Casa do Paço de Dalvares: Dining Like A Monk

Here I am, dressed for dinner. Yes, that was the proper dress for a dinner I enjoyed during my time in Portugal. Everyone dressed like that and we had quite a fun time, savoring a meal of roast suckling pig. I almost decided to join a monastery and become Brother Richard of the Vines.

We dined at the Casa do Paço de Dalvares, which initially had been a manor house in the 18th century, owned by Egas Moniz, and known as the Honor of Alvares. It is located in Tarouca, in the Valley of Varosa, and now contains the headquarters of the Confraria do Espumante (Sparkling Wine Brotherhood), a Sparkling Wine Museum, and the Tavora Regional Wine Commission. The stone building has a strong medieval feel, almost transporting you back in time.

Some of the fun women from our trip, garbed in the black and white.

We sat at a large, U-shaped setting, being served family style.

We began our dinner with simple bread and water, a nod to the monastic past, and then a salad, with fresh veggies, was served.

The centerpiece of the dinner was Roast Suckling Pig, accompanied by roasted potatoes. Succulent and tender, the pork was absolutely delicious. It came with a container of some type of sauce, which turned out to be fairly spicy, and perfect for the pork. As soon as the suckling pig ran low, they brought out a new plate. Forget endless breadsticks, it is endless roast sucking pig for the win!

Appropriate for the region and the nature of the Casa do Paço, we enjoyed local bubbly from Caves da Murganheira (which I previously reviewed). The Reserve Bruto was dry, crisp and fruity, a pleasant sparkling wine which I enjoyed throughout much of the night. The Malvasia Fina Bruto was more aromatic and floral, with underlying notes of dried fruits.

Plenty of fun, delicious pork, and tasty bubbly. I loved Portugal and can't wait to return.