Rosé-colored Glasses

Saturday July 20, 2024

Quick note - If you were interested in the story of the bats in the library that was in yesterday's blog, I posted a link to more information in the Educational resources section.

Palácio de Mateus

The Palacio is the building featured on the label of Mateus wines, and the inspiration for the name.

Many of us remember Mateus Rosé wine as an inexpensive wine that was popular in the US in the 1970's. And even if you didn't drink the wine, you may remember the bottles serving as candle holders in many restaurants! Mateus was originally made in 1942, and began being exported to England in the 1950's. The interesting shape of the bottles was inspired by the water flasks worn by Portuguese soldiers during World War 1.

Believe it or not, Mateus was actually a favorite of Queen Elizabeth II, and was mentioned in the Elton John song "Social Disease". In the movie "animal House" a Mateus bottle is seen in one scene being used as a candle holder!

Mateus fell out of favor over time, and the company was purchased by a third party, who also owns Sandeman wine. Production declined over the years, but has increased recently after a small change to the recipe.

The Palacio itself has been kept in beautiful condition, with many baroque features, and a collection of art from the various periods in history. Pictured below are works of art depicting the four seasons in the style of Arcimboldo. Each picture depicts a woman in seasonal wear and a person created out of seasonal fruits and vegetables. (The winter one is kind of scary!).

Many of the ceilings are constructed out of Sweet Chestnut Wood which darkens over time, and helps deter insects.

The Palacio is surrounded by beautiful gardens.

Sandeman Winery

Our next stop was the Sandeman Winery. Sandeman is one of my favorite port wines! The tour was a very complete explanation of the process for making port and how it differs from making wine. At the end we got to taste a white port and a tawny port.

And finally, here are some views from our ship moving up the Douro river.

Another Great Day on the Viking Torgil!