Azores Food & Wine Tours

After lunch, switch gears and get ready for some fabulous scenery and fresh air. Your driver-guide will sweep you away to Lagoa do Fogo, the wondrous “ Lagoon of Fire.” On a private 4X4 “safari” with your local expert guide, you will take in some of the most spectacular vistas of your life. You’ll see emerald hills, the crater lake, and thermal hot springs of Ribeira Grande and Caldeira Velha (complete with fern shaded natural swimming pools and warm waterfalls). The lush setting feels like a movie set for an elf kingdom! After the panoramic views and photo ops, we have another treat in store- a visit to Europe’s oldest tea plantation! Gorreana has been cultivating tea since the 1880s, and you will have the opportunity to visit their scenic estate with its exotic flora and sea views and fun little museum (with original machinery dating to the 1800s). The tasting of freshly picked tea is a million miles away from industrial supermarket tea, what a pleasure.

After this interesting visit, you will head back to Ponta Delgada to rest and freshen up before the evening’s activities. You will sit down to a fun and informative Portuguese & Azorean wine masterclass at a cozy wine bar lined with an extensive wine library. This will get your palate tickled before heading to a fantastic dinner at Adega do Mestre André. This quaint, romantic, little wine tavern is just perfect for your first evening. Taste a number of local specialties in “petisco style” serving dishes, like black pudding with pineapple, roasted chourizo with potatoes and mushrooms, grilled octopus, and red onions, and fresh calamari- accompanied by great wine, of course. Welcome to the Azores! After dinner, unwind with a digestif overlooking the ocean at your luxurious private seafront couple’s villa, complete with your little pool.

By late morning, you will be starving after this exhilarating tour. In a private, panoramic location in beautiful nature with dazzling views, a gourmet picnic awaits! Your charming picnic basket will have a traditional Azorean spread with goodies like cinnamon cake, queijadas milk tartlets, homemade passionfruit jam and chutney, semi-cured goat’s cheese, pork pâté, chocolate beetroot cake, and pineapple rolls with black pudding. You will have great wine and nice stemware. Continue the wine tasting at a delightful boutique winery, Quinta da Jardinete, where you will be hosted by the owner on a private tour and tasting and learn all about their rare, volcanic wines. This is an intimate visit, great! Before heading back to the villa, we have one more fun activity in-store today- a private cooking demo of the “cozido das Furnas.” This is a traditional stew cooked by boiling steam escaping from the Furnas fumaroles, which you will be exploring deeper tomorrow. Enjoy snacks and wines as part of the fun. Tomorrow you will get to taste the cozido you prepare this afternoon!

The evening is yours to relax and dine in at your villa resort or venture out to one of our fave restaurants like Tasquinha Vieira, a stylish eatery offering fresh, mainly organic Portuguese and Azorean cuisine and serving it with a contemporary twist.

Lunch is going to be extremely memorable today- the slow-cooked lunch that you started in the cooking demo yesterday, the final end result of the “cozido das Furnas”. This authentic Azorean dish is literally cooked by the actual volcanic steam of one of the amazing fumaroles!! You will have chosen in advance what type of cozido- the meat cozido (a macho meal of beef, pork, chicken, chorizo sausage and black pudding, along with root vegetables) or fish cozido (made with cod or hake, squid, potato, onion, garlic, and olives- our personal fave). This experience is a spectacle and life-affirming! After lunch, then you will spend the afternoon exploring the area between Furnas and Ribeira Quente (“Hot River”), including beautiful beaches with notably warm water thanks to the gulf stream.

Dinner will be on the way back to your villa, at a darling seafood restaurant, served al fresco. Try Azorean tuna, bluemouth rockfish, blue Jack mackerel, wreckfish, grilled octopus, and more depending on what’s market-fresh. This being Portugal, you will enjoy the usual accompaniments of marinated olives, local cheese, and delicious fresh bread, and an upscale wine flight. Your driver will take you back villa after dinner, and you will feel well with the world!

Your driver will take you to the pier this morning, where you will board a private Zodiac boat with your skipper and personal marine wildlife expert guide. Get ready for an incredible adventure! Spend the morning visiting the alluring coastline and bays, as well as the open sea, all with fascinating explanations and amusing anecdotes as you encounter the various aquatic animals. You will also be provided with snorkeling equipment on board. Weather and interest permitting, you will be able to visit secluded beaches, swim and snorkel, and experience the island’s tropical coastal fauna and flora.

The rest of the afternoon will be at leisure to relax at your villa, go shopping or swimming, grab a bite for lunch on your own, etc. Dinner tonight then is fine dining, romantic affair at Chandelier Restaurant Bar. In a spacious, stylish corner, you will be served a creative and fun tasting menu, all paired with top Portuguese wines.