Wojciech Bońkowski
Master of Wine

Alentejo wines tasting

Alentejo wines tasting in Lisbon: my top picks from this exciting wine region.

In Portugal (8): Tea from the Azores

The only tea produced in Europe comes from Portugal’s Azores islands. I taste the green and black teas of the leading tea estate here, Gorreana.

In Portugal (7): Vale Dona Maria: First among equals

Blogging from the Douro valley, part 6. My favourite red Douro wine has long been Quinta do Vale Dona Maria, and I visit the winery to find out why it’s so good. The answer?

In Portugal (6): Vallado: Leaps and bounds

Blogging from the Douro valley, part 5. I stay at the 18th-century Quinta do Vallado where owner Francisco Ferreira and winemaker Xito Olazabal have been making qualitative leaps and bounds.

In Portugal (4): Burmester: Time goes by

Live blogging from the Douro valley, part 4. Douro wines are great but let’s not forget what made this region famous: port. In a memorable tasting I go back to the 1957 vintage of this majestic wine at Burmester, a historical house.

In Portugal (3): Vale Meão: the new frontier

Live blogging from the Douro valley, part 3. Douro Superior is the Next Big Thing. Vale Meão, founded the 1877 by the famous Antónia Adelaide Ferreira and still run by her descendants, already makes great wines here, and everybody else is trying to follow.

In Portugal (2): Crasto photos

Live blogging from the Douro valley, part 2. My best photos of Quinta do Crasto.

In Portugal (1): Crasto: the mechanics of perfection

Live blogging from the Douro valley, part 1. I visit Quinta do Crasto, famous for its swimming pool and great wines. The latter proves to be true. But quality is never an accident.

Quinta Nova Referência 2008

A wine can be balanced at 15% alcohol, it turns out.

Quinta das Maias Malvasia Fina 2006

Portugal’s white wines deserve to be better known.