A Culinary Journey Amidst Olive Groves and Vineyards at Morgado do Quintão in Portugal
The rocky coastline of the Algarve region of Portugal draws in tourists like a magnet to its sea-carved caves and ochre cliffs, but head a little inland, and you will find how that red earth has nurtured life for generations. Nowhere is this more evident than at Morgado do Quintão, where a gnarled yet majestic 2000-year-old olive tree grows next to vineyards nestled in the valley below the Monchique Mountains.
With gloomy skies threatening rain, our small group, three couples plus myself, are asked if we’d like the vineyard tour before we sit down to eat, just in case. It’s mid-November, and the vines are dormant, but they come alive in our imaginations as we are told they were planted hundreds of years ago and are still taken care of by the same family.
“The estate has been in our family for around 300 years”, says Filipe Caldas de Vasconcellos, CEO, “and we’re just the current generation to take care of it. The way we go about it is we plan for the next 300 years—we’ve been empowered by this legacy and our role as we plan the future of Morgado do Quintão for the next generations.”
After a thirty-minute drive from either Lagos or Albufeira, a low white-washed wall with the Morgado do Quintão logo in blue is your sign to turn onto a dirt road that winds its way past olive trees until you reach the main farmhouse. While we are here for their Farmer’s Table Experience, you can also rent a cottage on the property. I quickly make a mental note to add this to my wishlist.
Farmer’s Table Experience at Morgado do Quintão. Photos by Vanessa Dewson
On a sunny day, we could have eaten under the old olive tree, but we are happy for the warmth of the dining room, where we know we’ll stay dry. We sit down, mouths watering as we wait to see what the sources of the aromas wafting out of the kitchen are. But first, the wine. Chef Lucia Ribeiro serves us a crisp white, readying our palates for the fare to come. Portuguese classics like sardines and pastéis de bacalhau—cod fritters so light and airy compared to the ones I tried in a popular tourist spot—are served family style along with organic vegetables and later roasted quail, all while sampling several of their award-winning wines.
“We’re working with indigenous grape varieties, older vines, and we farm organically and dry-farm all our grapes for our vines at the moment—this combination makes what we do very unique within the landscape of Algarvian wine and keeps us very grounded in our mission to make wine that reflects a true sense of place,” says Filipe.
As the wine flows and the dishes get passed around, strangers become friends, and the conversation becomes livelier as our taste buds revel in the perfect blend of flavors, freshness, and textures. Eventually, though, when we can no longer fit in a single morsel, and the difficult decision of which wine(s) to bring home is made, our motley family begins to part ways. I linger behind to pet the house cat, Princess, and pay my respects to the old olive tree one more time.
Filipe knows what an important role the tree has had and continues to have on this land: “Our olive tree is estimated to be 2000 years old and has stood tall during the most significant events in history. But what makes it truly special is that it continues to provide shade for visitors who come to experience what we’re about and be a witness to both the smaller and bigger moments of our family’s life and the lives of many families from those who chose to get married to those who simply come to taste our wines our see our old vineyards.”
When I turn back to face the farmhouse, my jaw drops as I spot a perfect rainbow arching over it. Maybe it was the wine making me a little extra sentimental, but I couldn’t help but think how perfect an ending this was to an unforgettable meal in a magical place.