A Historic Tour of Portugal Trivia Quiz

Answer: A devastating earthquake hit the city

The quake lasted between three and six minutes, followed by a tsunami tidal wave and five days of fires in the city. Ninety thousand of the population of two hundred seventy thousand died, and eighty-five per cent of the town was destroyed. It is estimated that if the means to test the Richter intensity of the quake were available, it would have registered a nine.

Insult to injury is that the quake struck in the morning of All Saints Day, when many residents were in church.

Answer: Port wine for aging or shipping

Although the British established these lodges to store port shipped downriver from the vineyards, the majority of these producers are now under local control.

Answer: Sailing vessels that carry port

These single sail vessels are moored along the banks of the river Duoro, primarily for historical interest, since the future wine now arrives in huge stainless steel tanks by truck. So much for the romance of winemaking.

Answer: The evaporation of wine or spirits as it ages in casks

In the port lodges, the aroma of port is overwhelming, and the huge number and size of the casks, as well as the prolonged aging time, leave the wooden timbers above the casks with a "charred" appearance from evaporation through the wood of the casks.

Answer: Pousadas

We stayed in the Santa Marinha da Costa pousada, dating from the 12th century. After switching from the bland modern rooms with air conditioning (which the proprietors assumed we Americans wanted) to one of the medieval rooms, we were able to explore the marvelous tile work, the adjoining church, and the outdoor porticoed fountains.

Answer: Manueline

Henry the Navigator, who led Portugal to greatness through achievements in naval exploration and discovery, is buried here. The style of architecture uses intricate carved tracery to achieve a harmony of form and decoration. The oldest and most reputable travel guide series rates this one of the top two sites in the country (Evora is the other).

Answer: Azulejos

Romarias are religious festivals, aguardente is brandy, and tilios is an anemic attempt at a made-up name. If you picked it, don't tell.

Answer: cork

The use of cork is in jeopardy due to the success of plastic corks, the use of which is increasing rapidly. For aged wines, the cork "failure" rate is 6-10%, and this is unacceptable to most winemakers and consumers. Although the Portuguese have refined the handling of the cork bark to decrease the failure rate, the ongoing use of cork for the moment is driven more by the established tradition rather than practicality.

In truth, screw tops are probably the best way to seal wine, but who wants to drink good wine from a screw top bottle?

Answer: Torre de Belem

This tower of Manueline architecture was at one time in the middle of the river but is now close to the northern bank due to the 1755 earthquake altering the course of the river.

Answer: On a dining table

Acordas are delicious bread soups, bacalhau is cod, the most common fish (although sardines are very popular here), and caldeirada is a fish stew. Happy eating and see you in another country!