Cantina de Ventozelo: Restaurante & Wine Bar

As I mentioned in a previous post, we stayed in the Douro region for three nights at the Quinta de Ventozelo. On one of those nights, we dined at their restaurant, the Cantina de Ventozelo, and on another night, we ate at their wine bar. We also enjoyed breakfast there each morning. The spot where the restaurant now stands once was used to feed the farm workers on the estate. Atop a hill, it has great views of the Douro and the Ventozelo vineyards, especially if you sit on the patio. 

The outside patio, where we enjoyed our breakfast in the mornings, and where I previously mentioned two cats walked around, seeking food. 

The interior of the restaurant is elegant, with a rustic flair. 

During our dinner, we enjoyed a few wines from Quinta de Ventozelo. The 2022 Viosinho had more savory notes, accented with some citrus, and a touch of bitterness. Interesting and tasty. The 2021 Rabigato was delicious, being dry, crisp and full of citrus and tropical fruit flavors with a streak of minerality. The 2020 Ventozelo Reserva Tinto was a blend of Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Alicante Bouschet and Sousão. It was bold but restrained, with silky tannins, rich red and black fruit flavors, and a touch of spice. 

The Food Menu changes frequently, dependent on what's seasonally available. In general, the menu has 6 Starters (4-12 Euros) and 7 Mains (20-27 Euros), including vegetable, seafood and meat dishes. 

We began with a Starter, the Escabeche de peixe do rio Douro (Pickled fish from the Douro river). Tender, slightly briny and tart slices of fish with a bunch of fresh and pickled veggies. 

As for Mains, the Frango do Campo Recheado, puré de batata trufado e legumes (Stuffed free-range chicken, truffle mashed potatoes and vegetables) was delicious, with a crispy exterior, and moist, tender chicken, which appeared to be stuffed with possibly some type of pork. The potatoes were creamy, with a rich truffle taste.

The Bacalhau à Zé do Pipo (“Zé do Pipo” cod fish, potato purée and mayonnaise) was also quite tasty, with flaky, salty pieces of cod, a creamy potato puree and onion rings. 

For dessert, we shared the Bolo Borrachão e gelado de vinho do Porto (Cake “Borrachão” with Port wine ice cream). An excellent mix of flavors and textures, with the rich taste of Port. With dessert, I enjoyed a glass of the Dalva 20 Year Old Dry White Port. Complex, relatively dry, with flavors of dried fruits, floral notes, honey and almonds. An excellent wine! More people need to understand the joys of Aged White Port.

The Wine Bar has a different, more casual menu, with Finger Food, Charcuterie/Cheese Boards, Salads and Sandwiches. Everything costs less than 20 Euros, with half the menu costing less than 10 Euros. In the wine bar, there is a large wine chiller, where you can see many of their wines, available by the glass or bottle. It was a relatively quiet area too, and when we dined there, we were the only diners.

We began with the Folar de Vila Real, a traditional charcuterie cake from Vila Real, which is basically bread with pieces of pork baked into it. What's not to enjoy? This is apparently a traditional Easter bread in Portugal, and different regions make their own variations. Although they are generally savory, there are sweet versions as well.  

The Queijo de ovelha e presunto was a sheep cheese & cured ham sandwich, with a hearty rustic bread, creamy cheese, and silky, salty ham. Very tasty. 

The sandwich was accompanied with Batata rústica, French fries. Great, crispy taste with a fluffy interior. 

To accompany these dishes, we thoroughly enjoyed two more Quinta de Ventozelo wines. The 2020 Loci was a blend of 50% Tinta Amarela, 20% Tinta Roriz, 10 % Touriga Nacional, 10% Sousão, and 10% Tinto Cão. The wine was vinified in lagares, and aged in used French oak for about 12 months, and then aged for another 8 months in the bottle. Silky and elegant, with well-balanced and complex flavors, including ripe plum, black berry and raspberry, with hints of spice. A lengthy, pleasing finish with restrained tannins and good acidity. Delicious and compelling.

The 2015 Essência de Ventozelo is a blend of Touriga Nacional and Touriga Franca, which was vilified in stainless steel and aged for 18 months in French oak (50% new/50% used). This was a bigger, bolder wine, with more prominent tannins, rich black fruit flavors, more intense spice notes, including some vanilla, and a long, lingering finish.