Quinta da Lapa is one of the oldest estates in the Tejo region, established in 1733. The winery produces a wide range of wines and styles, which combine a gastronomic nature with an excellent price/quality ratio. We were delighted to welcome one of the owners, Silvia Canas de Costa, who talked about the history of the Estate, and her husband, the well-known chef and food and wine writer, André Magalhaes, who introduced the eight different wines which were tasted.

Members met and mingled while tasting a choice of three welcome drinks, their Blanc de Blancs Espumante and the Selection Branco and Rosé. Once seated in the welcome shade of the trees, we sat down to enjoy a starter of mackerel fillets with Algarvian salad which paired beautifully with the Alvarinho. This was followed by fried fillets of wild fish in a lemon thyme sauce which balanced very well with the more full-bodied Arinto Reserva.



We then tasted three different red wines of very different styles. Firstly, to pair with a rich dish of Osso Buco, was the Malbec Reserva, which was of great interest as it is the first Malbec produced in Portugal. In contrast, we moved on to a lighter Pinot Noir Reserva to enjoy with the cheese and finally on to an excellent full-bodied Red Reserva blend which catered well for the richness of the chocolate Mousse. The full complement of kitchen and waiting staff were then given a rousing and well-deserved ovation. A vote of thanks to Silvia and Andre followed before members queued up to order the wines in great quantity.

No fewer than eighty cases were sold on the day! A clear confirmation of how much our members enjoyed the wines of Quinta da Lapa. The Algarve Wine Society’s next events are a wine tasting at the local Quinta de Cabrita on 10th October followed by a 4-day trip to the Jerez region of Spain, from 27th to 31st October.

For further information visit www.algarvewinesociety.com