Nowadays, we not only alter which regions we will visit, (no less the wineries) but we alternate between a Five Regions Tour and a Three Regions Tour. Both tours are similar by nature, but the Three Regions Tour will be more focused and provide an intensive view of four wineries in each of the regions we will visit. We normally change up the regions for each tour, but can promise you we will seek out the best experiences for our guests no matter what unique regions we visit.

The Five Regions Tour is more spread out and we usually visit one or sometimes two regions that are within 60-90 minutes of Lisbon before extending out to do either 3 or occasionally 4 other regions farther away. We have covered almost all regions in Portugal except for Beira and Azores, (the latter of which will be explored this coming June and will be included in our 2021 Fortification Tour). Just like our Fortification Tours have four distinct themes that rotate; we will also alternate between our Three Regions and Five Regions Tours.

As a former chef and foodservice manager for more than 30 years, the beauty of food and wine pairing is one of my favorite challenges in life and Mario is great at it too. We pay a lot of attention to the diversity of meals for all of our tours. However, what we love to share with our guests is the variety of the grapes, the wine and especially their relationship to the food in each distinct wine region we explore. Even more so, how and why the marriage of food and wine is unique to each region and the exceptional way in which they naturally, almost instinctively, work in unison. These dynamics are based on indigenous grapes found in each region and the food “grown” there.

Another unique feature found across Portugal is their 250 indigenous grapes, and we love to show the unique wine experiences and introducing the grapes of each region. But we also never ignore showcasing the culinary wizardry: how well the chefs find ways to spotlight their region’s breads, cheese, fruits, meats, seafood and much more. Of course, we also plan singular non-vinous visits and rarely include these on our written itineraries, as we leave some fun surprises for our guests to explore along the way which deliver a different side of Portugal’s vast culture. While I love all of our tours, in the past five years the Five Regions Tour has become my favorite, as we’ve discovered new nuances on every single excursion.