What a magical evening we shared at our Santa Lucia Wine Dinner — truly a night of light, full of hopeful Christmas spirit. From the brave and sweet Santa Lucia Inês carrying the glowing crown of candles to joyful and exuberant carol singing around the fire under a rising full moon, it was a moment of pure atmosphere.
The candlelit dinner brought warmth and sparkle, with small touches like the transparent lantern-like menus, polished red apples and pomegranates for decoration, and a food voyage designed to challenge the senses — both visually and on the palate.
Coming in from the cold, we warmed up with a velvety wild mushroom cream with brioche toast and a festive glass of our Espumante NV, followed by a starter of breaded shrimp, cassava textures, and rocket creamed spinach. We were treated to two elegant and mineral Rieslings 2021: our Atlantic version and the equivalent from one of Austria’s leading names in fine Rieslings: Hirsch! Highly impressive.
The fish course had a more Portuguese Christmas theme: “Festive Bacalhau” — codfish flakes in a creamy sauce with cornbread and crunchy kale from our garden. We were spoiled with another blind tasting, challenging our taste buds between our complex and smoky Arinto 2020 and the amazing Premier Cru Chablis from La Domaine d’Henri 2021 — unforgettable.
Back to the classics (with a twist): Turkey Wellington, nuts, wild mushrooms, and caramelized red onion, drenched in a heavenly fine gravy. We felt truly spoiled with the first appearance of our QSA Reserva 2022, which performed wonderfully!
We rounded off the dinner with a dessert of deep-fried choux pastry with a mascarpone filling and a luxurious dollop of homemade marmalade. James presented Quinta de Sant’Ana Late Harvest 2020 and added a nostalgic touch with an ancient Moscatel, made by our dear caseiro Rogério from our cellar library. Both wines delighted and amazed.
Laughter rose and blended with the music as we toasted and witnessed the official launch of our brand-new Wine Club — it’s filling up faster than we ever imagined!
A heartfelt thank you to our local, loyal, and lovely friends who always show up and bring so much light into the room. You made this night unforgettable. Merry Christmas to all!
