Filipa Garcia Fernandes, as she pours me
a glass of vinho verde, Portugal’s young
‘green wine’. The bar’s long, narrow terrace
overlooks the river walkway, where people
sit listening to a busker play his guitar and
watching tour boats go by. ‘My husband
Moisés and I started the business because
we wanted our work to be something
we’re both passionate about,’ Filipa adds.
‘The only other thing we both really love
is Star Wars, so it had to be wine.’
The couple acquired the wine
knowledge they needed to open the bar by
drinking. ‘We were always saying, “Why
does everyone talk about port wine and
not the normal wines?” We have such
great wines in Portugal, but they have no
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board of smoked ham and a plate of
cheese made with Azorean cow’s milk,
turning to tell a couple more about the
bottle they’ve ordered, a mineral-rich
white from near Lisbon. ‘It’s stupid to
1 72& 22-%#2%--" "4'!#-,̭,#5',#
you have to be able to afford to eat
at a Michelin-starred restaurant with
a sommelier,’ she says, gesticulating
emphatically. ‘What we do here is to offer
that level of service, of information, but
without a dress code or any formality.’
thegeorge.pt; winequaybar.comORLA THOMAS is our features
editor. She travelled to Porto
with support from Visit Portugal.