series of terraces. During the harvest here, throughout the month of September, men can be seen walking the vineyards carrying baskets of grapes, while the women are helping and singing traditional songs as they work or celebrate. Until the twentieth century Madeira played an important part in the social life of the upper class. It was especially favored in cities such as Baltimore, Boston, Charleston, Philadelphia, New York and Savannah where they celebrated with so-called 'Madeira-parties'. At these events, you drank several vintages of Madeira to a light meal like terrapin-soup. In Silas Weir Mitchell's famous book "A Madeira Party" the reader will find a very detailed and slightly ironic picture of such an event. Visitors of Savannah today can do a "Madeira Tour" at the Davenport House and there still is a "Madeira Club" in Savannah Much to the delight of the colonists, the wine did not suffer from the long Ocean voyage. In fact, the heating and sloshing in the barrel improved the wine, and soon a trans-Atlantic voyage became part of the elaboration process for all Madeira wines. This practice continued well past the age of the sailing ship. In the early 20th century casks of Madeira were floated back and forth across the Ocean in the holds of steam ships that also docked in Funchal harbor in Madeira to load coal. The popularity of Madeira wine has decreased over the years, and in modern times the island has turned to Tourism to fund its continued prosperity. In the last twenty years the Madeira wine producers have modernized their wineries and improved their vineyards, and today production of Madeira wine is once again on the increase. Today's Madeira comes in a range of styles, from young, light and dry, to the rich, honeyed vintages from over one hundred years ago. The younger wines are refreshing and lively. They pair well with aged cheeses and savory snacks. The richer, darker styles of Madeira are the perfect end to an autumn meal, and are best enjoyed alone. Article Source: http://articles.travelandtourisminfo.com/ About Author / Additional Info: Comments on this article: (0 comments so far)
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