The Joy of Meeting the Family

Yesterday Ryan and I drove deep into the Alentejo region of Portugal. This amazingly beautiful corner of the country is home to the world’s primary supply of cork. Traveling for miles down country roads we passed acres upon acres of thriving cork forests. It made me think that the occasional cork tainted bottle of wine is well worth it to keep this incredibly eco-friendly and eco-important forest thriving. Cork is renewable, it is biodegradable, the forests sustain incredible wildlife, and many of these trees are over 500 years old. The alternative is plastic corks dumped in land fills and mines tearing up the earth for the metal screw caps. Hhmmm…

We drove to the Alentejo to visit the Rovisco Garcia Winery which is owned by one of the most well respected cork growers in the region. The winery is run by the charming Sophia. After a dream-like tour through her incredible property (we saw a hawk hunting snakes), we were treated to a sumptuous lunch at the family home. The moment we walked into the door, a 3 foot tall flurry of blond hair and ruffles came flying up to Ryan – attaching herself to his leg. We were quickly introduced to Sophia’s youngest daughter. After she stopped hugging Ryan, she ran up to me and asked with wide eyes, “Blah, Blah Blah Blah Blah?” I could tell it was a question because of the way her little voice rose at the end of the sentence. But other than that, I couldn’t understand a single word. Her grandmother quickly said to her in Portuguese, “Blah Blah Blah Blah. She does not speak Portuguese.” Very concerned, the little girl looked at me as if I was a kitten with a broken leg. Then she asked, “Blah Blah Blah, Portuguese?” And her grandma responded, “No. Blah Blah. No. She does not speak Portuguese.” The little girl took her little hand, wrapped it around my finger, and began pulling me down the hall – jabbering…in Portuguese…as we walked. Her grandma (who didn’t speak much English either) yelled down the hall after us, “The Bitch had puppies! She want you go see!”. So the little blond Portuguese girl and the tall blond American girl spent 20 minutes jabbering at each other in languages we couldn’t understand over a box of 6 puppies and The Bitch.

Visiting their home, tasting their wine, touring their property, and learning more about the Alentejo region of Portugal has been one of the greatest highlights of our trip so far.