On June 20th I attended a Vinho Verde trade event in Toronto which was organized by Vinho Verde. Vinho Verde is a wine region in beautiful Northern Portugal perhaps best known for its crisp white wine. As far as trade shows for wine the venue was great but were there some opportunities missed? Given myContinue reading “RKS 2023 Wine and Travel: Vinho Verde’s Missed Opportunity?”
Category Archives: Travel
RKS The Tea Meister: Portuguese Orange Pekoe Black Loose Leaf Tea from the Azores
Yes I said Portuguese tea! This orange pekoe is from Gorreana in the Azores. The only tea plantation in Europe. I was attending Wine and Travel Week in Porto in late February and the organizers sent 10 of us to the Azores Islands specifically to Pico Island a UNESCO World Heritage site. An unforgettable destinationContinue reading “RKS The Tea Meister: Portuguese Orange Pekoe Black Loose Leaf Tea from the Azores”
RKS 2023 Wine Tourism: What is Wine Tourism?
I attended Wine and Tourism Week in Porto, Portugal last February. Having attended many wine shows both in North America and Europe my mind was more focused on wine but Wine and Travel Week shifted that focus where the theme was the interrelationship between wine, gastronomy, accommodations and culture. Combine all those elements together andContinue reading “RKS 2023 Wine Tourism: What is Wine Tourism?”
RKS 2023 Wines: Matetic from Chile: Glamping and Wine!
Having attended the first annual Wine and Travel Week in Porto with a side trip to Pico Island in late February I had the opportunity to chat with a representative of Chilean winery Matetic as they had a booth as an exhibitor in the Alfândega in Porto. We didn’t talk wine but rather accommodations availableContinue reading “RKS 2023 Wines: Matetic from Chile: Glamping and Wine!”
RKS 2023 Wine: Terras de Lava from Pico Island in the Portuguese Azores
Less than two weeks ago I was sitting in the tasting room of the Cooperativa Vitivinicola da Ilha do Pico in Madalena on Pico Island in the Portuguese Azores. There were 10 of us in the group all participating in Wine and Travel Week based in Porto. 8 were tour operators and two of usContinue reading “RKS 2023 Wine: Terras de Lava from Pico Island in the Portuguese Azores”
RKS 2023 Wine: Tourism and Algarve Wines
Tourism in Portugal’s Algarve has had both a negative and positive effect on Algarve wineries. Being initially a “sun and beach” destination ramping up in the 1970s the rush for profits and the development of the Algarvian economy focused on sun and beach! Build, build and build more and who cared if vineyard land wasContinue reading “RKS 2023 Wine: Tourism and Algarve Wines”
RKS 2023 Wine: Drinking Prohibited Wine in The Azores: Apologies and Gifts from the Portuguese Government
It was another windy and overcast day on Pico Island. I see why the vines are protected by those carrais i.e. lava rock enclosures. So I am savouring my toasted cornbread with a conger eel omelette for breakfast. My friend Fortunato Garcia knows my passion for conger eel so he had brought over some niceContinue reading “RKS 2023 Wine: Drinking Prohibited Wine in The Azores: Apologies and Gifts from the Portuguese Government”
RKS 2023Wine: Drinking Prohibited Wine in the Azores: Minimum Security Accommodations at Adega a Go Go!
My last report had me imprisoned in Pico Island in the Portuguese Azores for drinking a wine “Proibida”. I mean it was a free pour and I am not even sure I saw the label yet hours later the Pico police force, all 8 of them, sweep in on me speaking in Portuguese so IContinue reading “RKS 2023Wine: Drinking Prohibited Wine in the Azores: Minimum Security Accommodations at Adega a Go Go!”
RKS 2023 Wine: “The Wines of the Algarve”: Escaping the Sun and Sea Conundrum
I attended the Wine and Tourism Week in late February in Porto, Portugal. The direction seemingly taken by many exhibitors was to move away from promoting wine and broaden it to encompass not only wine but culture and heritage, leisure activities and gastronomic experiences therefore giving a broader definition of wine tourism. Wine is notContinue reading “RKS 2023 Wine: “The Wines of the Algarve”: Escaping the Sun and Sea Conundrum”
RKS 2023 Wines: Drinking the Way of the Dinosaur!
Terrantez do Pico is one of three indigenous Azorean grapes and it is close to going the way of the dinosaur. It has somewhat of a tropical nose with pineapple, guava and mango. The palate is creamy with tropical notes mixed with spice and just a bit of Prince Edward Island red soil potatoes withContinue reading “RKS 2023 Wines: Drinking the Way of the Dinosaur!”
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