Newsletter May 2005

The Alentejo region in Portugal has been one of the most prestigious winemaking regions since Roman times. However, like many wine regions around the world, the early and mid 20th century was not a period of inspired winemaking. Europe suffered various wars and many if its regions including the Alentejo fell into the vicious cycle of making quantity but not quality wines. After the Carnation Revolution in Portugal, many of the wine estates were taken over by anarchist squatters who took the land but didn't work it. Herdade do Esporo was one of those wineries and it wasn't until Portugal's political stability improved in the late '70s that ownership fell back into private hands interested in making quality wine

Esporo decided to invest heavily during the 70's and 80's, in order to modernize and design their future wines. They introduced modern techniques into the Alentejo such as high tech irrigation systems and ultra-modern vinification systems. Their investment began to pay off in the 90's and they are currently considered to be the leading, most innovative winery in the Alentejo and indeed in Portugal. Their head winemaker is David Baverstock (Australian born but Portuguese at heart), who has combined his skills with "New World" winemaking with the indigenous grape varietals of Portugal to create these clean, fruity and unique wines that have become the hallmark style of Esporo.

VIP Private Wine Tours to Alentejo and Lisbon

Our Rating: 95/100
Type: Red Wine
Appellation: Vinho Regional Alentejano
Region: Alentejo, Portugal
Grape Composition: Aragons (Tempranillo)
Pairing: Game, Roast Lamb

The Aragons varietal is considered to be one of the flagship Iberian grapes, known as Tinta Roriz in the Douro Valley and as Tempranillo in Spain. While most wineries in Alentejo use Aragons as part of a blend, Esporo boldly launched this wine as a single varietal wine and the result is top class. In my glass, the wine appears to be a purple hued red cherry, with an intense color and shine and purple on the rim. On the nose, I have to hold on to my chair! Intense nose where the oak is evident and attractive, hazelnuts and pure varietal expression of brambly fruits. A very pleasant wine indeed, well structured with balanced tannins and a savoury finish. The Esporo Aragons was incidentally a winner of the Silver Medal in the 2004 International Wine challenge in London.

Looking for a gourmet food and wine tasting tour of Portugal? This vacation is available for private groups as small as two, and combines a city break in Lisbon with various wine tastings and a private cooking class in a medieval village in the glorious Alentejo region. You'll see the stunning countryside of Alentejo (full of cork trees, perfectly preserved castles and fortresses), and the historic towns of Evora and Sintra. As the focus of the tour is food and wine, you'll have plenty of gastronomic experiences enroute. Your private tour begins in Lisbon, where you'll be collected by Mercedes the moment you arrive to the airport. You'll be staying in one of the loveliest historic hotels in Portugal and will have free time to discover the city on your own. Plenty of sightseeing will follow, taking in the Palace of Queluz and gorgeous Sintra. You'll taste wines in a palace in Lisbon, a charming wine shop in Sintra, and the top estate in the Alentejo.
More on this Culinary Vacation in Portugal

The cuisine of Spain's gorgeous, lush Basque Country is considered to be one of the finest in the world. "Foodies" from across the planet make their way to this Gourmet Mecca every year, just to dine at San Sebastian's multitude of Michelin starred restaurants (Arzak, Alekare, Berasetegui, to name a few) and try the tapas. These famed "tapas" (called "Pintxos" in Basque Country) are small portions of traditional and creative Basque dishes. They're served right on the counter, with glasses of Rioja and Txacoli wines, at the charming, convivial bars, clustered around the pretty old town. This tour is designed for the food and wine lover in mind, and takes in a marvellous cooking class and an unforgettable "tapas tour" of San Sebastian. An excursion to see the cutting edge Guggenheim museum, designed by the mythical architect Frank Gehry, is also included.
more info...

Sassicaia, Ornellaia, Tignanello. these mythical wines are known as "Super Tuscans" and they come from the beautiful coastal Maremma region, located in Southern Tuscany. "Super Tuscan" is a term that was coined to refer to these great wines, which for years bore the term "Vino da Tavola", table wine (despite also wearing 200 dollar per bottle price tags). The reason behind this anomaly was that the wine regulatory councils in Tuscany did not allow the use of "foreign" varietals, such as Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, in wines that they granted the DOC and DOCG quality seals. This was controversial, as some wineries had been growing these "foreign" grapes for years. Certain winemakers, confident enough in their winemaking decided to forfeit the quality seal (DOC/ DOCG) and make the wines they believed in, hoping that customers would judge their wines on the actual merit of them and not its seal. In fairly little time, wines like Sassicaia became cult wines, adored by wine journalists and anoraks alike. The rest is history.
more info...

Wine Tours in Italy

Cellar Tours are very excited to offer you our latest gourmet novelty- private cooking classes in a historic palazzo in Venice. Combine wine tasting with exquisite Venetian cuisine, all as part of an exclusive VIP vacation with Cellar Tours!

