Fine Portuguese Wine and Legendary Cuisine at Fado

With new properties opening left right and centre, and a glitzy resort strip to rival the world’s best, it’s easy to forget about the quiet achievers of Macau’s wine and dine scene. It took a visiting Portuguese sommelier, in Macau on the back of Vinexpo Hong Kong, to open my eyes to Fado, a fabulous find at Hotel Royal Macau in the heart of Macau’s central business district. Renowned sommelier Manuel Moreira was in Macau for the first time to promote Portuguese wine.

The first table wine he introduces, Redoma Douro Branco 2013, cements Dirk Niepoort as a winemaker to watch. A dry, warm climate white wine, Redoma is refined, elegant and minerally. Morreiro burns with pride as he describes the perfect storm of climate and cultivation that culminated in four out five bottles of Portugal’s amazing 2011 vintage being named at the top of Wine Spectator’s ‘Top 100 2014’ list. This recognition highlights the advances being achieved by innovators like Niepoort and his peers.

Hands down, the best table wine of the night is Quinta do Vallado Douro 2013. Douro is best known for its blends, so this wine stands out as a great example of single grape wine (touriga nacional). The wine is full bodied, full of energy, fresh, yet silky to drink. Drink now or cellar for 10 years, Moreira advises.

To accompany the Vallado, Manuel insists we try his 60% cocoa chocolate that is infused with touriga nacional. The wine and chocolate are a match made in heaven! In fact, Fado’s entire menu is heavenly. Portuguese guests are sentimental as they recall the homestyle cooking of their home towns and discuss regional variations in the style of bread used to make bread stew. The food on the plate in no way resembles humble, home cooked fare, however; it is fine dining at its best - simple, elegant, and perfectly balanced. I can honestly say it is the best example of Portuguese fine dining I have ever tried in Macau. Chefs Luís Américo and Marco Gomes have deservingly stellar reputations in Portuguese gastronomy. According to Macau Closer, the chefs’ “experience and acclaim” enable Fado to deliver excellent, innovative examples of Portuguese classics.

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