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Carcavelos: Salt-lined sweetness from the ‘Portuguese Riviera’

The Lisbon wine region of Carcavelos used to produce some of Portugal's most sought-after wines. But as its vineyards were lost to urban sprawl it almost went extinct. Sarah Ahmed details how it survived and the winemakers taking steps to preserve this viticultural inheritance.

The undulating 20-mile stretch between Lisbon and Cascais – known as Estoril Coast (after the coastal town of the same name) and dubbed ‘the Portuguese Riviera’ – is fêted for having 18 sandy beaches and one of Europe’s highest concentration of world-class surf.

However, during the 18th and 19th centuries, Cascais, Carvavelos and Oeiras, three of the coastline’s then rural villages, were mostly celebrated for the latter’s eponymous fortified wine.

When production peaked in the late 18th century, Carcavelos was shipped to England – with pride of place at Christie’s auctions – Brazil and the USA and, more controversially, sold to Douro producers for blending with Port.


Sarah Ahmed’s notes and scores for an exclusive selection of Carcavelos wines below



See Sarah Ahmed’s notes and scores for Carcavelos wines

Wines in descending score order


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