In Porto and the Douro Valley

It’s impossible to speak about Portugal without speaking about food, wine, and the life that unfolds around a table. Eating here is never just about nourishing the body; it’s about nourishing something deeper.

A meal typically lasts a minimum of 2 hours, and Sundays with family mean sitting from lunch to dinner, sharing memories and stories, playing cards, or singing together.

There is a common misconception that great food must come with a high price tag. In Portugal, that idea doesn’t quite hold. Long before fine dining existed, there was already a culture of eating well, deeply rooted in tradition, seasonality, and an almost instinctive understanding of flavor. See, we never wanted to make great food. We just made what we could with what we had, and it just so happened to be great.

We are, in many ways, a country shaped by food. A nation that once sailed across the world in search of spices could hardly grow into anything else. We are born with a natural pull towards the table, towards wine, towards sharing.

I remember a time, not so long ago, when almost every family had their own wine stored in the garage in big barrels or…