Pinhais Sardines

Sardines are a polarizing comestible. You either like them, or you don´t.
And as much as I have always liked them, they are not as good stateside as in Portugal. In Portugal, they are a national treasure. The little fishes are deliciously grilled fresh throughout the country from June through September, the best months for them.

Canned, they are a delicacy that comes in many flavors.
They come with olive oil, tomato sauce, spicy olive oil or tomato sauce, or mustard sauce, to name a few.
They are available at the supermarket for about a buck. And gourmet versions run about four or five euros.

We had the immense fun of touring the Pinhais sardine factory in Matosinhos. Matosinhos is just west of Porto and is famous for the fish and fish restaurants.
The Pinhais sardine factory has been in operation since 1920. And they operate pretty much the same way today as they did back then.
The front office and entry have remained unchanged since the 20s.

Tile work at the entry to Pinhais sardine factory.

The Ajuelos tile work is beautiful. Much care went into the design of the factory.
The staircase to the second floor looks like a fish when viewed from below. It is artful and ingenious.

Only the best sardines are chosen for canning by the women who work the floor. They sort and prepare the fish on long marble tables.

Hard at work on the floor of the factory.

After canning, they are hand wrapped in colorful paper. The ladies doing the wrapping

are quick and efficient. We got to try wrapping cans ourselves, and we were slow and inefficient in comparison.

No surprise there.
After taking the tour, we sampled the tinned fish, and they did not disappoint. Our sardine factory adventure ended with a glass of Vinho Verde wine and a sampling of sardines. It was the perfect mid-day snack.
Who knew that canned fish could be so much fun and so delicious?

Felgueiras Vinho Verde Rosé. Crisp and dry, made from the Espadeiro grape. One of the few red grapes of the region. About two euros a bottle here in Porto. Eat your heart out Two Buck Chuck! 😉

Vinhão Revisited

Vinhão, also known as Sezão or Sousão in Portugal, is one of the red grapes in the Minho or Vinho Verde region. It is known for its deep dark color and biting acidity and is usually blended and used for Port and table wines.
As grapes go, it is a pretty rare and exotic specimen.

It produces my favorite color in a wine. Black iris. A deep, dark purple that is almost black. If you spill this grape juice, you had better have some serious cleaning agents at the ready.
(Yes, we spilled it all over a white wall and thought we would have to repaint, for sure. Thanks to Neo Blanc, the wonder cleaner, for saving the day! We could not believe that it cleaned up so well you would never know it happened.)

And this brings us to the wine of the hour: São Gião (sow guy-ow) Vinhão (vin-yow. I know, Portuguese, oy!) Colheita Selecionada. https://quintasaogiao.pt/en.

This is new favorite red wine for us. It has black fruit, violet, and spice aromas with super blue and blackberry flavors. It is medium-bodied and bone dry on the finish with a killer minerality. It is unique. It is somewhat like a dry Brachetto (an almost equally obscure wine). Only Vinhão is drier, darker and, has more body. It pairs smashingly with salmon or other fatty fish and cured meats and cheeses. It is delicious with eggplant parmesan and the like. It also drinks well by itself. (Important safety tip, it does not pair well with light-colored walls or carpeting!) It is a great summer red wine and should be served with a slight chill. And check out that label. The artwork is stunning and is meant to reflect the terroir of the wine.

And now for the bad news. Good luck finding it outside of Portugal. The red wines from the Vinho Verde region are pretty rare, even in Portugal. They make up only about seven percent of the wines hailing from Vinho Verde.
When reading about the region, the red wines are often not even mentioned. The recommended red grapes are Amaral/Azal tinto, Borraçal, Brancelho, Espadeiro, (which makes a mean rosé), Padreiro, Redral, Rabode Ovelha and Vinhão. There are several more that are permitted in the DOC wines of the area. Welcome to Portugal, where 250 to 350 indigenous grape varieties exist, depending on who you ask!
It is a wine mecca second only to Italy. A foodie and winos paradise and a wine geeks dream. Sáude!

