GASTRONOMY AND WINE ROUTES AROUND LISBON

TAKING A RIDE TO EAT AND DRINK WELL IS AN EXCELENTE EXCUSE TO LEAVE YOUR HOME. AND IN THE OUTSKIRTS OF THE CAPITAL, THERE IS NO SHORTAGE OF RICH TABLES, WITH GOOD WINERIES AND CELLARS OFFERING TO TASTE THE AMAZING WINE OF LISBON.

VISIT: 1. Adega Regional de Colares, 2. Adegas Beira Mar, 3. Casal Santa Maria, 4. Quinta de Sant’Ana, 5. Museu do Vinho e da Vinha  SLEEP: 7. Palácio Estoril, 8. Grande Real Villa Itália, 9. Fortaleza do Guincho, 10. Tivoli Palácio de Seteais, 11. You and the Sea, 12 Sleep in Bucelas EAT: 16. Casa da Dízima, 17. Os Arcos, 18. Cimas, 20. Marisco na Praça, 21. Fortaleza do Guincho, 22. Porto Santa Maria, 23. Incomum, 24. Romaria de Baco, 25. Marisqueira César, 26. João da Vila Velha, 27. Chão do Prado, 29. Tocobicho, 30. O Solar dos Pintor, 31. Caneira  DO: 32. Shopping at Mercado da Vila, 1. Adega Regional de Colares 4. Quinta de Sant’Ana 

FROM TABLE TO TABLE

Lisbon is a region that favors appetizers. Cod reins supremely among the many varieties of fish, brown bean or fava bean stews. Sardines get top honors in summer menus, while the local typical desserts – Christmas cake, custard tarts, rice pudding and many more – are perfect finishers for any meal. When exiting Lisbon towards the sea, one can expect to find in Almada the inevitable dishes of fresh fish, the shellfish, cataplanas, caldeiradas (fish stew), clams Bolhão Pato style and grilled fish. In Cascais, on the other hand, once a fishing village now turned more towards tourism, there are plenty of more cosmopolitan restaurants, where several languages can be spoken.If heading towards Guincho, you’ll find that many varieties of excellent fresh fish and seafood abound at this coastal area. Continue on to Sintra’s historical borough and pick one of the more rustic restaurant, where hearty food in the plate can be expected. For those with a sweet tooth, they have the famous cheese pastries (queijadas) and the travesseiros – pastry stuffed with sweet eggs – from the Piriquita. Heading towards the coast, the next town to discover is Ericeira, where the new and refreshing offer of shellfish relies on sea side restaurants, with their own fish tanks installed in the rocks below. Taste the sea urchins as well as the sugar-made version. On your return to Lisbon, make sure you don’t miss the very typical local flavors of Loures, influenced by its inherited rural roots.

SALUTING WITH LOCAL WINES

Colors, fragrances and places define the amazing wines of the Lisbon region, turning the Portuguese capital into an attractive wine tourism proposal. Leaving Lisbon by the Seaside Highway (Estrada Marginal) one gets to Oeiras and to the first winery stop at the Carcavelos Wine Enophile Brotherhood. From there to Colares is just a short haul, with mandatory stops at the Colares Regional Winery, as well as the Beira Mar and the Casal Santa Maria Wineries. A little further ahead, in the village of Janas, you should taste the wines of Quinta de San Michel. Towards Mafra, hold your pace first at Cheleiros, where the ManzWine cellars can be found, heading than to the wine tastings at Quinta de Sant’Ana and at Ramilo Wines. Do not consider the route finished without a visit to the Bucelas Wine and Vine Museum, a fair tribute to the history of the local wine making industry.