Ah, wine. I think I’ve loved it my whole life. A good bottle of wine, made with care and love, is simply… heaven.

I never drank wine just for the alcohol or to get drunk. No, what I loved was the taste. The warmth. The feeling that a good glass of wine can give you.

Friends told me more than once that I was difficult, when I didn’t want to drink “shitty” wine in a bar. They told me I was too posh about it. But for me it has nothing to do with being fancy.

‘Cheap’ wine (meaning fast and mass production + a lot more additives) literally made me sick. Migraine after one glass. Acid stomach. While a good glass of wine simply made me happy 🙂 And good wine doesn’t necessarily means expensive. It means that somebody took the time, with patience and passion, to make it a good one.

That said, little disclaimer: I’m not trying to promote alcohol here, even good wine is bad when you drink too much. Like everything in life, it’s about moderation, right 🙂

Ok, fast forward to Portuguese wines. Because yes: I love Portuguese wines. And… we’re opening a wine bar ourselves, here in Portugal!  My God. It still feels so strange to even write that sentence.

So, to get you ready, and to share a bit of what I love most, here are the Portuguese wine regions and styles that completely stole my heart:

The Portuguese wines I love most

Vinho Verde

Fresh, easy, light wines from the green north of Portugal. Often with a gentle sparkle. These are the wines I love on warm afternoons, outside, with olives, bread, and nowhere to be. They taste like summer. An easy, lazy summer.

Douro

Aaaah Douro. Here you find the classic beauties, wines with soul. Complex reds, crispy whites. Powerful and structured. These are evening wines, conversation wines. Wines to sit with.

Alentejo

The hot and dry Alentejo; no more influence of the ocean. Totally different result. Best known for its easy drinking reds, full bodied, sun-drenched. Alentejo wines feel generous and round, perfect table wines. Price-quality is usually very good.

Lisboa

Atlantic winds, limestone soils, close to the ocean. Known for its high-end, age worthy wines, but I especially like the natural and more funky wines coming from this region. Wines that are untamed and very alive 🙂

Palhete

One of the most typical Portuguese styles, and one I absolutely love. Palhete is made by fermenting red and white grapes together. The result sits somewhere between red and rosé: light, fresh, slightly wild, incredibly drinkable when served cool. I just loooooove this!

This is my “Ok, one more glass” wine. Unpretentious, alive, perfect at lunch or for long Summer evenings outside.

Pet Nat (Pétillant Naturel)

Pure joy in a bottle. Naturally sparkling, fresh, a little unpredictable, and full of life.

Portugal has a growing movement of natural, organic and low-intervention winemakers, and many of them experiment with pet nat. So yes of course, we’ve already selected a lovely list for the wine bar. Who’s ready for a sunset on the beach? 🙂

Where to find them?

These are exactly the kinds of wines you’ll find soon in Tide&Tannin, our wine bar close to the ocean in Sagres, Algarve Portugal.

Wines made with care. From family vineyards and small producers who select and craft with love. Wines that invite you to slow down.

I still can’t believe I’m writing this, but by the end of April the doors will open. Here in Portugal… the country that has lived in my dreams for the past 18 years. The country whose wines I once drove halfway across Belgium to find.

And if you sit here in Sagres one day, with a glass in your hand under the Portuguese sky, you’ll understand why.

Follow along our adventures on Tide & Tannin and Gosto Blog