From February 25th through March 4th, I’ll be in Portugal for the NSCAA Algarve Cup Symposium. I’ll be Tweeting live throughout the trip to http://www.twitter.com/nscaawomen, and I’ll be blogging here at Soccer Science. Check back often for photos, videos (hopefully), reviews, recaps and information from the tournament.

While soccer will certainly be the highlight of the trip, I’ve taken the past couple weeks to get familiar with the Algarve itself – the local history, culture, cuisine and wine. The Algarve is a region of Portugal located on the Southern coast. We’ll be staying in a town called Albufeira and traveling to soccer venues throughout the countryside.

Language

Estou aprendendo a falar português.

Immediately after I booked my flight, I headed over to the iPhone App Store and found a great free download called “One Minute Portuguese”. While it may not be the most robust program for learning a language, I’ve found that it’s great to combine the spoken word I get through this program with written text I’ve find online for the most comprehensive understanding.

Having been raised in Tucson, Arizona, I’ve spoken Spanish since I was a youngster, and I’ve grown quite familiar French through a fascination with Loire, Rhone and Bordeaux viticulture. To me, Portuguese words are quite similar to Spanish or even Italian, but the pronunciation is more like French… such a beautiful combination. I hope I get a chance to use it!

É um pouco difícil, mas eu realmente estou gostando.

Geography

I’ve done about 30 google image searches for various keyterms – Algarve, Albufeira, Faro, Portugal, Algarve Stadium, etc. and I just can’t believe this is where I’m going to be in a couple days! Rumor has it the weather leaves a bit to be desired, but, well… I’ll be in Portugal! Regarding a textual description, I’ll stick with the words from the experts until I have the chance to formulate my own:

Albufeira, found in the heart of Algarve, is a wonderous shore area where the limestone cliffs with their whimsical shapes alternate with splenderous sandy grounds. [...] In the old part of the village, there are still secret corners with their own character, streets made into pedestrian walkways for an easier stroll around. (lisbon-and-portugal.com)

Albufeira boasts beaches where the sand is fine and the sea a turquoise blue sheltered by cliffs which are canvasses painted with a whimsical palette of natural hues. It is for its beaches that Albufeira is internationally renowned, because all of them are different… and they are all equally enchanting. (portugalvirtual.pt)

Those who venture inland will find a tranquil green countryside to explore, redolent with almond, fig, orange and pine trees, where little villages stand timelessly in the sun. (wordtravels.com)

I’m just sayin’, there’s still room to join the trip if you want to come!

Restaurants

Call me Anthony Bourdain – I’ll be seeking out local specialities like sardines, flounder and bass, lobster and prawns. Apparently seafood is the speciality of the house in most of the restaurants in and around Albufeira, and of course the catch of the day is guaranteed to be fresh since Albufeira is a traditional fishing town.

A true local dish is Caldeirada, a stew made up of several types of fish, cooked up with potatoes, peppers and parsley. Steamed clams, cuttlefish cooked in their ink and octopus salad are other indigenous culinary adventures. Yum.

Wines

Yesterday, I made a special stop at K&L Wines, one of the very best wine shops, not only in San Francisco, but in the country. (My other local favorite is Terroir by the way if you’re looking for all-natural wines: organic and dry farming, indigenous yeast fermentation and no use of chemicals.)

At K&L, I met John, who is actually headed to Portugal next week as well! He’s headed to the Northern regions though, and I’m going to the South. That didn’t stop us from rummaging through the (somewhat paltry) collection of Portuguese wines in the shop and getting a sense for the indigenous grape varietals I should expect to taste while there.

Through both my venture to K&L and my extensive web crawling, I learned that the Algarve produces mostly red wine that tends to be full-bodied, have a fruity rich flavor, be low in acidity, and contain a high alcohol level. I absolutely love that in Portugal, there’s been a recent renewal of interest in smaller, private vineyards.

Algarve is a Portuguese wine region covering the same areas as its namesake region. The region is classified as a Vinho Regional (VR), a designation similar to a French vin de pays region. Located on the southern coast of Portugal, the region’s wine industry is driven by the local tourist economy with very little wines exported. (Wikipedia.com)

Albufeira is in the DOC of Lagoa. The soft sandy soil and warm climate provides a rich distinct flavor. The red wines are ruby-coloured which develop with age and are easy to drink. The white wine is soft and full-bodied. Both have high alcohol content.

While my priority is coverage of the Algarve Cup, I have a sneaking suspicion there may be a dose of foodie/wine notes over the next two weeks… Stay tuned!