We’re excited to have him back in Europe for the EWBC, and with Doug’s recent jump into Twitter search, we felt participants would appreciate to learn more about his recent adventures.

1. After last year’s EWBC we have become a huge fan of both you and your work with Able Grape. But as a  year has come and gone, we’d love to know what has changed at Ablegrape and what features people should know about?

First, thanks for the kind words! I’m glad you are finding Able Grape useful. The biggest changes in the last year have been behind the scenes – the relevance of results has gotten quite a bit better, and the database is far larger and more complete: at last count there were more than 41,000 websites in the index, and about 23 million pages of content.

2. We to congratulate you on your new position as head of search for Twitter! Great news! So what you can tell us about the future of Twitter search and how this position might affect your work at Able Grape?

Well, I can’t say too much publicly about Twitter Search except that we have a fantastic team and I’m really excited to be a part of it. I’m also excited about what we’re building – search is key to Twitter and we’re working on making it a much more compelling experience. Because I’m mostly focused on Twitter these days, Able Grape is a labor of love I maintain in my spare time. It will continue to be uniquely useful, and to grow and update, though perhaps not as quickly as before. The major improvements I’ve been planning will eventually happen, but for now I’ve put them on the back burner.

3. Seeing how Twitter has become an integral part of the online wine world, how do you think your work at Twitter might help those of us working with wine online?

I became a huge fan of Twitter long before working at the company, because I found it connected me very quickly and organically with people with shared interests, concerns, and points of view (and sometimes people with opposing points of view, which is also great). By building a better, more compelling search experience we’ll be helping you find information faster, connect more quickly with relevant people in the wine industry, and help interested people find you and your tweets.

4. Over the years, you have clearly learned a significant amount from your experience building Able Grape. What lessons from

Ablegrape do you think might apply to Twitter search?

This is going to sound kind of lame, but I’m using pretty much everything I’ve learned. Working at Inktomi and Yahoo! for a number of years taught me about building large-scale search engines, and building Able Grape was an entrepreneurial and creative endeavor, tackling something that seemed impossible at the start and just doing it. Twitter is a bit like that: on one hand, it’s one of the world’s largest search engines, on the other it’s a relatively small team, with a lot of passion and creativity, tackling some very hard and exciting problems that haven’t been solved elsewhere.

5. You have told us on several occasions that you loved last year’s conference, a compliment we don’t take lightly, but what makes this year’s conference intriguing or exciting for you?

Well, the thing I’m most looking forward to is seeing the great people I met last year, getting to know new people, spending time discussing the wine world, the online world, tasting, and who knows, perhaps even drinking a little wine together. I’m also excited that the conference is in Portugal. I’ve only briefly been to Portugal before (to Buçaco) and can’t wait to experience a bit of Lisbon.

6. We’ve tasted some pretty amazing gems from your private cellar, but what we don’t is your expereince with Portuguese wine, and what are you looking forward to taste at the conference this year?

Though some of the best wines I’ve ever had are Portuguese (I’m a HUGE fan of old Madeira), the spectrum of Portuguese wines I’ve had is rather narrow, mostly limited to the obvious Port and Madeira (though I did have some fascinating old wines at the Palace Hotel in Buçaco on my one other visit). I like unique, off-the-beaten path wines. Portugal has a wealth of characterful native grape varieties. I’m excited to try lesser-known, good, inexpensive table wines made from these – the kind of wines I like to drink every day. Very few of them make it to the States so I’m really looking forward to learning a lot more.

On Saturday night, October 31st Charles will present an hour long tasting on Portuguese wine. His aim is both educate on the myriad styles of Portuguese wine and its intricate relationship with Portuguese tourism.  As Portugal remains a very rustic and undiscovered haven for wine lovers, Charles will do his very best to enlighten us as to the myriad of possibilities that await us – and knowing Charles, we may even be graced with a portion of the tasting done in song and verse.

What follows are a few brief questions we posed to Charles regarding the potential of Portugal as a wine tourism destination! Enjoy!

