Living in Portugal - Our Monthly Journal - September 2025
- Tony
- Oct 5
- 6 min read
The change of season here is noticeable not just in the weather but mainly by the decline in the number of visitors to the region. Around the second week of the month, as schools return to regular sessions, the number of tourists in the area begins to diminish to a fraction of the masses that were here in July and August. While tourism is a welcome necessity here, it's still great to get our beaches, waters, hiking trails, and restaurants back. This is one of the best times of the year to enjoy the Algarve.
The weather is changing too. The month started with summer-like temperatures in the low 30s Celsius but quickly turned toward Autumn with temperatures in the mid to high 20s Celsius during the day, cooling into the teens at night. A pleasant relief from the summer's heat makes outdoor life much more enjoyable.
We still find time to enjoy the Algarve this time of year but it's also a busy few months of travel for us. We returned early this month from visiting Family and Friends in the US. You can read about that trip here. In October, we are excited to return to Italy for a few weeks, visiting Naples, Capri, Positano, and the Amalfi coast. We'll also head to London for a few days to enjoy the city with friends. November looks like a road trip through southern Spain, visiting Sevilla, Rhonda, Malaga, Gibraltar, and Jerez.
In the news from Portugal: It was a warm summer in the Algarve, although not nearly as hot as the interior of the country. Portugal recorded its hottest and driest summer in years, exceeding records dating back 94 years. Three heat waves occurred in June, July, and August, with thirty-three new maximum temperature extremes recorded, with the highest in Mora (46.6°C or 115.9°F ) on June 29th. This year's summer was also the driest since 1931, with a total rainfall of 10.9 mm, 24% of the average rainfall for the 1991-2020 period.
Somewhat related to the weather and similar to other wine-growing areas around the world. Portugal is facing not only the impacts of climate change but also challenges related to supply and demand. Excerpts from a recent article in Portugal Decoded speak to some of the concerns.
Producers warn that 2025 could be harsher than 2024, already among the toughest in memory. The season was highly atypical: a dry, warm winter, followed by heavy rain in March and April that fueled mildew, and four summer heatwaves that scorched the vines.
In the Douro, the harvest forecast is roughly 20% lower than last year. Yet the deeper problem is capacity. Douro winery stocks are estimated at 444 million liters, while national production hovers around 700 million liters, leaving cellars crammed before the first grape is crushed. The problem is shared across the country, though on a smaller scale. Even ahead of weather shocks, growers faced low prices and shrinking orders; some left fruit unpicked because harvesting would lock in losses. After years of large harvests, weaker demand, and flat consumption, the sector faces a structural glut, with small farmers pushed to abandon their vineyards altogether.
Demand for Port is down about 20% over the past two decades, and global consumption is weakening. The Douro and Port Wine Institute decided unanimously to set this year’s authorized Port wine production at 75,000 barrels, 25,000 fewer than in 2024 (itself a drop from 104,000 barrels the year before).
Late this month, a large wildfire broke out in the forested area just north and west of us. Over 2,000 hectares burned, fueled by dry conditions and high winds in the area. A beautiful part of the country with a rugged coastline and vast cork oak forests. It's sad to see it burn.
The small airport near us is the home base for a couple of small firefighting airplanes; it quickly became the home base for more, including helicopters and support. What's usually a quiet airport became very active during the firefight.
The smoke does make a spectacular sunset
An update on my bicycle acrobatics and injured shoulder. I started physical therapy this month for my shoulder. The PT thinks they can revive the majority of mobility and strength in the shoulder. If they are correct, this could mean avoiding surgery. The work they have done, along with the homework they have prescribed, seems like progress is being made. Since I don't see the shoulder surgeon until late November, there is plenty of time to continue down this path and see what the results are until then. Avoiding surgery would be awesome.
Teresa and Luis are both back home. Luis has to go back to France for a few weeks to complete his radiology treatments. He has received a clean bill of health so far and appears healthy.
In the garden, the tomatoes seem to be happy that Teresa is back, rewarding us all with a late burst of fruit to enjoy. Meanwhile, the persimmons, grapes, pomegranates, peaches, and pears are delicious, and citrus will be ripe soon and ready to make fresh OJ.
We attended another movie night in the vineyard. This time at Morgado do Quinto. Tonight's movie, Sideways, was not only perfect for the screening among the vines but also for us, having lived near the Santa Ynez Valley and Solvang, where it was filmed. We were reminiscing about the locations featured, including wineries, restaurants, and more.
There has been an uptick in Hot Air Balloon sightings this month, floating over the neighborhood in the early morning. Must be the cooler weather.
Lunch and tasting with the Algarve Wine Society. This month was unique, held at Pashmina, an upscale Indian restaurant near Carvoeiro. The food was good, and the Douro wines from Quinta do Romeu were paired nicely with the selections.
Taking advantage of the fantastic September weather we took a few boat days out on the local waters.
Getting our American football fix, a small group of us gather at our friend Steve & Revilee's home since they have the biggest TV screen around! We watch the games that air early in the US, as they typically start here around 6:00 pm. Everyone brings a dish or snack of some sort, so there is plenty of food to share.
Morning low tide walk along the Alvor estuary
We discovered that the Flamingos have returned for the winter and found them in one of their favorite hangouts at the Rocha Delicada Trail. You can see the smoke from the nearby fire in the background of the third photo.
Day 2 of Flamingos at Rocha Delicada Trail
After a thorough cleaning, it's time for another trip out on the boat. This time, we headed east along the coast to Porches/Armação de Pêra. There are still quite a few tourist boats heading out to the famous Benagil Caves. Surprisingly calm and beautiful waters before the remnants of Hurricane Gabrielle pass over Portugal: high seas and a little rain forecasted over the next few days.
Walking along Alvor beach today, the water was a bit warmer than usual and a beautiful turquoise color. It could have something to do with the passing of Hurricane Gabrielle through the Atlantic over the last few days.
We noticed a small plane had run off the end of the runway at the nearby airport. There were a few vehicles and official-looking individuals with yellow vests milling around, apparently investigating what had happened and how to remove the plane from the area. The plane was gone the next morning, but we still don't know what the issue was.
Whether it's the friendly competition of Pétanque or just gathering together over an aperitif, it's nice to have such great friends to hang out with.
The Santa Maria Manuela was in Portimao conducting research missions for the Oceano Azul foundation. I had a chance to go on board and learn about the foundation's missions. The ship is a Portuguese four-masted schooner. Originally a cod fishing ship, it is now used for sail training, hands-on sailing holidays, environmental expeditions, and team development programs.
Sonny and Barney are living the dream.
Thanks for reading this edition of Living in Portugal - our monthly journal. Enter your email address below and hit the Subscribe now button to receive future posts.
As always, we hope everyone is doing well, healthy, happy, and thriving. We miss you and love you all...A lot!
Comments