Tuesday, May 1, 2012

Shopping: Where to buy Portuguese products on the internet ...

whether you?re hankering after something you saw when on holiday here and were unable to buy, or you just want to impress your friends and show how cosmopolitan you are, there are many places where you can shop for Portuguese products online ? from fado CDs to that special bottle of Port or even a bag made of cork. PDV has done a bit of web surfing and compiled a list of exclusively Portuguese products you can order online, and where you can get them.

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Modernised Rooster of Barcelos

?guas Furtadas is a unique shop in Porto selling exclusive design and new handicraft products made in Portugal. Among the huge variety of things they sell ? from jewellery to clothing and everything else in between ? they have a series of original Roosters of Barcelos (Galo de Barcelos), one of Portugal?s unofficial national symbols. These decorative objects have been redesigned by new authors, and the offer ranges from?the small Galos available in nine different colours (?20), the customised Galo de Barcelos series designed by several different artists (?100), to the special edition Snow Rooster of Barcelos which comes in a box with small polystyrene balls (?40).?You can order these through: info@aguasfurtadas.com

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Alma Lusa?is one of the main shops exclusively focused on the new trend of redesigning Portuguese icons ? the Viana heart, Our Ladies and the inevitable Rooster of Barcelos ? into trendy, useful products ranging from clothing to bags and jewellery. Even the traditional and ubiquitous Portuguese cobblestones have been turned into salt and pepper shakers. They have an online shop for all those interested in these exclusive pieces of the Portuguese soul.

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Best Portuguese wines

Garrafeira Nacional?is an iconic wine shop in Lisbon, founded in 1927 ? ?one of the finest places to buy anything which has been produced and bottled in Portugal. They also have an excellent online shop, which stocks an impossible variety ?of rare products, such as Port, Madeira, and Moscatel wines?, according to their own words, with one of the ?most coveted? wine collections in the country. Worth spending some time browsing through their stock. For orders, click here.

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Estado L?quido?is an online wine and spirits store, based in Caldas da Rainha, which sells most Portuguese brands, from the cheapest to the most exclusive vintage, with a broad range of Ports. They have a huge stock of reds and whites, besides fortified wines such as moscatel and Madeira, and the Portuguese ros?s and green wines, and they ship to most countries around the world, with secure online payment methods such as Paypal and credit card.

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Tinned fish ? vintage goods, delicious tradition

A Vida Portuguesa?is a shop based in Lisbon selling exclusively old and iconic Portuguese products. Among their best-selling products are Portugal?s iconic tinned sardines, with their vintage designs.?The Tricana tinned sardines from Conserveira de Lisboa, a renowned producer of tinned fish, which has been operating since 1930, and the Santa Catarina Tuna?from the Azores islands, are traditional favourites of the Portuguese and retain their vintage allure with their old packaging and designs.

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Original design in cork

Pelcor?is a brand that focuses on producing and marketing products in cork, one of Portugal?s largest exports. In recent years, as the largest producer of cork in the world, the country has seen a wide range of projects directed at coming up with new applications for this ecological material. If you?re thinking of corks in champagne bottles, think again. Pelcor is specialised in producing new goods from cork, like bags, hats, ties, wallets, and even rings ? and the result is a sophisticated and ingenious range of products. You can ask for their catalog, prices and shipping conditions through the email address: geral@pelcor.com.

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Corkway?is another online shop based in Portugal that sells all sorts of products made of cork. After browsing through their website you may think it?s possible to make just about anything from cork, which is quite true. Objects covering different daily needs, such as kettles, tables, bathroom mats, voodoo-like dolls and cutting-edge iPad cases, will prove to you that cork is a material with seemingly endless possibilities. You can buy, or have a look at these exquisite products?here.

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Arraiolos rugs

Casa dos Tapetes de Arraiolos?is the most famous manufacturer of the traditional embroidered rugs that come from the small town of?Arraiolos in the southern Portuguese region of the Alentejo. The hand-made needlework rugs are renowned for their magnificent embroideries and motifs. The Casa dos Tapetes de Arraiolos sells several certified models of these rugs online and ships them worldwide. You can find their catalogue online and place an order through this form?or, to deal directly with the details, just send an email to: info@casatapetesarraiolos.com.