The EWBC this year in Lisbon will have a considerable amount of “first time” Portugal visitors, many of whom have online voices. Therefore, what message should bloggers take away from Portugal as a potential wine tourism destination, and what sets it apart from other locations?

Portugal’s key point of interest to wine-lovers is the great array of native grapes, from which most Portuguese wines are made. These taste different from any others in the world. And, whereas the wines of, say, Italy (another country with great native grapes) are pretty well-distributed in other countries, Portuguese wines haven’t achieved this international distribution yet, so you have to come to Portugal to find them. And Portugal is also a very beautiful country, not just the coasts, but with mountains, rivers and lakes inland, too.

Why do you feel it’s taken so long for Portugal to be recognized as a quality wine tourism destination?

A bit more focussed activity from Tourism of Portugal and ViniPortugal has certainly helped. The new network of motorways built since entering the EU has also made it much easier to get to parts of inland Portugal that were well-nigh inaccessible before. And European funds also became available to finance better equipment at wineries. That happened at the same as a new generation of winemakers was coming out of wine school, getting international winemaking experience, and making even better wines. It all adds up to a ‘new’ wine country within easy reach of all of Europe.

You visit Portugal frequently, however, as Portugal is far from the largest wine producing country, are you revisiting because you are interested in the evolution of the wines, or is Portugal expanding what it can offer? Where do you see Portugal’s wines in 5 years time?

I’m continually amazed by the number of good new labels that come to the market each time I look at Portuguese wines. I try to keep up, but it’s tricky when I am also writing and talking about wines from other countries. I think we’re reaching a point of consolidation, rather than further expansion. But most of the ‘new’ producers are people who have been growing grapes for years, centuries, even. They’ve stopped supplying grapes to the local co-op, or selling their wine to larger companies, and trying to get added value by selling wines under their own labels. This will probably continue for a while, but in this economic climate, at a moment of international wine over-supply, I think there’ll be a slow-down. In 5 years I hope good Portuguese wines will have better international distribution, and more people know what unique flavours Portuguese grapes can give.

Your book is the “definitive” resource for a gourmand traveling in Portugal. What is the key point to remember when planning or taking a trip through the Portuguese wine country?

If you’re taking an ordinary-length holiday, I’d concentrate on one part of the country, rather than trying to cover the whole of Portugal in one gulp. If you take one of Portugal’s three main airports, in Porto, Lisbon and Faro, as starting points, you can cover the north, centre and south respectively. Plan as far ahead as possible, and make hotel bookings and appointments with wineries if you like to do things that way. If you can make bookings through websites, great. If not, remember that a lot of smaller Portuguese hotels and restaurants aren’t yet brilliant at answering emails. Phone is a better way to contact them, but you may well have to attempt speaking Portuguese!

Finally, what is the “long weekend” recommendation for a European traveler who finds a cheap plane ticket to Portugal? Where do you go?

What do you see, assuming this is their first visit? I’d start with Lisbon, a wonderful, historic city, with plenty of good food, bars, clubs and things to see. Lisbon will give you a snapshot of Portuguese culture. My next weekend would be in Porto, also historic, totally different from Lisbon, with boat-trips up the Douro and visits to port cellars in Vila Nova de Gaia.

The crew at the EWBC want to thank Sarah for generously offering us her time – especially after the launch of her new blog – and if you have any questions for Sarah, please don’t hesitate to leave them in the comments below, as we know she would love nothing more than to spark your curiosity and passion before your arrival.

What makes Portugal such an enticing place for wine lovers to experience?

I first visited Portugal in 2004 and, in a week, we’d gone from the Douro to the Alentejo and in and amongst.  And it was clear to me that this was one exciting country for wine lovers.  Why?  Its very “Portugueseness” if there is such a word – you don’t find these grape varieties, this kind of food or landscape anywhere else.  Several visits later (and counting!), confidence and pride about its unique heritage of grape varieties is brimming and more and more regions are realising the full potential of their grapes and terroir.  So it’s about authentic points of difference and not difference for the sake of it – this is beyond a marketing USP.

What grapes would you highly suggest a passionate wine enthusiast seek out during their visit?

