Throughout my time living in this deliciously diverse food and wine country, I’ve come to realize that the Portuguese have developed themselves as artisans in specific food and wine crafts. Port may be the most famous, but what is surprising to most people who have never been here is Portugal’s long tradition in pastry making, almost as old as Port production. However, unlike Port made for export, you can only buy and consume Portugal’s wonderfully fresh pastries within the country and preferably on the same day they were made. Not a day goes by here that you can’t walk down the streets early in the morning light without the mouth-watering aroma of freshly baked bread and pastries wafting through the air. “Pastelerias” occupy every corner in every city of Portugal, serving up the same variety of house-made savory and sweet pastries, breads and cookies. And the most enticing part, is that they’re incredibly affordable, making the price to value ratio much better than any expensive “haute” Parisian bakery!

So how do the Portuguese pump out such a huge quantity of quality made pastries everyday and sell them for low prices? This recently came up during a meeting I had with ViniPortugal’s President, Vasco d’Avillez, a very knowledgeable gentleman who just happens to tell some wonderful stories. “The origin of Portugal’s pastry industry,” he explained, “actually came from wine!” Almost all the pastries are made from three basic ingredients: sugar, cinnamon and egg yolks. The first two were easy to get from Portugal’s former colonies in Brazil and the like; but as far as egg yolks, the main reason comes from the country’s old history in winemaking. When wine (Port) started being exported abroad, the Portuguese found that wine consumers …

Last month, when we were in Portugal for Essencia do Vinho, we had the fortunate experience of meeting Paulo Amorim, Vice President of ViniPortugal. Well, to be perfectly frank, we didn’t just “meet” Paulo, we were required spend several days glued to his side, since he was one of the organizers of our press junket. For the whole of the fair, and many days on either end of it, Paulo literally breathed the event. Every moment was spent consumed with its creation, organization and completion. For many, an event of this magnitude would be self destructive, but for Paulo, it was ecstasy. Because Paulo is not only a person devoted to Portuguese wine, but also someone who appears to have it coursing through their veins. Founding member of the G7 a group of wineries who work together to promote their wines internationally and an active voice for ViniPortugal, Paulo is a jewel in the Portuguese wine world.

Taken from their site ViniPortugal’s mission statement:

Created in 1997, ViniPortugal is a trade association whose aim is to promote Portuguese wines, brandies and vinegars on the domestic and target international markets.

ViniPortugal provides strategic support to the Portuguese wine sector, bringing together organizations representing trade (ANCEVE and ACIBEV), production (FENAVI and FEVIPOR), cooperative wineries (FENADEGAS), distillers (AND), farmers (CAP), demarcated regions (ANDOVI) and government bodies (IVV).

Our promotional activity is financed by a variable sum made from payments by producers to the Institute of Vine and Wine (IVV) for certifying their wines, brandies and vinegar.

Below is a short video we conducted with Paulo during Essencia do Vinho. In it, I inquired into Portugal’s strengths and weaknesses in the world market and possible solutions towards raising awareness of Portuguse wines. Enjoy!!

Thanksgiving has now come and gone. The delicious smell of garlic mashed potatoes drifting throughout the house has been replaced with Turkey sandwiches. The screeches of playful children running gleefully under foot is now a faint memory as normalcy has settled back into the house. And kitschy paper Turkeys so meticulously pasted to the windows and hung from the chandeliers are now being packed up in exchange for the 12 boxes of Christmas gear located in the back corner of the attic. Ahhh, Thanksgiving. We absolutely adore this day, an ode to food and family, but it is one of the few cornerstone holidays in American culture which we give up our careful devotion to waistlines, and while throwing caution to the wind, allow ourselves little sugar and fat filled treats throughout the day over two solid months. And as much as we’d like to pretend that calories don’t accumulate upon themselves, as small bites don’t inherently have calories of course, our hearts know otherwise.

But rest assured that the Spanish have your back this holiday season with a magical substance called, Cava. The University of Barcelona recently found that Cava actually reduces the levels of substances in the body known to cause the buildup of arterial plaque, which may lead to arterial disease. And if this isn’t incentive enough for you to be stocking up on Cava this holiday season, the study also found that it reduces the inflammatory markers that predict atherosclerosis, a chronic disease characterized by the constant inflammation of the arterial wall. Simply by opening and pouring yourself a nice tall glass of Cava, you’ll not only be helping your heart while snacking on christmas cookies, but you’ll also be helping your palate. And, if you find yourself …