Fantastic dinner last night at Rei d’Orelhao (king of the big ears) in Mirandela, but Noddy never arrived. Instead we had several producers out of the 56 that comprise the Tras-os-Montes wine region. Alas, no one spoke any English, which could explain why this region flies under the radar. That and the habit of ViniPortugal of turning the marketing spotlight on the big names of the Douro, leaving the neighbours in the shadows.

Just arrived in Bairrada for another day’s blind tasting and if the view from my hotel room window (below) is any indication, it should be interesting.