Touriga Nacional has emerged as the flagship variety and it has some beautiful qualities, no question, but I truly believe that, with a few exceptions (notably Baga), for reds in particular, Portugal’s great strength is its blends.  So please, let’s not go all single varietal – that would be un-Portuguese!  So I’m just going to mention some whites to check out that do perform well on their own – Arinto, typically on its own/the super dominant partner in the wines of Bucelas – great citrus fruit, cut with racy acidity – Riesling with flesh and bone,  Siria from Beira Interior for its naughty but nice honied, tropical fruit, Alvarinho and Loureiro from Vinho Verde because they are helping to change outmoded perceptions of this high quality region.

Are there any specific restaurants or wine shops that rank high on your list to experience?

I shall never forget a lunch at Restaurante Panorama in Melgaco, Vinho Verde’s Alvarinho hotspot.  It’s the only restaurant I’m going to mention because, if you go, I’m very sure you’ll come around to my views about Vinho Verde if you’re not already a convert!  And if you’re still not sure, check out my report of a vertical tasting of Quinta de Soalheiro wines.

I must say, I never get a chance to shop in Portugal on my travels, but I did stay next door to Pasteis de Belem in Lisbon on a recent trip and who can resist their 6 pack of still warm custard tarts with a Moscatel de Setubal, madeira or tawny port, of which they have a great selection. In the UK, Andy Paterson at The Halifax Wine Company is a terrific ambassador for Portuguese wines, table and fortified.

What are some misconceptions you’ve heard over the years about Portugal and its wines?

Of reds, tannic and tough, rustic – fair point in the past but Portugal has come on in leaps and bounds without sacrificing the edge of tannin and acidity that defines its northerly regions’ wines.  And in the south, Alentejo does round, ripe, heady and fruitful as well as anywhere if that’s your bag.  Of whites, dull and oxidised – again fair point in the past but this is an area of dramatic and super-positive change – please take another look!!!

Are there any Portuguese food and wine pairings that you’ve fallen in love with?

Alvarinho with fresh brown crabmeat on toast at Restaurante Panorama, Serra de Estrela sheeps cheese with quince jam and a tawny/colheita port, Sercial madeira with olives/smoked almonds. I’m not a meat eater but hearty bacalhau (salt cod) casseroles with whole roasted potatoes, garlic and a ton of olive oil works well with red wines – Baga from Bairrada cuts through the richness very well and, of course, it’s great with modern full-bodied white blends from the Douro or Alentejo, which often have a green olive note.

Name 1 region that is traditionally overlooked by wine lovers?

Beira Interior is a region to watch – Siria for whites, sometimes with Fonte Cal for minerality and lifted, floral, elegant but well-structured reds from the lead Dao/Douro varieties.

At DOC- DMC we are not winemakers, but we are wine lovers. We believe that whoever loves wine, also loves to discover!

In Portugal there is still a considerable amount to discover. Historically, Portuguese wine has slowly gained traction outside of the country’s borders, but as a result of a new generation of winemakers rediscovering the many autochthonous grapes which give a unique character to Portuguese wine, our fame has begun to spread like wildfire.

Our team at DOC-DMC has come a long way in organizing events, incentives and trips. This know-how combined with traditional gastronomy and the beautiful countryside makes wine trips to Portugal an irresistible choice.

This is why we are sponsoring the EWBC. We are fully aware that Portugal needs all the help it can get in spreading the word about our local treasures. From our varied and distinct traditional cuisine to our vast and changing landscapes, we can only hope that you as bloggers will fall equally in love with our wine, food and culture as we have.

And how do we convince you of our unique treasures? We will bring you on a full day adventure on Sunday through the wine regions of Setubal and Terras do Sado, where you will visit 3 wineries varying in size and style, a traditional tile factory and dine on a vast array of traditional Portuguese foods. It is our hope that by the end of your trip, you will not only have a fundamental understanding of these two regions, but also a desire to come back and visit again. Full Schedule of Sunday Trip is listed below

What else can DOC-DMC offer a passionate wine lover?

