Victorian novels describe picnics where friends have a grand time, enjoying delicious food in idyllic settings. But real-life picnics seldom measure up to these literary accounts. Sometimes, the sun is too harsh, and the shade is scarce. Other times, it is cold, the wind blows disagreeably, or the rain intrudes. Wine and beer are lukewarm by the time they are served. Sitting is uncomfortable, and troupes of insects join the party.
When our friend Abílio Tavares da Silva invited us for a picnic, we braced ourselves for the usual woes. But, as soon as we arrived at his Douro Valley estate, it was clear that this would be no ordinary affair.
It was a midsummer day with clear skies and a gentle breeze. Spacious wooden tables with comfortable benches awaited the lucky guests under the shade of two majestic linden trees. The view, with the Douro River stretching out in all its splendor, was worthy of being painted by Turner.
The picnic basket, prepared by the talented Rosário Buia at Toca da Raposa, was brimming with delicacies. There were farinheira tarts, shrimp rissoles, oranges seasoned with olive oil and minced garlic, chickpea salad, carrot and zucchini rice, olives, freshly baked bread, and a tortilla prepared with eggs so delicious that they were surely laid by the happiest of chicken.
The food was served in colorful pottery designed by the 19th-century master ceramist Rafael Bordallo Pinheiro. Abílio’s alluring Foz Torto white wine, made from precious old vines in Porrais, was poured into crystal glasses at the ideal temperature.
The conversation flowed as freely as the food and the wine. The meal ended late in the afternoon with slices of Toca da Raposa’s famous drunken cake (bolo borrachão) accompanied by glasses of chilled 20-year-old Fonseca tawny port. Not even Jane Austen could imagine such a perfect picnic.
Salt of Portugal 