Wines of Portugal

"Porto and the Douro Valley are the better known wine destinations in Portugal, but Alentejo in the south of the country is well worth a detour: It’s only a 1.5-hour drive from Lisbon and an even shorter way from the famous rocky beaches of the Algarve. But the main attraction here are the wines—both whites and reds made primarily with indigenous grapes like touriga nacional, aragonez, and alicante bouschet among others—as well as the wineries. Alentejo boasts some of the most amazing, design-forward wineries in all of Europe—from the Guggenheim-looking Herdade do Freixo to the winery cum contemporary art center Quinta do Quetzal. “Herdade do Arrepiado Velho made some of my favorite wines,” says Michele Gargiulo, sommelier at Jean Georges in the Four Seasons Hotel in Philadelphia. “The complexity, minerality, and structure of their touriga nacional is stunning. I love to pour it for cabernet sauvignon lovers—they’re blown away by it. But there are so many more producers that make fantastic wines in the area. The quality is outstanding and the prices are outrageously low.”" - Laura Giannatempo