Bon Vivant: (n) a person having cultivated, refined, and sociable tastes especially with respect to food and drink.

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Transportive Travel

Posted in: Bon Vivant, Drink Well, On the Road, Travel

When I travel there are invariably a few experiences where time seems to stand still and I almost wait for a movie director to jump out from behind a pillar and yell “CUT!”.

On a recent trip to Lisbon, I had just such an evening. I met up with a friend of a friend at his favorite wine bar- Garrafaia Alfaia–  a place that would quickly become my own preferred spot to grab a glass of wine or bite to eat.  By the end of three days, I had visited as many times, warmly greeted by the affable owner, Pedro, each time with a kiss to each cheek.

Garrafaia Alfaia

Owner, Pedro, opening up for the evening

There are only 6 tables where Pedro has curated an outstanding collection of Portuguese wines and serves delicious small plates. It’s difficult to find, but worth each wrong turn inevitably made along the bright, tile covered streets of Lisbon.

Inside the tiny but mighty wine bar

Inside the tiny but mighty wine bar

I was new to town, new to Portugal, jet lagged, a friend of a friend, but André graciously agreed to meet me over a glass of wine. We’re both members of the #winelover community and he was happy to share his travel tips and favorite sips. The #winelover community is all about connection, travel, wine, and something less tangible that is greater than the sum of these disparate parts. I like to say that its founder, Luiz Alberto, is a connector- but really he’s more of a collector; of great stories, experiences, wines, but mostly of people who share these same passions.

André and a local wine journalist set up an impromptu tasting of three Portuguese dessert wines.  Viscous amber and liquid gold glistened in stemware as I was told we would have a blind tasting.  “A tasting?”, I asked, “or a testing?”.  Andre’s eyes glittered briefly, mischievously, and it was then that I knew I was in for a bit of both.

A proper assessment of my #winelover status could only be made over the country’s greatest liquid treasures with three Masters of Port. We chatted, sipped, and assessed some of Portugal’s finest as the hours passed by.

The tenor of the evening changed abruptly when two gentlemen from out of town entered to a raucous and familiar greeting.  One pulled a guitar from the wall, kept there for impromptu serenades at his favorite watering hole. As a professional musician Pierre Aderne travels the world, but Lisbon is one of his home bases- Garrafaia Alfaia a stop he never misses.  The cozy establishment is the Portuguese version of “Cheers” where friends gather from around to world to lose themselves over a glass of wine and reconnect with old friends.

guitar and wine

As Pierre began to play I was transfixed.  In Portugal there is a style of music called “Fado”- it was described to me many times as “music that touches your soul.”     The wine, incidentally, was also described this way. Portuguese culture is as passionate, intense, and distinctive as its signature music and wines.

An older gentleman from Brazil took the seat next to mine, utilizing the shared wooden bench as a percussive instrument to accompany the guitar.  The effect was spellbinding- I could both hear and feel the accompaniment to the soulful renditions as bottle after bottle of wine appeared on the table.

As our tasting turned into a reunion, English switched to Portuguese. I sat in the corner of it all as the group of old friends, wine lovers, and travelers came together in a way that only seems to happen on the most serendipitous of evenings.

It’s a night I won’t soon forget and certainly the night I fell in love with Portugal- the country whose music, wine, and people touched my soul.

cheers

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