The current issue of luxury travel magazine Virtuoso Life is its annual edition entirely devoted to Europe, and it includes a 3-page article about Portugal’s Madeira wine (last year’s issue had Lisbon on the cover). Madeira is a centuries-old wine from the Portuguese island of the same name, made internationally famous through British importers, having even been the wine used by America’s founding fathers to toast the Declaration of Independence. The article recommends six “Madeiras,” but if you can’t find those where you live, you can always look for them on a trip to Portugal. This is a wine that the most dedicated oenophiles know well, but if you’re just discovering it, this article is a great introduction.
The magazine also makes a hotel recommendation for a trip to Madeira, the legendary Reid’s Palace Hotel, where Winston Churchill was known to write his war memoirs. You can read the article and the entire issue of the magazine here: Virtuoso Life magazine – Madeira Wine

From now until February 28th you can have a glass of wine as you admire one of the best views of Lisbon after a day of sightseeing, conferences, or work in the city. Every day at 5PM, Hotel do Chiado‘s special “After Work Wine Experience” will offer Portuguese wines at its rooftop “Entretanto Bar” which has one of the most beautiful views of Lisbon, from the river to the castle and uptown. The wine is served by the glass starting at €2.50, and you may choose among reds, whites, and sparkling wines — all from Portugal. Each comes with an accompanying snack or tapa, and on some days there will also be live music (mostly jazz and bossa nova). That’s the perfect ambience and the perfect setting for the most perfect end to your day or start of your night in Lisbon.
While this event is open to everyone, if you’re a guest at the hotel, you can have just a few extra drinks, since your bed will not be too far away. More hotel information here: Hotel do Chiado.

From October 30th to November 1st, Lisbon will bring together wine writers, winemakers, foodies, wine retailers and distributors from around the world for a special wine conference. Lisbon is of course the capital of a great wine country, whose labels have become more popular and of a higher quality each new year, and participants of the conference will be able to sample the unique diversity of Portuguese wines together with a wide range of international labels. If you love all kinds of wine, you may take a look at the conference’s website to find out how you can participate in it. You’ll stay at the Hotel VIP Grand Lisboa and visit a wine region while also sampling traditional and contemporary Portuguese cuisine along the way.
GoLisbon.com has joined the organization in guiding the conference participants through Lisbon, by providing a number of suggestions for days and nights around the city. Those suggestions have been posted over the summer on their website and you may want to check them out for some extra Lisbon ideas even if you won’t be able to be part of the conference:

5 Best Wine Shops in Lisbon

A Night Out in Lisbon’s Alfama

Three Laid-Back Wine Bars in Lisbon

After being closed for a few months, restaurant Cravo e Canela (“Clove and Cinnamon”) in Bairro Alto has reopened, refreshed with a new menu. The dishes have changed, but the fusion of Portuguese and international flavors remains the same, as does the intimate ambience. The décor is made up of candelabra, oriental sculptures, and mirrors surrounding the dark furnishings, where you sit as you listen to a soundtrack of chill-out, jazz, or fado tunes. That’s the perfect setting for a long, relaxed dinner that’s guaranteed to be one of the most memorable among Bairro Alto restaurant experiences. 

Start with the octopus carpaccio as an appetizer as I did, and let the knowledgeable staff suggest the perfect wine to go along with your meal. I was recommended a Callabriga Douro, a red wine from the north of Portugal. It went well with the main entrées that later arrived at my table, a vegetable risotto and a shrimp açorda (the traditional Portuguese bread stew).

The menu had other tempting options, under meat, fish, and risotto listings, and for lovers of the more exotic (and spicier) flavors, the Thai curry shrimps will sound tempting and is perhaps my likely choice on a return visit. But next time we’ll have to repeat one of the desserts that completed our meal, the chocolate chiffon. That generous slice of cake was shared at the table, but I was also curious about the rice pudding and ice cream combination, and ordered that. The pudding comes in a thin cup, with strips of lemon providing a little extra flavor mixed in. The ball of ice cream that stands next to it on a plate is usually vanilla, but I requested it be lemon-flavor instead. It was a wise choice, and one that matched the chocolate chiffon in satisfying the taste buds. The apple lasagne also sounded interesting, but that was also left for next time.

The owners seem to have made comfort and customer satisfaction a top priority, and those who don’t want to leave after dinner may choose to move on to the bar. They may stand or sit there with a drink, as they watch the streets of Bairro Alto become filled for the usual bar hop through the night.

The bar, the inviting and comfortable ambience, the inventive flavors on the menu, and the attentive service is just the right fusion to make Cravo e Canela one of the sure bets for a night in Bairro Alto.