Cheese, wine, pork, cherries, bread and butter. What else do you need for a wonderful picnic?
The bread:
This sweetish bread is from the village of Furnas on São Miguel which is the biggest of all 9 islands. Certified handmade by the company Maria da Glória Moniz it is excellent for fresh cheese, marmelade and anything which benefits from a tiny bit of sweetness to bring its taste to full glory. Questions? Call 00351296584570 or shoot them an e-mail to receita-da-vida@sapo.pt
The cheese:
This amazingly tender and milky fresh cheese is also from São Miguel and made by the company Queijaria São Miguel from Ponta Delgada which is the biggest city on the island. The cows walk around outside the whole year and this is tasteable! It doesn't have the handmade label but a certificate of being natural. The cows, the milk collectors in their pickup trucks and then straight into the package. Feel free to call or fax them on 00351298682315 for more information.
The wine:
The company Curral Atlântis is located on the island of Pico and produces 70.000 bottles a year. The soil is not ideal for most crops but wine grows on the stoney land - and what a good drop it is! Traditionally produced by most of the 2500 residents it is top notch. It's ruby colored, with intense red fruit, a nice balance and features youthful and irreverent tannins.
It's called Faria's Vineyards and has 13% Vol. alcohol and I am sipping it since yesterday. It is not as heavy as the Terras de Lava which I mentioned here and more complex than the Monte Velho which I portrayed here. It is somewhere in between which makes it a great allrounder.
The butter:
The butter is as good as the cheese. Soft, creamy and without any strange taste because it comes from then same cows as the cheese. Almost! These cows live on Faial, a small island next to the island of Pico. I've not been there but when I go I will make the residents compliments about it. Made by the Cooperativa Agricola de Lacticinios it contains pasteurized milk and ferments.
The pork and the cherries:
I didn't keep the package of the pork but I saw that is was locally packaged. It didn't have the chemical taste which often is present in packaged meat - I guess this comes from of the preservatives.
The cherries were excellent and I didn't get an allergic reaction which happens sometimes because of the pesticides. I gave them a quick wash and after a few hours they were all gone. Yum!