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Traditional furniture 2.0

Boca do Lobo.?This Portuguese brand has been developing its own reinterpretations of Portuguese traditional furniture while using very old techniques in the creation of bold works with a vintage touch. The special editions, limited to 20 pieces, are Boca do Lobo?s premium products, made by artisans who craft them in a unique fashion. Their exquisite furniture ? ?such as baroque mirrors, a safe dipped in gold and a cabinet covered with blue-and-white traditional Portuguese tiles ? have already attracted the attention of several publications like the Financial Times and Wallpaper magazine.?To order just send an email to: info@bocadolobo.com. Bear in mind that the limited editions usually take 6 to 8 weeks to be delivered, while their regular collection usually takes between 4 to 6 weeks to arrive.

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Arco da Velha?is a brand headquartered in the city of Aveiro which has specialised in making furniture with simple design lines,?inspired in Scandinavian functionality and simplicity.?As senior partner Eduardo Noronha told PDV, they place their efforts in creating furniture with??quality, funcionality and comfort?. This approach is also reflected in their simple packaging and the possibility of assembling the furniture at home. Also noteworthy is the fact that every product is made with materials from Portugal. You can direct enquiries and place orders through: geral@arco-da-velha.com.

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Typical Portuguese embroideries

Rendas de?Bilros?are one of Portugal?s most exquisite and famous types of lacework. This type of bobbin lace is an age old traditional craft which has been especially practiced by fishing communities along the central coast, with major centres in Peniche and Vila do Conde. Examples of this entirely hand-made intricate piece of art crafted by specialised artisans can be bought at?Rendasdebilros.com, a council-supported organisation based in Vila do Conde, which works with local women with the purpose of preserving the tradition for future generations.

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Filigree: Art made of gold

Feitoria?is an online shop specialised in traditional and iconic Portuguese products, where you can find an assortment of pieces in traditional Portuguese filigree. The intricate work of this ancient art form which was already known to the Greeks and the Etruscans, and which came to Portugal with the Arabs tradition are still well alive in the wonderful pieces of jewellery. The technique of filigree consists of small wires of silver or gold embroidered in delicate patterns. Several pieces of jewellery and objects like decorative plates or even safes are made with this technique ? including the quintessential heart earrings typical from the region of Minho. You can order pieces of Portuguese filigree work in silver and gold in Feitoria, through this?link.

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The most famous Portuguese writers

Jos? Saramago?- The 1998 Nobel Prize for Literature is a major reference in Portugal. Saramago managed to bring Portuguese literature to the international limelight in an unprecedented way mostly due to the universality and originality of his writing, penned with his typical sardonic humour. Saramago is often referred to for his idiosyncratic style of writing, considered by many as arcane, but don?t let this stop you from enjoying his books: the unmatched rhythm Saramago delivered in his novels, close to the cadence of oral speech, makes it almost impossible to put down once you begin reading.

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Ant?nio Lobo Antunes?- The inner theatre of shadows and recollections is a common leitmotif in every book written by Ant?nio Lobo Antunes, the most original writer in Portuguese literature alongside Saramago. Lobo Antunes, a former psychiatrist who served in the military during the Portuguese Colonial War, from 1971 to 1973, bases much of his literary experience on both his professional and personal life.

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Fernando Pessoa?- Simply one of the greatest writers of the 20th century. The poet and essayist Fernando Pessoa, who in life decided to publish just a single book of poetry about Portugal, ?Mensagem?, was discovered by subsequent generations and termed the greatest Portuguese poet of all times alongside Cam?es, writer of Portugal?s epic poem ?The Lusiads?. The multiplicity of his universe, peopled by a complex set of personalities under his concept of heteronyms, or independent characters with a past, present, and future of their own, has an incomparable richness and depth.

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E?a de Queir?s?- Portugal?s greatest novelist of the 19th century, Jos? Maria E?a de Queir?s wrote essential novels about Portugal and the intricacies of Portuguese life. A follower of realism against the idealisation of daily life of the romantics, E?a de Queir?s wrote gripping and exceptional novels that haven?t lost the slightest bit of their freshness and contemporaneity over the years.

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Gon?alo M. Tavares?- Gon?alo M. Tavares is considered one of the greatest Portuguese writers of the new generation. Winner of several literary awards like the 2005 Jos? Saramago Prize and the 2007 Portugal Telecom Prize, Gon?alo M. Tavares?s works enjoy not only the acclaim of the critics, but also of the public in their appraisal. The prolific writer, about whom Saramago predicted he would win the Nobel prize, has worked his way through several genres and has excelled in every one of them. ?Jerusalem?, his most praised book, prompted Saramago to say: ?No one has the right to write like this at 35. I feel like punching him?.