In Response to Covid: Que se Foda? Or, WTF?!

The label says, Verde (Vinho Verde) vintage 2020/2021. Que se foda (WTF). The Championship, We even drink it!

Que Se Foda. A wine whose time has come. It means what the f*%# in Portuguese.
More of an art piece, really. Wine as art, if you will. Or art as wine. The perpetrator of this bit of fun is Francisco Eduardo. An artist based in Lisbon. Here is the message on the bottle: “The message behind the coarse expression used in this work of art is a message of hope and a synonym of faith.
When we are in doubt, often our fears win over our dreams, and it is at that time that it is necessary to say, (WTF.) Que se foda?!”

Que Se Foda Vinho Verde back label. With F-it in six languages! Also, special edition, certified by the artist.

WTF indeed! Side effects of the pandemic include political insanity and random increased violence, especially in the US and on airplanes, it seems. Wow. Just when we thought it could not get any worse in the weirdness department.
And I love that this artist is selling his Que se Foda wines online with great success. The red sold out before we even knew about it. (Sounds like a great wine, I will have to seek it out from the winemaker.) I was lucky to score a bottle of the white Vinho Verde before it sold out. Hopefully, Mr. Eduardo will keep them coming.

The TTB (Alcohol and Tabacco Tax and Trade Bureau) would throw a fit if someone tried to sell wine with such profanity for a name on the label in the states. Puritanical mo-fos. I am pretty sure that the acronym would not be approved unless it stood for something else altogether. Much less spelling it out as it is on this fine Portuguese wine.
And look at me, unwilling to even spell the word out myself. This from a lifetime of conditioning and fear of offending anyone. WTF?!

Wine, wine, everywhere.

And, so many drops to drink! There are a total of 14 different wine regions in Portugal. 12 on the mainland and two more on the islands, Madeira and the Azores. My current pipe dream is to visit each one and to write a book about them. I am planning my next trip to the Minho now. It is the northernmost wine region in Portugal. Might as well start at the top.

The Minho comprises the better part of northern Portugal. It starts at the Spanish border and goes south until the Douro region. Alvarinho is one of the major grapes in the area. it is known as Albarino in Spain. Same grape, different country, and spelling. Vinho Verde is the major type of wine in this area. Meaning green wine, green, in this case, refers to young wine. The most common grapes in Vinho Verde are, Alvarinho, Arinto, Avesso, Loureiro, and, Trajadura, for whites, and Vinão for red.

O Prado’s house red Vinho Verde. http://oprado.pt

Yes, there are red Vinho Verdes, and they are delicious. One of our favorite restaurants in Lisbon, O Prado, has a red Vinho Verde as its house red wine. It is a perfect match for the grilled salmon when it is on the menu. Red Vinho Verde is light, fruity, and Gamay like in its flavors. Unfortunately, for those who don’t live here, it isn’t seen much outside of Portugal. The red Vinho Verde wines can vary in weight and flavor.

Cool label for a great wine! vinhoverde.pt

The Pardos red Vinho Verde from Antonio Joaquim Castro Pinheiro is a rare and wonderful thing. It is a dark, black iris color and is not just spritzy but downright frizzante, with meaty black fruit flavors. It is an entirely different animal, even in the red Vinho Verde department. It clocks in at only 11 percent abv, but it is dry on the palate. It is a wine with plenty of wow factor.

Solheiro Alvarinho Vinho Verde. https://www.soalheiro.com/en/home

Vinho Verde wines come in red, white, and rose. They vary from dry to almost sweet but most are light and fruity with a hint of spritz which makes them perfect for the warmer months. Some of the better-known brands are, Aveleda, Casal Garcia, and Solheiro. Most are a blend of different grapes, but the single varietals are wonderful. Solheiro produces Alvarinhos that are delicious. There is more variety within these wines than one would imagine. They are certainly worth checking out.