Referring to it as a “continental” breakfast wouldn’t do it justice! The hotel offered a car service to pick us up at the airport which was a welcomed option. The hotel was modern, fairly small, yet offered an extensive breakfast. We wanted to stay near Lisbon’s older areas of Barrio Alta and Alfama so we chose Hotel Lisboa. We balanced short jaunts and stays in lesser known places with quality exploring time in Lisbon, Pinhão in the Douro River Valley, and Porto, to avoid wearing ourselves out.Īnd this is how it played out…. If I say so myself, we did an awesome job planning our schedule. We wanted to get a real feel for Portugal and the people, so we planned our route with the intent to see as much of the country as we could within 12 days, (14 counting travel). We learned they were thrilled to see new faces.Īs we expected, lodging, restaurants, even car rental, were quite affordable. Our flights were still available, the world was slowly opening up so we dived back into our plans to travel in October and November of 2021.įortunately for us, Portugal had just begun receiving travelers. A year later, the fog began to lift and the future looked bright. As we began making plans COVID began grabbing everyone’s attention and removing our ability to gather. My wife Meredith and I decided to explore Portugal in late spring, 2020. View all three posts for the stories, the sights and the people we met along the way.
This first Exploring Portugal podcast blog features my interview with Although, that seems to be changing with each passing year. It was a real pleasure to spend time with these ladies, and I hope you enjoy their stories of working in the male dominated wine industry. As you’ll hear, both ladies share some common experiences. She has great enthusiasm about working in all aspects of the wine industry and has made quite a name for herself. Pam Starr is the president and co-founder of Crocker & Starr in St. Katie was lucky enough to develop an intertest in wine as a result of her parents love and enthusiasm about the beloved nectar. A week before the release I met up with Katie Madigan of St.
That was my intention as it was Women’s History month, International Women’s Day was March 8th, and the 25th was the Second Annual Women in Wine Day. Listen to the podcast and get inspired! Īlthough I am slow to get this Women in Wine podcast posted to my website, it did reach world wide podcast platforms in March. Otherwise, visit Pas Robles for their own style of popular and rare varietals. In conclusion, if you like Grenache, Syrah and Viognier but haven’t tried Picpoul Blanc or Bourboulenc, you’ll want to join the fun next year. I also visited with Elena Barrios, who with her winemaking husband Stanley, are gaining attention with their outstanding Rhone varietal blends at Top Winery. When you listen to the podcast and you’ll be impressed with his charitable generosity. I liked his wines, especially the La Macha Spanish blend, and Warrior. Just off the Paso square I met up with winery owner Ted Ross of Hayseed and Housdon. The co-Founder Robert Haas had the foresight to partner with Rhone Valley producer Château de Beaucastel. I spoke with General Manager and family member Jason Haas from Paso Robles’ Rhone winemaking pioneer Tablas Creek Vineyard. The orginization’s slogan is “Twenty-two Varieties. Twenty two of them were featured, and 125 wine producers from California, Oregon, Washington, and France were on-hand sharing their versions. The Côtes-du-Rhône region in France features a great number of delicioius wine varieties.
With this podcast you can join me on a trip to the Hospice du Rhone event.