Launch! The wine guide to the Algarve with ambassador António Lopes
Star Wine List’s Portugal Ambassador is former sommelier turned writer and consultant, António Lopes. After joining the team in 2024, he is helping us to launch our first guide to the best wine places in the Algarve.
Originally from Penacova, António Lopes cut his sommelier teeth in the Algarve, at Vila Vita Parc in Porches. After stints elsewhere (including in the UK, at Scotland’s Gleneagles Hotel), he returned to the popular tourist destination as Head Sommelier for the opening of Conrad Algarve in 2012, winning both awards and acclaim for his wine program there.
Now, he’s sharing his knowledge of and love for the region with a new guide for Star Wine List, which includes eleven new Red Stars in this beautiful part of southern Portugal.
So if you’re venturing there on holiday any time soon – as many people do – make sure to stop off at some (or all!) of his recommendations, which will give you fine wine experiences, beachside wine shop hangouts and everything in between.
Thank you for the new Red Stars. What would you say stands out across wine lists in the Algarve?
“What I've noticed is that, more and more, the Algarve’s wine lists are getting out of the big wine producers' circle and moving towards smaller producers, more niche wines, boutique wineries, terroir producers. That's what I feel, because back in the days when I worked there, places were more flooded with big producers, big houses, big brands.
“Also, nowadays they go more towards international wines which wasn't the focus before because most of its crowd in the Algarve is international so they come to taste Portuguese wines. Yet nowadays, because the market’s changed, they are also changing to a more international, all-over-the-world kind of wine list, I would say.”
How does the Algarve differ in its wine offerings from the rest of Portugal?
“The difference between the Algarve and the rest of the country is exactly that [see above] – because the market is different. So they basically work for an international crowd and they have very few Portuguese people as guests, so basically what they do is they prepare the wines to those needs that those guests have, which is knowing more about Portuguese wines. And that's something that is actually also happening: Algarve wines. Back in the day, you didn't see many Algarve wines on the Algarve’s wine lists. Nowadays, you see more and more producers from the Algarve, you see the Algarve growing, and you see the Algarve in restaurants and wine bars. The wine scene is also moving towards more of those wines because things change, and the wines are a little bit more prepared for the gastronomy [of the region] so you can see more of that coming together, along with the international wines, as I said.”
What should visitors to the are put on their itineraries?
“They should definitely put the entire Algarve! I know it looks far but it's not that far; the roads are good and actually, from coast to inland or to the border with Spain, things are completely different — style of wines are different, mentality of the people there is different. The mentality of Portuguese people is different all over the country. It's actually funny because it's such a small country but we have such a diversity of people and such a diversity of mentality, and such a diversity of the way they treat people and the way we treat each other. And if you go to the coast, from the coast to the border, you'll see that it's very different. So I would say just move around the various regions and the various parts of the Algarve.
“Go to those places that I've mentioned because they are not from a single place in the Algarve. So they are basically coastal but still there's some inland like Bon Bon, which is a great place for you to go, has a Michelin star and a stunning view towards the Serra de Monchique, which is the highest mountain range that we have in the Algarve. You have different wine lists, different prices, different views, different services, different glassware among the new selection.”
What are you looking for in your Red Star venues?
“So basically what I'm looking for is, I would say, an overall wine quality program. So by that I mean I'm looking at glasses, service, food, and the list itself – basically, all of that has to be together in one. It has to be balanced. When you're looking at a wine list, it can be a small wine list and then you don't expect big service or a huge differentiation of glassware, for instance. And of course, if it's a small wine list, and if the prices are lower, the expectation is lower for the rest of the things. But if you were to imagine a Michelin star, I'm hoping that all the wine list is big, and I hope that the glassware is good, and it has to be very precise for the wines they have; also, of course, I respect that the prices are a little bit higher, but then the service has to be in one with the rest – that's what I expect when I’m selecting Red Stars.
“And I'm always debating about glassware because I think it's very important. I don't see myself drinking a wine from an unshaped wine glass – it has to be at least a proper shaped wine glass. I don't care much about the thickness, although that influences things as well, but the shape, for me, is very important – it has to be a wine glass and usually has to have a stem to hold onto.”
And any favourites amongst your new recommendations?
“It’s hard to say because they are all very different, and all of them are great to go for a glass of wine. But for instance, if you want to have a breathtaking view with probably one of the best services in Portugal, you go for Ocean Restaurant, which is a two-Michelin star. But if you just want to chill out in a very interesting part (and also very touristic but interesting), you can go to Touriga. So it's hard to say because all the restaurants that I put there are very unique, so it depends what you're looking for and I don't have a favourite one.”
See if you can pick a favourite, by exploring our guide to the Algarve’s best wine places.
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