As we enter the festive season and we are all thinking about what to drink with our friends and relatives, can I ask you, dear reader, to spend a little more time browsing the Algarve wine shelves at your local supermarket, should you be here in the Algarve? And if you are, why not include a visit to an Algarve winery as part of your Christmas activities? There are now over 40 privately-owned producers along the Algarve, all producing good wine and most of them offer tours with tastings.
But even if you just buy a few bottles, you are still supporting the local economy and it is worth remembering that all of these producers have suffered from the drop in tourism that the Algarve has suffered over the last two years due to the pandemic.
It still surprises me how many of the big supermarkets such as Continente stock only a few Algarve wines at their stores in this region, and how so many restaurants still give more space on their wine lists to the Alentejo.
When looking for a good selection of Algarve wines in my local area (Lagoa), we have both Intermarché and Apolónia with excellent selections (the photo here is Apolónia) and we also have a small supermarket in Lagoa (Mercearia da Paula), which, in a very small space, does its best to offer a great selection.
Finally, if you are still of the opinion that Algarve wine is inferior to that of other Portuguese regions, all I can say is that you are missing out.
