Awards and citations:


1997: Le Prix du Champagne Lanson Noble Cuvée Award for investigations into Champagne for the Millennium investment scams

2001: Le Prix Champagne Lanson Ivory Award for investdrinks.org

2011: Vindic d'Or MMXI – 'Meilleur blog anti-1855'

2011: Robert M. Parker, Jnr: ‘This blogger...’:

2012: Born Digital Wine Awards: No Pay No Jay – best investigative wine story

2012: International Wine Challenge – Personality of the Year Award




Sunday 4 March 2012

Pastéis de Bélem: a Sunday breakfast

Eight delicious Pasteis de Bélem


We decided to have a late breakfast this morning and head down to Bélem before going to show friends, who are staying with us, the Mosteiro dos Jerónimos. Fortunately we arrived at the famous café before it got too busy and found a table without too much trouble. Founded in 1837 the Pastéis de Bélem sells an astonishing number of these little pastries a day: the latest figure appears to be 20,000 a day during the week rising to 30,000 at the weekend. Apparently that adds up to 8 million a year! Although you can buy them by the six to takeaway, they are never quite as wonderful as consumed sur place.


Just one of the many rooms in the café



Detail of one of the walls in one of the building's many rooms

Rua de Belém 84, Bélem
Phone: 213 637 423





Luc Charlier's brave attempt to enjoy a pasteis de nata in Roussillon along
with a glass of 20-year-old Ramos Pinto. The Port must have been curiously strong as it 'inspired' him to indulge is some rather dubious lyricism.


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