Lisboa, Porto and everywhere in between

[winegibon]

Hello!

We are two ravenous food and wine lovers and will be traveling by car between Lisbon and Porto and would love any advice about:

1. Great vineyards for tasting and buying
2. Great restaurants
3. Great place to stay in or near Porto
4. Places not to be missed

Thanks!

Amber and Ian

[vinhotinto75]

Here are some suggestions that I have if you are travelling by car from Lisboa to Porto. I'm sort of envious as I normally make this trip by train. Nonetheless, here are some ideas for this journey and where you can stop along the way.

I think making a journey along the way (presuming you take A1) should provide the opportunity to go through (or make slight detours) through some of the wineries in the Bairrada (aka Beiras) and Dão regions. Some of the ones I recommend for visiting and tasting excellent wines:

Luis Pato
http://www.luispato.com/english/index.php?ins=6&idc=31

Dão Sul - they are a large producer that has several Quintas (Estates) that produce wines such as Quinta de Cabriz, Quinta de Encontro, and Casa de Santar. They also have several restaurants which are very good. A nice detour from Coimbra.

http://www.daosul.com/pagegen.aspx/PageGen.aspx?WMCM_PaginaId=196

Quinta dos Roques - they make some fantastic wines, including some single varietals which are very unique and fantastic.

http://www.quintaroques.pt/

I would also recommend if you have the time to spend a few hours or so in Coimbra which has some fantastic architecture, most notably the university. For lunch or dinner I recommend the restaurant A Taberna which has fantastic food, service, and a great wine list. If you make a reservation on the web, you and your guests will get a free glass of port on the house.

http://www.restauranteataberna.com/English/dynamicdata/default.asp

If you will be in Porto, then a visit to Vila Nova de Gaia right over the bridge is a must. I would even walk or take a cab so that you can truly taste some of the fantastic port at all of the houses. Some tours and tastings are better than others. Here are some where I have had good experiences and service:

Ferreira - a classic port house owned by Sogrape (which also owns many others such as Sandeman and Offley).

Krohn - A producer which you will be hard-pressed to find outside of Portugal which has some fantastic ports

http://www.krohn.pt/engine.php?cat=36

Quinta do Noval - Another excellent producer with friendly staff

http://www.quintadonoval.com/

There is also the Solar do Vinho do Porto tasting room in Porto which is laid back and relaxing. This weblink below also has info on gastronomic routes and the likes:

http://www.ivp.pt/pagina.asp?codPag=168&codSeccao=5&idioma=1

Lastly, I have posted in this forum extensively on Lisbon over the past few months, thus here are some of the links to those.

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/595823

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/596207

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/596638

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/590993

Boa Sorte and enjoy your trip!

[lambretta76]

I highly, highly second the Solar do Vinho do Porto. Gorgeous location, great view to the port caves over in Vila Nova de Gaia.

If you're a meat person, try a Francesinha - possibly the greatest sandwich on earth. (Who has the best is I'm sure up for debate.)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francesinha

[vinhotinto75]

I agree that trying a Francesinha is a must while in Porto. For an upscale version with incredible surroundings, architecture, and history, I would recommend the Café Majestic on Rua Santa Catarina in the central part of the city.

They have a really cool website in English and Portuguese:

http://www.cafemajestic.com/

Boa Sorte!

[lynnlato]

I took a very similiar trip back a few months ago and posted extensively about it on my blog. I have three separate posts. Here's a link: www.mamaliciouseats.wordpress.com. On the right under archives click on October 2008. There the three Portugal posts will be listed - start w/ Part I.
We spent a few days in Lisbon then drove up the coast and spent the night in Figieurg da Foz (beach town) then headed to Coimbra (university town) and Mealhada - which is a must stop for some leitao assado (famous for their roast suckling pig).

In Lisbon you must go to Belem and have some pasteis de belem - little egg custard pastries that haunt me to this day - what I wouldn't give for one right now. The best place for these is Antiga Confeitiaria de Belem. They are known the world over for their pasties de belem and have gone to great lengths to guard their secret recipe.

We had a fabulous dinner at Solar dos Presuntos, a well known spot famous for their fresh seafood. Get a plate of their percebes - gooseneck barnacles. They are quite a site to behold and a delicacy in Spain & Portugal.

In Mealhada, the place to have leitao assado is Pedro dos Leitoes. I read about this place in The NYT and it was charming and had delicious suckling pig. The waitress was so sweet and offered to take us in the back and show us everything! We were thrilled and saw everything from where the piglets are slaughtered to the ovens they are roasted in - it was quite an experience.

In Porto, you must visit the open air market to fully appreciate the food of Portugal. So many vegetables, nuts, breads and more seafood, presunto and blood sausages than you can wrap your mind around. All housed in an open air, dilapidated two-story building Gorgeous!

Here is a link to the hotel we stayed at in Porto. It was a gorgeous luxury hotel (w/ a location in Lisboa too). They had a lovely bar/lounge that served great little hors d'oeuvres. We only had breakfast in their restaurant, which was fine but nothing memorable : http://www.tiara-hotels.com/porto/cen...

The drive from Lisbon to Porto is so beautiful - you'll travel through vineyards, and pass olive and almond trees - it's just breathtaking. Enjoy your trip, take lots of photographs and, most importantly, eat and drink well.