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Welcome New Year!

One we hope is full of cheer

And of far travels for you

And great experiences too!

Dream that two thousand 18

Brings you sights you’ve not seen?

And tastes of local food,

Or dining a la Michelin mood?

Dream of Portugal, Spain,

Stroll a French country lane?

Take a walk through the vines

And sip fine top class wines?

Well, there’s no need to dream,

Contact your Gourmand Breaks team

As we’ve got lots to share

To take your dream there.

Nerua Interior

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At Gourmand Breaks we are specialist Food, Wine and Cultural Private Tour creators, custom designing exclusive trip itineraries just for you!

On our website you will find many great sample Food, Wine and Cultural Private Tours in Spain, Portugal and SW France, to give you ideas. But, remember, while these samples are all “ready to wear” we can modify any to suit your preferences or build your personal ideal Private Food, Wine and Cultural Tour Itinerary from scratch!

Don’t delay, contact us today :-)

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Spain, Portugal and SW France are three great Wine Producing Countries and home to some of the most famous names in the wine-making world. Big, complex wines with character, style and quality are just waiting to be tasted in Bordeaux, La Rioja, Priorat, Penedes, Ribera del Duero, Alentejo, Douro Valley

… and you can visit some (or all) of these fantastic wine regions of Spain, Portugal and SW France on a Private Luxury Wine Tour like our Wine Lovers Tour of Portugal, Spain & France

Spain, Portugal and SW France are just the ticket to visit top wine estates and meet vineyard owners and in-house experts who lovingly show you into their world – a big world at that!

Spain has many Wine Appellations known as “DO’s”, Denominaciones de Origen, but just two of them have been distinguished as “qualified”, meaning that their quality standards are a bit higher than the rest: DOC (Denominación de Origen Calificada) Rioja and DOQ (Denominació d’Origen Qualificada) Priorat. Aging is a very important aspect of Spanish wines so Spain has an aging classification system as well, meaning you will find Crianza, Reserva or Gran Reserva on the label too.

Portugal is divided into 14 Regional Wine areas: Vinho Verde, Trás-os-Montes, Porto and Douro, Távora-Varosa, Bairrada, Dão, Beira Interior, Lisboa, Tejo, Península de Setúbal, Alentejo, Algarve, Açores and Madeira. Portuguese wine is categorized using the ‘DOC’ (Denominação de Origem Controlada) system meaning Controlled Denomination of Origin. In the Douro there are separate DOCs for unfortified wine and for Port, although geographically they both lie within the same boundaries.

In France the appellation d’origine contrôlée “AOC” meaning “controlled designation of origin” sets the rules and today there are hundreds of AOC’s. In France there is a further classification system, existing mostly for Burgundy and Bordeaux, in which the quality of their AOC wines is further rated. In Bordeaux this is the Cru, also referred to as ‘growths’ of which there are five levels, attached to particular chateaux.

So you see there’s a lot going on behind that bottle of wine on your table, standards to adhere to and rules to follow.

Discover some of the best wine regions in Spain, Portugal and/or France on a Private Wine tour designed just for you – the wine enthusiast – and sip fine wine in the Mediterranean breeze, along the left bank of the Gironde or visit the vineyards and cellars of century’s old family owned wineries!

From Crasto Winery Barrels

We received a wonderful newspaper clipping in the post recently, from one of our lovely Australian guests, and we’d love to share it with you.

The article, published in print as “The Power of the Pig” and on-line as “Extract: My Year Without Meat” by “The Australian” newspaper,  includes the powerful Spanish custom of ham, and also talks about a visit to one of our favorite ham producers in Andalusia.

Here’s the website link to the “The Australian” on-line article:

Extract: My Year Without Meat

 

Join us on a Private Food, Wine and Cultural Tour, like our Majestic Madrid and Authentic Andalucia Tour, and you too could be tasting the delicious jamon right at the source!

 

Once upon a time a local man, named Francisco Ferreira, had a dream! He wanted to own his very own vineyard in the beautiful Douro Valley.

quinta-do-popa-view

Francisco, nicknamed Pôpa, was the illegitimate son of a wealthy winemaker and his veins were filled with the wine and soil of the Douro.

