Product Description

`The Wine & Food Lover's Guide to Portugal' is a 446-page hardback book for people who like to eat and drink well, stay in welcoming and interesting places, and want to explore Portugal - and not just the beaches. Discover the delights of the best Portuguese wines. Find out about the best restaurants, fabulously fresh fish and seafood, scrumptious suckling pig, fine, creative, modern cuisine based on excellent, fresh local produce,or the famous doces conventuais, confections of eggs, sugar, almonds and other flavours. Want to visit interesting castles, climb soaring mountains, walk along unspoiled rivers, or wonder at magnificent cathedrals and museums? It's all in the book. As are a selection of the most friendly and interesting places to stay, to suit all pockets, with contact details and prices. Each regional chapter has a general introduction, introductions to wine and to food, lists of wineries to visit (with tasting notes on recommended wines), selected restaurants and hotels, and things to do and see `between meals'. All with addresses, contact details, prices and opening times, helpful maps and about 1,600 colour photos. And all independently chosen for quality, fun and enjoyment - no one paid to be included.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #36151 in Books
• Published on: 2007-10-18
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 446 pages

About the Author
Charles Metcalfe and Kathryn McWhirter wrote their first book on Portuguese wines over 20 years ago, and are still at it. Charles is one of the most spontaneous and amusing wine critics in Britain, and a well-known face on British television, having been part of the ITV This Morning team for 12 years. He was a co-founder of WINE International magazine, and is co-chairman of the International WINE Challenge, the world's biggest wine competition. Before turning to wine, he was a professional singer. Kathryn was drinks correspondent for the Independent on Sunday for nine years, sometimes also writing about food. She wrote and edited the Which? Wine Guide and Good Wine Bar Guide for the Consumers' Association, as well as wine list reviews for the Good Food Guide. Together Charles and Kathryn have written wine and wine-with-food books for Sainsbury's, Tesco and Marks & Spencer, as well as other publishers.

Customer Reviews

brilliant
At last, a guide book to Portugal that really embraces the country from a culinary and cultural point of view so that you get an idea of what makes the Portuguese tick. As the title suggests, the main focus is on wine and it is this integral part of Portuguese life that influences the choices that the authors make as to where and what to eat and drink. It goes into great depth about each region's specialities in food and drink and where you can sample them. Accommodation is often part of a working vineyard and generally chosen for the food and drink as well as the location and is therefore very different to what is usually recommended in other guide books. You might think that it aims at the upper price range only, but it covers everything from B & Bs to grand hotels. There is also a section on local markets, delicatessens and supermarkets for each region as well as interesting places to visit that are not necessarily wine-related plus a language section to help you understand what's on the menu. It does not tell you how to get around by public transport and therefore a car would be essential, but that enables you to see more of the country anyway. All in all, an excellent alternative to what's normally on offer.

Portugal On A Plate
The authors, both highly respected wine writers, have a passion about the food, drink and culture of Portugal that spreads across every page of this beautifully illustrated and highly informative book. Part travelogue, part wine book, part love letter this is just the sort of read to make you momentarily forget the credit crunch and the exchange rate against the Euro and book that break on the ALgarve that you've been promising yourself for so long. And while you're waiting for deaprture day to arrive there's plenty of advice on what to eat and drink to get you in the holiday mood. A glass of well decanted Dao should be raised to Mr Metcalfe and Ms McWhirter for the obviously exhaustive research that has gone into this fine book.

A cut above
A lovely book covering a specialised area in good detail and at a bargain price. It shares the style and feel of the better travel guides, and gives enough detail for the reader to feel confident in finding most of the places described. It covers a good price range of food and wine. Go quickly, for like all such books, the passing of time will reduce the accuracy.