Hey there are welcome to Episode 5 of Ana & Al’s Big Portuguese Wine Adventure.
This episode we take an even deeper dive into Portugal’s Roman history through Torre de Palma - a wine hotel built on the remains of a Roman winemaking villa.
Mosaics discovered by archaeologists at Torre de Palma are now being protected at the National Museum of Archaeology in Lisbon.
Portugal loves to celebrate its many layers of history and so we begin this story at a Roman reenactment festival in Beja, the capital of the Lower Alentejo.
We meet a real life Roman soldier, a god of wine, tour a beautiful wine hotel and its cathedral of a cellar and plunge into the story of two families with similar ideas…separated by nearly two thousand years of history.
And after figuratively plunging into Alentejo’s winemaking so far in the series, this time we literally plunge into it…up to our knees in fermenting grapes to crush them underfoot.
I’ve already written about Roman winemaking history and our adventures at Torre de Palma, so rather than repeating it all, please have a read (once you’ve listened to the episode).
Apple of the Ancients
The Romans left a long legacy in bricks and mortar the length and breadth of Europe through their roads, bridges, aqueducts – and in my home town of Newcastle Hadrian’s massive wall. But more than two thousand years on, their other great lingering legacy is wine.
We do a wine tasting with head winemaker Duarte de Deus (whose last name means “of God”) and try a Tinta Miúda grape.
He says it “gives freshness to the red wines – it gives the salt and pepper to that special wine, you know, that special touch. It's really elegant.”
And there’s even a connection to Luís Duarte - one of the former Esporão winemakers we met in Episode 2.
He designed the vineyard, choosing the grapes and setting up the winemaking.
If you haven’t heard that episode yet do have a listen.
Episode 2: Deep in Alentejo Wine Country
Now it’s time to head deep into the heart of Alentejo wine country: the hot, dry interior where most of the region’s wines are produced. This episode is centred around the Esporão winery and some of its iconic winemakers, to help tell the story of a wine revolution which has shaped the Alentejo over the past 40 years.
Thanks so much for following our journey - please tell all your friends about us and of course you can find this podcast series in all the usual places.
And don’t forget to check in here to see the bonus content we post each week for a deeper dive into that week’s wine, winery or story.
See you soon,
A&A
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