Pôpa worked hard and helped his mother on his father’s vineyard by carrying grape filled baskets to the old lagares (wine presses).  Pôpa was a simple soul but lived in sadness, hoping that one day his father would recognize him as his child.  All the while Francisco dreamed of owning his own estate and producing his own wine, a dream he never managed to fulfill in life.

In 2003, however, his son, José Ferreira, also known as Zeca do Pôpa, fulfilled the dream of his father, a dream that had also been passed on to him.

He started to put together smallholdings, common in the agricultural structure of northern Portugal, and acquire small plots of mostly old vineyards, as well as planting new vines and olive groves. The vines, being planted on the terraced hills above the magnificent Douro River, were blessed with a favorable climate and a high quality soil.

A true vineyard was formed, a vineyard in one of the best locations in the oldest recognized wine region of the world, and he named the vineyard in honor of his father, Quinta do Pôpa!

Built with both great economic effort and enthusiasm, the first harvest took place in 2007.

Today, Francisco’s grandchildren, Stéphane and Vanessa Ferreira, head the team at Quinta do Pôpa and keep the wheels turning with enthusiasm, charisma and commitment for producing signature wines in the family name.

 

The estate now occupies 30 hectares of land, 14 of which are vineyards. Both sophisticated techniques and traditional methods are used and despite the short number of years that Quinta do Pôpa has been active; this young estate has now established itself as a quality winemaker!

Red, White and Rosé wines are produced with love and precision and some innovative and special edition products will delight your senses such as:

QUINTA DO PÔPA HOMENAGEM: The tribute of tributes, named in honor of Francisco Ferreira! This powerful and robust red demonstrates good structure and complexity.

PÔPA TINTO DOCE:  The 1st Sweet Red Wine from the Douro which is a tribute to the women of the Pôpa Family.

PÔPA VV:  made exclusively out of the old vines, aged over 80 years, and trodden by foot, this complex red wine is simply called VV, for Vinhas Velhas (old vines).

A fascinating history, warm welcome, fantastic views and great wines await you at Quinta do Pôpa!

We will be delighted to include a visit to Quinta do Pôpa for you in your private customized tour itinerary or in any of our sample itineraries that take in the beautiful Douro Valley, Portugal.

A small bar in the Spanish city of San Sebastian may just be home to the World’s Best Cheesecake!!!

We all know that the Basque Country is a gastronomic paradise and San Sebastian is a foodie mecca. Therefore, it’s no surprise that we hear our guests “oooh” and “ahhh” over devilish pintxos and delicious desserts as their journeys take them to the North of Spain.

If you’ve been to San Sebastian, or are dreaming of going, why not try this spectacular, yet simple, cheesecake recipe at home to excite your taste-buds.

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Ingredients for La Vina’s Famous Cheesecake Recipe

  • Butter, softened, for greasing tin
  • 7 whole eggs
  • 1kg Philadelphia cream cheese
  • 400g castor sugar
  • 1 tbsp flour
  • 500ml cream

 

Method for La Vina’s Famous Cheesecake Recipe

  • Preheat the oven to 220C.
  • Lightly grease a 25cm springform tin with butter.
  • Line the bottom and sides of tin with baking paper; allow the paper to come 2-3cm above the edge of the sides.
  • Using a pastry brush, grease the paper with softened butter.
  • Crack the eggs into a bowl and mix well.
  • Using an electric mixer, work cream cheese until smooth.
  • Add the beaten eggs slowly; making sure each egg is incorporated into the cheese before adding more.
  • Pour in sugar, flour and cream.
  • Blend well until smooth.
  • Pour mixture into the lined cake tin.
  • Bake for 50 minutes.
  • Remove from oven and allow to cool completely in the tin before taking out of the tin.

 

Taste the famous Cheesecake of the Authentic La Viña of San Sebastian on one of our Private Food, Wine and Cultural Tours. Contact us for your personalised itinerary, to include San Sebastian, and you too could be exciting your taste-buds with this creamy delight!

