Favaios is a small, but very well known city in Portugal. Portuguese can simply ask for a Favaios and get Muscat wine.
What happened was that Favaios started a cooperative that was founded in 1952 by local grape growers.
It allowed many small farmers to pool their grapes and resources, rather than having to make and market wine individually.
The cooperative became particularly famous for Moscatel, made primarily from the Moscatel Galego Branco grapes grown above 500 meters in the Douro valley.
The Rooster Story
Long ago, in the town of Barcelos, a wealthy landowner hosted a banquet. During the festivities, a valuable piece of silver went missing.
The townspeople blamed a Galician pilgrim who was passing through Barcelos on his way to Santiago de Compostela. Although he insisted he was innocent, he was arrested and sentenced to death.
The pilgrim pleaded with the authorities and asked to see the judge who had condemned him. When he arrived at the judge’s house, he saw a roasted rooster on the dining table.
The pilgrim declared:
“As surely as I am innocent, that rooster will crow if I am hanged.”
The judge dismissed the claim—but as the execution was taking place, the roasted rooster stood up and crowed.
The judge realized the pilgrim had been wrongly accused and rushed to the gallows. He arrived in time to save him.
Our lunch, grape harvesting and stomping was at the Quinta Avessada. It is a family owned vineyard, that is part of the cooperative. We met the 6th generation owner last time we visited in 2021. Our guide told him that we had visited before and he thanked us for returning and signed a bottle of wine for us to take home. He was so gracious and kind.
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