My fourth trip to Portugal this year took my wife and me back to the Douro Valley, but this time we also visited the Dão, the wine-growing region a little further south inland, which some already cautiously refer to as "Portugal's Tuscany". We met four promising winemakers, both familiar and new, and brought back a wonderful selection of fantastic wines that I am sure you will enjoy!

The fact that a new generation of winemakers has taken the reins in Portugal over the last few years has now also become known in Germany. As part of our Festa Portuguesa – an open wine tasting – we would like to introduce you to our favorite Portuguese wines. But it won't be us doing the introducing, but rather the winemakers themselves, who will be visiting us for this occasion: Rita Marques Ferreira (Conceito, Alto Douro), Louis Vegas Louro (Adega do Monte Branco, Alentejo) and Antonio Madeira (Dão). There are 10 wines on the tasting list. And Anabela Campos-Neves from anabela's Kitchen will be taking care of the refreshments with delicious petiscos!

We visited Fromagerie Janier in Lyon, with whom we have been working together from the very beginning. Once a week, a large pallet of French raw milk cheese arrives at our place, having been stored and aged in the Janiers’ cheese cellars to ensure it meets the highest quality standards. This process is known as affinage. We wanted to see what goes on behind the scenes…

On her journey through France, Anaïs visits some of our suppliers. This time she visits the family-run Charcuterie Mayté in the Pyrenees, where we sample various salamis and, of course, the delicious Basque ham. She also, of course, tries a typical regional specialty – Piment d'Espelette, the only European chili variety!