The Cipriani Wall Street in New York was the venue for the prestigious awards ceremony for The World’s Best Restaurants 2016 list.  RESULTS ARE IN and there’s a NEW Nº 1 Restaurant in The World’s Best Restaurants 2016 list !!

osteria

Congratulations to Osteria Francescana and chef Massimo Bottura  for claiming the Number One spot, and for becoming the 1st Italian Restaurant ever to become the World’s Number 1 Restaurant.

El Celler de Can Roca drops to 2nd place and the 3rd place goes to Eleven Madison Park. Here’s the COMPLETE FULL 1-50 The World’s Best Restaurants 2016 list:

  1. Osteria Francescana, Modena (Italy) – WORLD’S BEST RESTAURANT AND BEST RESTAURANT IN EUROPE
  2. El Celler de Can Roca, Girona (Spain)
  3. Eleven Madison Park, New York (USA) – BEST RESTAURANT IN NORTH AMERICA
  4. Central, Lima (Peru) – BEST RESTAURANT IN SOUTH AMERICA
  5. Noma, Copenhagen (Denmark)
  6. Mirazur, Menton (France)
  7. Mugaritz, San Sebastian (Spain)
  8. Narisawa, Tokyo (Japan) – BEST RESTAURANT IN ASIA
  9. Steirereck, Vienna (Austria)
  10. Asador Etxebarri, Atxondo (Spain)
  11. D.O.M., Sao Paulo (Brazil)
  12. Quintonil, Mexico City (Mexico)
  13. Maido, Lima (Peru) – HIGHEST CLIMBER AWARD
  14. The Ledbury, London (UK)
  15. Alinea, Chicago (USA)
  16. Azurmendi, Larrabetzu (Spain)
  17. Piazza Duomo, Alba (Italy)
  18. White Rabbit, Moscow (Russia)
  19. Arpège, Paris (France)
  20. Amber, Hong Kong (Hong Kong)
  21. Arzak, San Sebastian (Spain)
  22. The Test Kitchen, Cape Town (South Africa) – BEST RESTAURANT IN AFRICA
  23. Gaggan, Bangkok (Thailand)
  24. Le Bernardin, New York (USA)
  25. Pujol, Mexico City (Mexico)
  26. The Clove Club, London (UK)
  27. Saison, San Francisco (USA)
  28. Geranium, Copenhagen (Denmark)
  29. Tickets, Barcelona (Spain)
  30. Astrid Y Gastón, Lima (Peru)
  31. Nihonryori RyuGin, Tokyo (Japan)
  32. Restaurant André, Singapore (Singapore)
  33. Attica, Melbourne (Australia) – BEST RESTAURANT IN AUSTRALASIA
  34. Restaurant Tim Raue, Berlin (Germany)
  35. Vendôme, Bergisch Gladbach (Germany)
  36. Boragò, Santiago (Chile)
  37. Nahm, Bangkok (Thailand)
  38. De Librije, Zwolle (Netherlands)
  39. Le Calandre, Rubano (Italy)
  40. Relae, Copenhagen (Denmark) – SUSTAINABLE RESTAURANT AWARD
  41. Fäviken, Järpen (Sweden)
  42. Ultraviolet, Shanghai (China)
  43. Biko, Mexico City (Mexico)
  44. Estela, New York (USA)
  45. Dinner by Heston Blumenthal, London (UK)
  46. Combal.Zero, Rivoli (Italy)
  47. Schloss Schauenstein, Fürstenau (Switzerland)
  48. Blue Hill at Stone Barns, Tarrytown (USA)
  49. Quique Dacosta, Denia (Spain)
  50. Septime, Paris (France)

 

51- 100. And remember, there’s more, here is the World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2016 FULL LIST 51-100

Congratulations to our great Spanish Superchefs for their fantastic World rated restaurants and another year in the prestigious list!

 

worlds best 50

Next year, 2017, the World’s 50 Best Restaurants Awards Ceremony will be heading to Melbourne, Australia!!!