Risotto Primavera

Ingredients:
8 cups broth
1 medium onion, peeled
1 carrot, peeled
2 celery stalks
7 oz (200 gr) each of: zucchini, green beans, eggplant & unshelled fresh young peas
1 sweet bell pepper, preferably yellow, but if unavailable, red
Other vegetables in season (artichokes, asparagus, etc.)
1 ounce (30 gr) dried porcini mushrooms, soaked in 4 cups lukewarm water for 30 minutes
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup minced onion
2 cups Vialone Nano rice
4 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup dry white wine, salt and black pepper in a grinder
1/4 cup Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, freshly grated
Some zucchini flowers to garnish (optional)

Preparation:

Combine the water, vegetables and salt in a stockpot. Bring the broth to a gentle simmer over a low heat and cook for about 30 minutes. In the meantime, rinse the zucchini, cut off both ends and chop into cubes. Then, saut them with onion and parsley. Set aside. Snap off the ends of the green beans and rinse the beans in cold water. Choose a saut pan with a lid that can accommodate all the green beans. Add the olive oil and onion. Turn the heat up to medium and saut the onion until it's golden. Add the green beans, sprinkle with salt, pepper and parsley and cover the pan. Cook stirring occasionally until the green beans are tender but firm.

Rinse the eggplants in cold water, trim away the green tops and cut into small cubes. Saut with onion and parsley, until the eggplants are tender but firm. In an other saut pan put onion and olive oil, turn on the heat to medium high, cook for 1-2 minutes, them put in the fresh peas. Add the parsley and some water. Put the lid on the pan and cook. When the peas are done, there should be no water left in the pan. Should the pan juices be watery when the peas are cooked, uncover, turn up the heat and simmer them away. Cut open the peppers and remove the stems the whitish core and all the seeds. Cut it into small pieces and saut with onion and parsley. In the same way, wash, dice and all the others vegetables and saut them separately with onion and parsley. When the mushrooms have finished soaking, remove them from the bowl with your hand. Squeeze them gently, letting the water trickle through your fingers back into the bowl. Wash the mushrooms in several changes of cold water, then cut them up into large pieces.

Filter the water and set aside. Saut the mushrooms with onion and parsley, adding the filtered soaking liquid, salt and pepper. To cook the rice use the classic casserole, a rounded pan with two handles, in stainless steel or with a non-stick coating to prevent the rice from sticking. A copper pan is the best. Saut the rice on its own (no butter or olive oil) as it needs to be "toasted". Turn up the heat and cook the rice, stirring constantly, for about 4-5 minutes until the grains are very hot. Add some wine and allow it to evaporate slowly. When the rice has been toasted and the wine has evaporated, cover the rice with broth, which should be boiling hot. The rice should be cooked over moderate heat so that it is kept at a slow boil; the broth must be added gradually, and only after the previous addition has been fully absorbed. Finish cooking the rice with broth. When the rice is almost ready (it will take about 18 minutes in total), it is removed from the heat when it is still "all'onda," that is slightly liquid and creamy.

Finally, add all the vegetables, stir in the grated Parmigiano and about 4 tablespoons of butter and mix well so that they melt into the risotto (a stage known as "mantecatura" in Italian). Cover the pan and leave the risotto to stand for about 3-4 minutes, adjust with salt and pepper, then serve it while it is still piping hot on individual dishes and garnish with zucchini flowers. Buon appetito!

If you would like more information on private cooking classes in a palazzo in Venice, contact us today on info@cellartours.com

In Oporto, know as "Porto" in Portuguese, hotel options have traditionally been limited. And what a pity, as it is a fantastic city to visit for a short break, for food, art and of course wine lovers (this is the birthplace of Port wine). So, we are pleased to review a superb new boutique hotel. Far from the big gangly business hotels that were the majority of Porto's hotel options, this new artsy, small hotel is a breath of fresh air. Designed by the Portuguese architect" Viana de Lima", the Guest House was built in the 1950's on the famous Avenida Boa Vista, a lovely street close to the old quarter. 345 Guesthouse is tiny, with only 5 rooms, and it feels more like a villa than a hotel. The hotel is full of sculpture and art, a delight for culture vultures. There is a garden where you can enjoy your breakfast or your early evening aperitif, and there are great views of the sea through the pretty French windows. The decoration is delightful with antiques, tapestries, even a grand piano waiting to be played by guests.

Run by an American, the service is excellent. You can get newspapers in English if you request them, get insider tips on the city and all manner of assistance. We are pleased to feature 345 Guest House on our Port wine lodge tours of Oporto and Vila Nova de Gaia. Contact us If you would like to organize a vacation in Port wine country, on info@cellartours.com

Spain is one of the most exciting vacation destination for gourmet travellers. The Spanish wine regions are varied, beautiful and hardly touched by tourists. Wine tours are a relatively new phenomenon in Spain and the country's top regions such as La Rioja, Penedes, Priorat, Rueda, Toro, Rias Baixas and Sherry country are completely unspoiled. Along with wine tasting, Spain offers the food and wine traveller an enormous range of excellent cuisine. Basque country (San Sebastian, Bilbao, Rioja Alavesa, etc) is the gourmet epicenter of Spain, with many Michelin starred restaurants such as Arzak, Akelare and Berasetegui, along with "Gastronomic Societies" and famous tapas bars. Barcelona and Catalonia compete with the Basque Country for the culinary crown, and the Catalan region is well-known for superb olive oil, artisan cheeses, cutting edge wine (such as l'Ermita and Clos Mogador in Priorat), truffles, foie gras (from Girona) and creative cooking (Ferran Adria of El Bulli, Santi Santamaria of Can Fabes, the Roca brothers in El Celler de Can Roca, etc).

Wine Tours Spain

If you would like us to customize a luxury wine tour for you (in Spain, Portugal or Italy), contact us with your requirements, and we can send you a free itinerary and quote with no obligations. We organize chauffeured wine tours and cooking packages starting from 1 day, to weekends to longer food and wine discoveries.

Let us show you our favorite corners in Gourmet Europe!

Contact us today at info@cellartours.com