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The best fado singers

Am?lia Rodrigues - You can?t speak of fado without speaking extensively about Am?lia Rodrigues. The diva who brought the traditional music genre from the streets of Lisbon to the realm of higher culture still occupies the throne. Her inimitable voice and her aristocratic persona helped turn her into a myth, which cemented the nation?s identity in the 20th century. Having sung the greatest Portuguese poets on the greatest stages around the world, Am?lia is still very much a part of what Portugal is all about, and a timeless reference to every fado lover.

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Mariza - The most famous fado singer in the world after the deceased diva Am?lia Rodrigues, Mariza is a case of unparalleled success of Portuguese culture in the globe. The fado singer, who has won international recognition and acclaim, has collected several awards and performed in some of the most important venues?in cities like London, New York and Sydney. She has built a solid career over the last nine years, which culminated in her return to her roots in Lisbon in her latest album ?Fado Tradicional?.

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Caman? - One of the greatest names of the new wave of fado. A singer who had his first contact with the traditional genre while recovering from an illness, Caman? managed to nurture this interest into a lifelong passion and a successful career. After winning the Great Night of Fado in 1979, when he was only 10 years-old ? a singing contest which has been held since 1945 -, Caman? proceeded to release the album that brought him to the public?s attention, ?Uma Noite de Fados? (An Evening of Fados), in 1995, and since then has built a path focused on renovating the sounds of the Lisbon song.

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Carminho ? This young fado singer has brought a new freshness to the music genre. Carminho, now 27 years-old, released her first album ?Fado? in 2009, to the acclaim of music critics. In the words of Jo?o Bonif?cio, music critic for the daily P?blico, she ?sung as if she did nothing else in life?. Her second album, ?Alma?, released in 2012, follows the path of a singer who brought a cheerful elan to fado singing.

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Trendy shoes for all tastes

Fly London -?This trendy shoe brand was created?in the northern city of Guimar?es, but with its main focus set on conquering its place in the world. With several shops abroad ? mainly in London, Berlin, and more recently in Copenhagen -, Fly London is one of the Portuguese brands with greater projection outside the country. Besides manufacturing shoes, Fly London also has a line of ?accessories ? all of which can be ordered in their?online shop.

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Dysfunctional Shoes?- This brand produces innovative and creative solutions for those women with a penchant for shoes. Betting on strong colours and different patterns,?Dysfunctional Shoes?is?a recently founded business based in the city of Guarda, which has already garnered a faithful consumer base. They also have an online shop, where you can browse through their collections and place international orders.

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Helsar - This shoe brand from S?o Jo?o da Madeira, has?already managed to make an impact around the globe after being chosen by Kate Middleton?s mother and sister, who wore Helsar creations to last year?s royal wedding. Their focus is adequately on?what they call a line of ?princess shoes? for the Spring/Summer collection, with strong and cheerful colours, which can be ordered online through this link.

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Stylish and trendy clothing

Salsa - This brand of clothing?is widely known in Portugal for its broad range of jeans and its casual clothing line. Founded in 1994, the brand rapidly expanded from its first shops in Portugal to now being sold in 35 countries around the world. Its main product is clearly its line of jeans, with several different collections for young adults. You can have a look at these and order them at their?online shop.

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Lanidor - Top-end brand?Lanidor?makes clothing for women and children. A well-known wool manufacturer founded in 1966, the company grew into a top brand of clothing which expanded to the international market and is now present in several countries, like neighbouring Spain, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, to name but a few. You can glance through their collections for women and children, and accessories and clothing for babies here.

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Bags for all occasions

Manjerica?- is a recently founded Portuguese company whose main line of business is the manufacture of handmade women?s?quality handbags, based on traditional techniques, with a focus on different textures, colours and forms. And the colour scheme of Manjerica?s lines of handbags is stressed by founder Teresa Bettencourt, as an attempt to create ?a bolder look with a classical base?. Their catalog and an online shop can be accessed?here.

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Tela Bags?- Bags made out of cardboard, old advertising hoardings, newsapapers and even linoleum? Tela Bags?has brought recycling to another level and turned what was refuse into fashionable products which have already reached New York?s Museum of Modern Art, while also signing a contract with London?s National History Museum to produce merchandising from old posters. The creations are avaliabe here.

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