SOMMELIER SPEAK
How much would you pay?
Sommelier Antonio Lopes is dedicated to his native Portuguese wines. With quality as high – and undervalued – as it is, he’s also keen to spread the word
‘What TASTE PORTUGAL is doing is wonderful and should have been done long ago’
ANTONIO LOPES was trained as a sommelier in Coimbra, near to where he was born. From 2009-10, he worked for almost a year at Gleneagles in Scotland. Now back in Portugal, working alongside three Michelin starred chef Heinz Beck at the Conrad Algarve’s Gusto restaurant, he has not been short of offers to travel elsewhere. For now, however, he remains loyal to his homeland and his focus lies very much on Portuguese wines.
‘Portugal has everything but nobody to promote it,’ he says. ‘What TASTE PORTUGAL is doing is wonderful and should have been done long ago. I am happy to be involved. I am proud of my country. The wines are getting better known and I’m very honoured to be part of it.’
That said, he is also ‘a little bit happy’ that Portuguese wines are only sold in small quantity as this prevents price inflation. In Portugal, the maximum you would pay for a bottle of wine is around €50. Some of the very delicious wines served at TASTE PORTUGAL LONDON 2014/15’s opening event at The Ledbury retail for just €7 – a price that none of the guests guessed close to. All those asked would have been willing to pay at least double for the quality.
