It was a misty start to the day but that wasn't going to stop our plans. The nearby hills were almost totally obscured but it had cleared up a little by the time we finished breakfast. breakfast was like dinner, seated in the grand dining room and eaten off crested plates. The fire was crackling. the lady of the house an elegant matron in immaculate make up (already) a kimono came over to say hello. This is the life but if I have breakfast like this every day I will have to book 2 seats on the return flight.
The fine mist prevailed during our drive to Peso da Regua and we
were so high that we seemed to be driving through clouds. This was a town in
the bend of the river and seemed to be a staging point for the river cruises,
several of which were moored on the bank. We had a short walk across the front
and popped into the local museum. We were a bit early for the tour of the
Mateus Palace so we were happy to amble about.
The Mateus palace was still
inhabited in part by the family but the foundation that cared for it opened
this incredible baroque palace and grounds to the public. Britt had organised a
guided tour of the building and the guide gave us a rich understanding of its
history and something of the family that lived there over the years.
The incredible wooden ceilings were all carved from locally grown chestnut
trees. The rooms wee vast and dark with furniture, paintings and carpets. The dining
room where formal dinners took place ensured that the servants could do their
work whilst remaining “invisible”, entering and leaving by a doorway disguised
as a cupboard. The displays included religious relics from the Vatican. It was
all pretty incredible.
The grounds were laid out with intricate precision in the parterre style.
The nobles loved the idea of taming nature to their will. Box hedges wound
their way as far as we could see in spirals and twists. An ancient stand of
pines had grown into a tunnel leading us out to vine groves. To the right there
was a vast vegetable garden and orchard. It must take hundreds of hours for the
team of gardeners to keep it all looking this way.
We had lunch just outside the main gate at a roadside restaurant. Johnny and Britt
had a sausage and mashed potato pie and salad, whilst I had a cod pasty and salad. Another very big
lunch!
From here we drove on to Pinheo. The little town looked sad and neglected,
but it was only ever intended as a town that serviced the local vineyards. With
the arrival of the very posh Vintage Hotel, and the riverboats pulling in, everything changed. Lots of money
came to stay and the council began a huge redevelopment of the front. The
railway station was one of the prettiest I have ever seen with the most
astonishing tiled art scenes.
The hotel lay between the station and the river. Here cruise boats pulled in
and passengers got out for tours of the vineyards. Britt took us into the
magnificent riverfront gardens and we sat outside under the palms for coffee
and biscuits.
It was a short drive from here to the Quinta dela Rosa vineyard where Britt had
booked a tour and tasting. a lucky member of the family had the vinyard gifted to her as a christening present. This was a much more modern affair than the previous
vineyard tour but the techniques were similar and they still used some barrels
that were a hundred years old. Apparently, the new barrels from France cost
about a thousand dollars each and after a few years they are sold off. Of
course, Johnny asked about some of the equipment being used there.
The tasting took us through two wines
and two ports. I think all of us preferred the ruby port. I had caught a cold
so tried each but was not up to sensing the subtleties of the wines. I sat next
to a lovely young woman that got chatting with me. Marina, a chef, was from
Brazil and she had met her winemaker husband Hugo whilst travelling in Portugal.
They had set up a restaurant in the far south of the country in a little town
with only 3000 residents. They had been battered by Covid lockdowns and then
the loss of staff s soon as Covid passed. That and a terrible kitchen accident
that burnt her face, eyes and arm had knocked the stuffing out of them and they
have closed the restaurant to evaluate what they should do next.
It was really nice talking to them both. It turns out Hugo had worked in a
winery in Margaret River (Houghtons?) and also done a viticulture course that
concentrated on yeasts, at the Uni of Adelaide. They were also staying for the
fancy dinner in the Clare restaurant at the winery and at the end of the meal I
went over to their table to tell them what a pleasure it had been to meet them
and wish them well in their future business. To my surprise they both sprang us
and it was cuddles all round.
The Clare restaurant dinner was very fancy. Britt and I had cod served on a
bed of spinach, chick peas and topped with a soft egg. Johnny had sautéed sea
bass with cabbage. It was all pretty special. Britt is a great organizer.
Jeez, having fun is tiring!
