Fantastic tour of the Portugal wine country organized and conducted by the Catavino team. Beyond the wonderful private tasting sessions, he also brought us to a delicious lunch at a local Portuguese restaurant. This is a must! Ryan and his team of angels of Catavino created an absolute exceptional itinerary for our group of 10 from Minnesota. I could happily give up the pork and clams as long as I get that residual sauce at the bottom and a loaf of Pão Alentejano to absorb it. It’s the best way to turn them into believers! maybe the best or right up there with a guided trip to Bhutan. I mean pork is good all by its lonesome and clams are famous in soups and pasta; but I assure you, it’s a must have when visiting Portugal, no matter what region you visit. Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email. We would HIGHLY recommend it! It sounds like an unlikely combination; and to some, it’s just plain weird, but consider it the Portuguese version of Surf & Turf. I've traveled the world for food and wine, having many amazing experiences along the way. Si crede che questa ricetta sia nata in Algarve (la regione più a sud del Portogallo) e non in Alentejo (regione a nord di Algarve ed a sud di Lisbona) così come sembra suggerire il suo nome. The tour and experience could not have been better! Vat Number: PT513397051 Doesn't get any more special than that! They show you a true picture of what goes on, busting myths about the wine and... read moreThe Catavino team is world class. They planned the tour around our desires (wine, food, culture) and within our budget requirements. The wine tastings, tours and meals they arranged were all superb. Ryan was a superb guide and our visits included intimate winery visits, lunch with the winemaker and a wonderful walking food tour in Porto. Wonderful winery visits including lunch with winemakers and a wonderful introduction... We loved our multi-day tour with Ryan at Catavino. Catavino also sent us tons of information about Porto to help us with our trip planning. !It is guaranteed to be filled with passion and love, leaving you with a yearning to come back time and time again.Can't recommend this enough. The first name is the most common throughout Portugal, constituting the second designation used in the Alentejo itself. You will not get a stock tour: you will get an experience tailored to your interests and tastes.Ryan will take you to places you cannot enter as a tourist on your own. If I spot Carne de Porco à Alentejana scrawled on it, I know exactly what I’m having, no questions asked. we ate and drank superbly. It was a stress free vacation and top notch the entire trip! One single taste of the savory pork intermixed with slightly sweet clams and I’m set for life! we have been many exotic places and serious hikes. The Catavino team is world class. Stir and let marinate overnight. An unlikely combination, at least to me. & we laughed for days. Place potato in a soup plate or shallow bowl with plenty of the pork and clams on top and lots of sauce. One of our guests summed it up like this during one of our lunches, "Patti, I feel like I've died and gone to heaven. Join our mailing list to receive the Recipes of Portuguese Food. Maria and Bruno were so informed and interesting and funny. They understood what our visit meant to us & offered us fantastic guides & activities. we have been many exotic places and serious hikes. The tour was a highlight of our trip. Para mais receitas clique aqui. maybe the best or right up there with a guided trip to Bhutan. But Ryan Opaz is not all of Catavino. While the clams are steaming in the pork and sauce, prepare the batatas fritas. Aproveite o que sobra e leve para o trabalho ♥ Todos os portugueses adoram esta receita fácil. They then completely exceeded our expectations. Our tour with Ryan as our guide to the Douro Valley was spectacular. The Douro Valley is breathtakingly beautiful and our guides were wonderful. They were quick to respond to my inquiry and communicated with us throughout the process. Our tour guide, Ryan Opaz, was extremely knowledgeable about the wines, the Quintas, the history of Port and Portuguese table wine and the country of Portugal. Catavino designed an amazing tour for our private group. We had the chance to meet one very young producer (Oscar Quevedo: thanks!) It was an overall wonderful experience. These pigs didn’t just have a better diet though. read less - 6/09/2018, What an amazing trip with a fantastic group of people. Yes. Tons of fun and very interesting. Once the clams open, season with salt and pepper and simmer 1 minute. We flew in to Lisbon, spent a couple days there then moved up to Porto for a couple days, the Douro Valley for a few and finished in Cervães in the northern region. I guess that’s a reason to do it again read less - 10/10/2017, We just completed a Fall Harvest tour that was organized and led by Catavino Tours. Doesn't get any more special than that! If you don’t know much about this pig, maybe you’ve heard of the Spanish Jamon Iberico, a cured ham with similarities to presunto. The meat is fried and served mixed with already cooked clams. Fantastic, approved by an italian! read less - 6/30/2017, We were part of the 2016 Harvest Tour and had the experience of a lifetime! But Ryan Opaz is not all of Catavino. In every region we were treated to tours and excursions that were "off the beaten path" that we never would have found on our own. They understood what our visit meant to us & offered us fantastic guides & activities. It was such fun eating our way through Porto with them both. The guides in the Quintas and Port Houses learn from Ryan, not the other way around.American? Recently back from a Fall Harvest Wine & Food Tour in northern Portugal. Allow to marinate at least 6 hours and up to 24 hours. We booked a food tour in Porto through Catalina. The entire experience was wonderful and met all of our expectations. Echoing the comments of the previous reviews below, my wife and I experienced one memorable experience topped each day by the next memorable experience. With a tastier meat, because the pigs were eating cork oak acorns, not pork Algarve, which were fed with the remains of fish. read less - 2/06/2020, Lucy and her Catavino team have now set me up with two completely different trips in two years, both of which were perfectly executed. Kudos to Catavino for a wonderful and supremely well organized trip. If you’re not coming to Portugal for a sumptuous food tour, then follow our recipe for a taste of Portuguese cuisine at home! Ryan was a superb guide and our visits included intimate winery visits, lunch with the winemaker and a wonderful walking food tour in Porto. Finally, the food was amazing and included several dinners and lunches with wine makers who were personally know by Ryan. However, don’t let the name fool you – this dish actually originates from the Algarve region.The key to Carne de Porco à Alentejana … I felt very good about having her in Catavino's hands.... read moreAna arranged a trip for my client through Portugal. We traveled with our guests in air-conditioned comfort and with a superb, English-speaking driver. I also credit them with two of the most incredible tasting experiences of my life. and we all agreed that our Catavino Portugal 3 week trip with Ryan was outstanding. Here the pigs’ diet mainly consisted of cork oak acorns thus creating gorgeous tasting meat. From our first winery visit to grape stomping to our splendid view from our hotel in the Douro Valley, the Catavino team left no details behind. Our tour guide, Ryan Opaz, was extremely knowledgeable about the wines, the Quintas, the history of Port and Portuguese table wine and the country of Portugal. My client is a single woman traveling alone and she had the time of her life! Fantastic tour! Catavino designed an amazing tour for our private group. read less - 6/17/2019, You have to check this out!! Thank you! At every stop we were met by friendly, professional drivers, wonderful private English speaking tour guides, great 4 & 5 star hotels and of course amazing food and wine. Sal grosso q.b. For our trip to Portugal my wife and I wanted insider access to the best experiences without getting bogged down in too many touristy things. Kudos to Catavino for a wonderful and supremely well organized trip. The tour included several days in and... We just completed a Fall Harvest tour that was organized and led by Catavino Tours. The Algarvians cooks gave this name to the dish to indicate that the meat used was pig of Alentejo. The team at Catavino have an uncommonly detailed and up to date list of recommendations that they tailored for us based on our requirements and when we would be traveling. They understood what our visit meant to us & offered us fantastic guides & activities. We were able to see many parts of this beautiful... read moreWe had a very enjoyable trip to Portugal. Let it cook until the tomatoes and onions are cooked. They are able to arrange experiences that you would not be able to arrange for yourself.