You would expect a vineyard based restaurant to provide a selection of superlative food matched perfectly with the estates wines. The Esporão Estate in Portugal doesn’t disappoint. A meal highlight during the European Wine Bloggers Conference tour out to the Alentejo; Gabriella later informed me they hold a coveted Michelin Star…

The four course set menu comprised the following:

Cold Partridge Salad In Marinade matched with the delicate, rose and strawberry hinting Vinha da Defesa Rosé 2008. A 13.5% mix of Aragonês and Syrah vinificated with the “Blanc Noir” method. [Adegga / Snooth]

A delectable Dogfish Soup – they are big on soup in Portugal – with the crisp, peachy, waxy, grapefruit acidity, lightly oaked Esporão Reserve White (a blend of Antão Vaz, Arinto and Roupeiro with 14% alcohol) [Adegga / Snooth]
Loin of Wild Boar with Plum Sauce matched with the delicious Esporão Reserve Red 2007. A blend of Aragonês, Trincadeira, Cabernet Sauvignon and Alicante Bouschet with 14.5% alcohol. [Adegga / Snooth] A complex palate that cries out for a juicy meat dish such as this Wild Boar.

And for a dessert a Boiled Pear in Private Selection White Wine matched with a late harvest Semillon simply labeled as Late Harvest 2008. [Adegga / Snooth] A lovely wine offering hints of orange, peach and other fruits but nulled a little by the ice-cream served with the pear.

A charming selection of wines from an interesting, large, estate. Shame the wines do not seem to be available in the UK! Post lunch I annoyingly missed out on buying a bottle of the estates olive oil too…