by Dr. Luis Antunes
The Encontro com o Vinho e Sabores , or meeting with wine and flavours, has just closed its doors in Lisbon. Organised by the Revista de Vinhos, one of Portugal´s leading wine magazines founded in 1989, this was the 7th edition of the event,
the largest of its kind in Portugal. More than 10,000 people visited the 200 stands and 300 producers who were present over three days. One was reserved for professional, but two were open to the general public.
This year, particular attention was devoted to the marriage of food and wine. Numerous restaurants from all over the country adhered by proposing special tasting menus during the 4 weeks prior to the Encontro . With special dishes and a wine selected for each of them, the customers received a free ticket to the fair.
The Encontro also included several special sessions such as vertical tastings of Mouchão and Barros Colheita Portos as well as a comprehensive look at the wines from Niepoort. Penfolds from Australia and Beringer from the Napa Valley also held individual tastings.