We have many fine dining opportunities for you all over Spain and / or Portugal.  Any of our sample private Gourmand Breaks Private Food, Wine and Cultural Tours gives you the chance of fine dining – contact us for your personalized quote!.

RESULTS ARE IN for the World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2016 FULL LIST 51-100!!!

At Number 55 for the World’s Best Restaurants List 2016 is:

NERUA, Bilbao  – a Michelin 1 star restaurant at the hands of Josean Alija!!!

Josean Alija

Nerua

Nerua dish

The World’s 50 Best Restaurants List 1-50  will be awarded at a grand ceremony in New York, on the 13th of June and we’ll keep you posted!

We have many fine dining opportunities for you all over Spain and / or Portugal.  Any of our sample private Gourmand Breaks Private Food, Wine and Cultural Tours gives you the chance of fine dining – contact us for your personalized quote!.

RESULTS ARE IN for the World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2016 FULL LIST 51-100!!!

At Number 78 for the World’s Best Restaurants List 2016 is:

BELCANTO, Lisbon – a Michelin 2 star restaurant at the hands of José Avillez!!!

Belcanto - Lisboa

A dish by José Avillez at Belcanto © Vasco Célio

A dish by José Avillez at Belcanto © Vasco Célio

The World’s 50 Best Restaurants List 1-50  will be awarded at a grand ceremony in New York, on the 13th of June and we’ll keep you posted!

We have many fine dining opportunities for you all over Spain and / or Portugal.  Any of our sample private Gourmand Breaks Private Food, Wine and Cultural Tours gives you the chance of fine dining – contact us for your personalized quote!.

RESULTS ARE IN for the The World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2016 places 51-100!!!!!

The NEW World’s 50 Best Restaurants Awards 2016 1- 50 will be presented next week but, hot off the press,  here’s the NEW World’s 50 Best Restaurants FULL COMPLETE LIST 2016 51- 100:

No.51 MANÍ – SÃO PAULO, BRAZIL

No.52 PER SE – NEW YORK, USA

No.53 HOF VAN CLEVE – KRUISHOUTEM, BELGIUM

No.54 THE JANE – ANTWERP, BELGIUM

No.55 NERUA – BILBAO, SPAIN

No.56 MIKLA – ISTANBUL, TURKEY

No.57 L’ASTRANCE – PARIS, FRANCE

No.58 ALAIN DUCASSE AU PLAZA ATHÉNÉE – PARIS, FRANCE

No.59 MARTÍN BERASATEGUI – LASARTE-ORIA, SPAIN

No.60 HEDONE – LONDON, UK

No.61 MAAEMO – OSLO, NORWAY

No.62 LA GRENOUILLERE – LA MADELAINE SOUS MONTREUIL, FRANCE

No.63 AQUA – WOLFSBURG, GERMANY

No.64 LASAI – RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL

No.65= BRAE – BIRREGURRA, AUSTRALIA

No.65= LYLE’S – LONDON, UK

No.67 THE RESTAURANT AT MEADOWOOD – ST. HELENA, USA

No.68 TEGUI – BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA

No.69 EPICURE – PARIS, FRANCE

No.70 BURNT ENDS – SINGAPORE

No.71 DANIEL – NEW YORK, USA

No.72 PAVILLON LEDOYEN – PARIS, FRANCE

No.73 HERTOG JAN – BRUGES, BELGIUM

No.74 LE CHATEAUBRIAND – PARIS, FRANCE

No.75 TWINS – MOSCOW, RUSSIA

No.76 LA COLOMBE – CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA

No.77 DEN – TOKYO, JAPAN

No.78 BELCANTO – LISBON, PORTUGAL

No.79 DIVERXO – MADRID, SPAIN

No.80 L’ATELIER SAINT-GERMAIN DE JOËL ROBUCHON PARIS – PARIS, FRANCE

No.81 CHEF’S TABLE AT BROOKLYN FARE – NEW YORK, USA

No.82 HAJIME – OSAKA, JAPAN

No.83 MANRESA – LOS GATOS, USA

No.84 REALE – CASTEL DI SANGRO, ITALY

No.85 THE FRENCH LAUNDRY – YOUNTVILLE, USA

No.86 8 1/2 OTTO E MEZZO BOMBANA – HONG KONG, CHINA

No.87 INDIAN ACCENT – DELHI, INDIA

No.88 DIE SCHWARZWALDSTUBE – BAIERSBRONN, GERMANY

No.89= ZUMA – DUBAI, UAE

No.89= BENU – SAN FRANCISCO, USA

No.91 ST JOHN – LONDON, UK

No.92 QUINTESSENCE – TOKYO, JAPAN

No.93 DANIEL BERLIN – SKÅNE TRANÅS, SWEDEN

No.94 BRAS – LAGUIOLE, FRANCE

No.95 L’EFFERVESCENCE – TOKYO, JAPAN

No.96 COSME – NEW YORK, USA

No.97 MOMOFUKU KO – NEW YORK, USA

No.98 QUAY – SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA

No.99 LA PETITE MAISON – DUBAI, UAE

No.100 CHESTNAYA KUHNYA – MOSCOW, RUSSIA

 

We’ll keep you updated on the results of The World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2016  1- 50 (June 13th 2016 live from New York).

We have many fine dining opportunities for you all over Spain and / or Portugal. Any of our sample private Gourmand Breaks Private Food, Wine and Cultural Tours gives you the chance of fine dining – contact us for your personalized quote!.

What’s Hot? – What’s Not? – Who’s cooking what in the pot?

The World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2016 list is coming in June!!  El Celler de Can Roca, Girona (Spain)  is THE current World’s Best Restaurant 2015. In fact,  Spain holds 10% of the  1- 100 list of the World’s Best Restaurants, as awarded by Restaurant Magazine in 2015! We recently gave you the current placings for the 10 Spanish Restaurants featuring in the current Top 100 World’s Best Restaurants , but what about Portugal?

There are some great restaurants in Portugal but while Spain sparkles with Michelin stars, the French  Red Guide has only awarded 14 of them with Michelin Starred status, and, of those 14 only 2 have made it into the World’s Best Restaurants list:

Belcanto - Lisboa

 

91. Belcanto, Lisbon (Portugal)

Acclaimed the best restaurant in Portugal and is the flagship restaurant of young talented chef José Avillez  – the first Portuguese chef to obtain the Michelin 2 Star Restaurant honor in Portugal.  Belcanto entered the list last year in 91st place.

Can we expect Belcanto to climb up the chart in The World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2016?

 

98. Vila Joya, Albufeira (Portugal)

Dieter Koschina holds two Michelin stars, since 1999, for his Algarve restaurant ! However, it seems the World’s Best 50 list is not so favorable as after climbing up and up and up –  2011 at nº 79,   2012 at nº 45,  2013 at nº37 and  2014 at nº22 – Vila Joya dropped a whopping 71 places last year to 98th place!

What does The World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2016 list hold for Vila Joya, in, or out?

 

Dieter Koschina Dish

 

We’ll keep you updated on the results of The World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2016  (June 13th 2016 live from New York) but in the meantime over the next couple of weeks we’ll be taking a look at the Spanish and Portuguese movers and shakers in our Gourmand Breaks series “A la Crème de la Crème”

There are literally thousands of restaurants all over the world – hundreds of thousands! – and acclaimed Restaurant Magazine narrows it down to organize, compile and present, year after year, The World’s 50 Best Restaurants Awards and List. This prestigious list, coming up to its 14th year,  is an annual recollection of the opinions and experiences of over 900 international restaurant industry experts and the ceremony is attended by the world’s finest chefs, international media and the world’s most influential restaurateurs.

This year, 2016, sees the awards ceremony being presented from the United States of America, the first time the ceremony has moved from its beginnings in England from London! Will the Roca Brothers hold on to Number 1 for The World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2016?  

Experience Top Restaurant dining opportunities on one of our Private Food, Wine and Cultural Tours  where you will have the chance to indulge in the best restaurants in Spain and Portugal!  Contact us for your personalized quote.