Sometimes a visit into wine country is ultimately about indulging – and a trip to L’And Vineyards in Portugal’s Alentejo couldn’t be anything but. This vineyard came onto the map as such because of its kitchen – where an innovative young Portuguese chef created a tasting menu combining local Alentejo ingredients and flavours with an Asian-inspired twist. Miguel Laffan was the first chef in the Alentejo to be awarded a Michelin star, catapulting one of Portugal’s poorest and least populated regions into the limelight and putting it on the bucket list for foodies and wine lovers.
The brand new hotel – just 7 years young – has its luxury villas smartly landscaped into the sloping hillsides overlooking a lake, outdoor swimming pool and a garden of old vines (where several different varieties have been ‘re-homed’). Each suite features an enormous living room, private plunge pool and some have a remote-controlled ‘sky ceiling’ directly above the bed where you can roll back the ceiling to uncover a pristine patch of Portuguese sunshine and blue sky by day, or a star-filled sky by night. While the spa resort certainly demands some attention, most of the buzz is actually about the restaurant, where chef Miguel’s 24-strong team serve up a tasting menu of 8 courses and wines – each offering a different taste of Alentejo and beyond.
L’And Vineyards: creative pairings & colourful reinventions of Portuguese cuisine
I settled down to my table under hanging copper chandeliers and was served an array of salted and spiced local almonds, local olive oil and my own pot of delicious local cheese (of the best kind – the kind you have to eat with a spoon). It was served with a rich Douro sparkling white, and followed by a tasty array of beautifully presented bites – a Magdalena cake mashed with smoked sausage and topped with a fresh pea ice cream; a pastry cigar filled with perfectly seasoned veal tartare; a steamed oyster served in a flavourful Japanese dashi which was an umami explosion in the mouth; and finally flaked cod encased in cuttlefish ink pastry.
This was before the menu had even officially began…
The first dish of the tasting menu is what Miguel calls his ‘surf ‘n turf’ option. A slender slice of pork terrine is topped with a tartare of langoustine and dressed with puree of carrot, bergamot and fennel and a passionfruit coulis. If those words aren’t making your mouth water, then you can add a tropical and fresh glass of Alentejo Verdelho on top. The richness of the pork was cut with bright fresh fruit flavours on the plate and glass, and translucent langoustine was the cherry on the cake. Miguel says that the langoustine here “have so much flavour they are better served raw!” Amen to that.
Next up was Miguel’s take on a traditional ‘empada’ (pie) from the Alentejo region. The big difference is the bun: an ‘empada’ typically uses a thick pie pastry but in this case, the bun was a steamed bao bun filled with traditional game-stuffing and then served with a rich miso beneath and foie gras shaved over the top. It’s a flavourful interpretation of a traditional dish which paired nicely with a slightly salty, coastal Chardonnay from Lisbon.
Now before describing the next dish, I should explain that every single meal I’ve ever eaten at a dinner table in Portugal has soup as one course. So it was no surprise that even in a Michelin star restaurant in Portugal, soup is part of the menu. The surprise, however, is that Miguel channels his flair for Asian cuisine in this ‘Taiwan Soup’. An aromatic and rich TUM YUM broth, this dish is comfort in a bowl. A perfectly rolled fold of angel hair noodles with delicate prawns and baby mushrooms bring a delicacy to this otherwise sumptuous dish. The L’And sommelier team pairs this with a wine that they describe as slightly ‘spicier’ – an Alvarinho from Vinho Verde. I am not sure I would describe Albariño as spicy, but the aromatic fruit and creamy lees actually worked beautifully with the lime zest and coconut milk in the broth.
The next dish was a striking plate of lobster with seaweed powder, butter sauce and fennel tartare – a delicious combination of buttery lobster (with butter) and irresistible aniseed notes. Paired with a more austere Douro white blend – this is a case of mountain meets sea with delicious results.
The fish continued into the next dish in one of Portugal’s cuisine staples – cod. Served with a creamy foam, rich oyster tartare and fresh seasonal spring-time greens and herbs, my mind would automatically send me to a white wine pairing but the sommelier’s choice of a light and crunchy red blend from Casa do Mouraz in the Dao was spot on. It also really pleased me to see Casa do Mouraz on the menu because this is a winery I had written about last year when they were hit by devastating fires which destroyed their winery, vines and wines. They are still fundraising to try and rebuild their wine production, so any support through donations, purchase power or otherwise is definitely a good thing.
The next wine in the menu came from a more local producer, back in the Alentejo, Quinta de la Torre 2014 whose Touriga Nacional and Alicante Bouchet blend offered a complex and suitable companion to a smoked, tandoori lamb fillet with exotic tamarind and saffron sides. Alicante Bouchet is one of the highlights of the red wine scene in Alentejo and it was great to taste it in this setting, and with a little bit of age which had already added appetising leather and spice aromas.
And to end the meal, you really can’t skip a fortified wine in Portugal. To seal the menu, a glass of Carcavelos – a deliciously nutty, fruity and sweet blend, this is southern Portugal’s answer to a tawny Port and quite scrumptious. Especially when served with playful desserts like banana ice-cream and honeycomb, followed by a ‘lychee in the sky’ dessert of pear, lychee, yoghurt and caramelised pinenut. The finish delivered showmanship and flavour.
After my delicious wine dinner – which I’m not embarrassed to admit I enjoyed on a romantic evening all to myself – I wobbled to my room, threw myself onto the bed, opened the sky ceiling and enjoyed a wine-induced starry slumber, still savouring all the flavours from this very special part of land in the Alentejo.
Alentejo wines
I enjoyed a Sunday morning tasting with L’And Vineyards’ resident wine expert Cristina Oliveira to discuss some of the different wine styles and varieties found in the Alentejo wine region. Here’s our live video interview and wine tasting:
How Miguel Laffan found his food-home in Alentejo
Born in the coastal region of Cascais near Lisbon, chef Miguel Laffan is actually best known for his culinary adventures in the Alentejo region where he made his name – and his Michelin star – at L’And Vineyards restaurant. I interviewed him in the garden about some of his culinary inspirations and the beautiful ingredients you can find in Alentejo (along with some of his favourite wine pairings!)
My visit to L’And Vineyards was in association with Wine Paths: offering luxury and exclusive wine tours and experiences in wine regions around the world. You can book your own visit online here.
