‘Vinho da Casa’: house wine

Casa de Pasto in Cais do Sodré, Lisbon. Photo by Filipe Gill

There are many ways to look at wine.

One of the simplest is “I want some wine to go with my food”. Most typical restaurants in Portugal will have “Vinho da Casa” or House Wine. It is designed to go well with food, be readily available, and not break the bank.

Here at Gastronautas we will be writing a lot about wine: the regions, the ‘castas’, the ‘Quintas’ and so on. But this first article will be about the traditional way to drink wine in ‘Tabernas’, ‘Tascas’, Casas de Pasto’ and small – family owned and run – restaurants. In Lisbon, these are all being replaced by sophisticated, international, and ‘chef’ places. It is the price we have to pay for an international capital city.

This is another reason to pay homage to this disappearing reality.

House wine is Red, White and sometimes ‘Verde’, especially in the north or in the many restaurants in Lisbon run by people from the north. Most people will drink red wine, because traditionally white wine is considered a ‘minor’ wine. But in the Summer it tastes great and is a good friend of grilled, boiled or fried fish.

In the old days of the Tabernas, wine was kept in big casks and served into a jar or straight into the glass. And no talk of ‘castas’ or regions. Most of the wine drank in Lisbon came from Aveiras, Cartaxo or Bombarral in a time quality was not the main concern: price and proximity were the main criteria.

Ironically the working people – mainly men – switched form wine to beer, considered less of a lower class drink. And wine become trendy and up market, sold again by the glass, but now for stupid prices to international consumers.

Go figure!

Suggested music: Água fria da Ribeira, with Beatriz Costa from the 1939 film with the same name.