• Gastronomic trips to Portugal for individual travellers or small groups to all well known DOC Areas from the Minho to the Douro and from the Dão , to the Ribatejo, Alentejo or the recently “re-animated” Algarve.
• Offers for weekend stays combined with a round of golf, or even a relaxing day spa.
• Events related with wine: team building and wine courses, eno-gastronomic dinners or wine tastings in charming settings.
• “Winelands of Portugal “, are travel books which will allow you to discover the best wineries, cellars or other selected tasting venues of the most important DOC areas, as well as a choice of restaurants in order to enjoy the best of local gastronomy. Based on the suggestions of “Winelands” you will also be able to make your own itinerary choosing from the suggested venues, enjoying wine tasting, lunch or dinner using the vouchers included in the travel book. This product will be available on the internet this year and is currently sold in the reception of over 30 of the best hotels of Portugal.
• Moreover we are the exclusive dealers of the Enomatic Wine Serving Systems in Portugal, a technology we import from Italy which is a leading product for conserving and selling wine by glass.
• Our small selection and distribution of “Vinhos de Quinta”, wines with an excellent price – quality relationship produced by smaller wineries. Similar to a boutique sales, “Vinhos de Quinta” has found clientele among Lisbon’s best restaurants and hotels who love to introduce and discover new brands and tastes of Portuguese wines.
• Clube Doc aims to promote the Portuguese DOC Areas and wines to people in Portugal. Be it a gastronomic dinner to discover flower and fruity notes in red wines, an excursion to the unknown wine area east of Lisbon, or a trip to the wine harvest in Douro, the Clube Doc Calender organizes monthly gatherings!

We are elated to have you join us, and hope that we can be a resource for you if you should ever have questions about the wine, food and culture of Portugal!

Sincerely,

The DOC-DMC Team

Schedule:

09:30 – Pick up

10:15 – The Day will start with a visit of the prestigious winery “Bacalhôa Vinhos de Portugal”, which is the result of nearly 82 years of dedication to the production of wine. The innovative character of this winery is the combination of tradition with state of the art technology, which results in an annual average production of nearly 12 million litters of wine. This magnificent winery is part of the “Grupo dos Sete” (Group of Seven), a unique organization which gathers seven of the most significant private companies of the Portuguese wine industry. The winery is owned mostly by one of the most important Portuguese patrons of modern art, José Berardo and has a large art collection spread all over the property. Finalizing the visit you will have the opportunities to taste some of the renowned Bacalhoa Vinhos.

11:30 – We will next visit the historical and traditional winery José Maria da Fonseca, a family run business established in 1834, with a background of two centuries in the art of wine making. Piriquita is their most famous brand, in fact ,the first of all table wines produced in Portugal. A further hightlight of the visit will be the Moscatel Wine cellar with thousands of precious well aged bottles or this sweet fortified wine. This winery indeed has some stories to tell !  A tasting of several of their red wines and of course Moscatel  will follow the visit, accompanied by the no less famous cheese and the traditional bread of this charming village.

12:30 – Our next stop will be by the “São Simão” workshop, where the ancient tile painting tradition is still carried on to this day. We will be able to see the artists at work and thereby learn some of the secrets of this trade. The exhibition rooms display glazed tile panels and porcelain pieces decorated with the patterns and colors of the 18th century.

13:30 – A fantastic buffet, prepared by the famous restaurant Alcanena, is awaiting us now. On the table you will find a selection of Portuguese cheeses, sausages and smoked meats, 16 traditional cold salads, various soups as well as several different Portuguese meats and fish, such as hare with white beans, partridge pie, pork meat Alentejo style, duck rice, fried entrecote with rice and beans, seafood “açorda”, spiritual codfish, calamari Algarve style and many others. But the meal is only finished after the dessert: egg pudding, milk cream, chocolate mousse, almond cake, orange cake and cheese cake are some of the delicacies we will be able to taste.

15:30 – When this superb meal is finished we will proceed to the nearby winery “Horácio Simões”, in order to taste the Moscatel de Setúbal and the Moscatel Roxo, still made in traditional grape presses, as well as the Aguardente Velha.

16:30 – Return trip to the hotel.