A vine time on the Algarve; CHARLIE COLLINS chills out in Portugal with a visit to Cliff Richard's very own vineyard.

Byline: CHARLIE COLLINS

THE Algarve is home to some of Portugal's most sought-after resorts, boasting traditional white-washed villages in contrast with cosmopolitan resorts and harbours filled with luxurious yachts not to mention some of the best golf courses in Europe.

Most of the Algarve's trendy, modern holiday resorts were formerly little fishing villages.

They still feature central areas with narrow streets, whitewashed houses and ancient churches, but it is the region's long sandy beaches which have ensured its place as a holiday Mecca.

The coastline stretches 161km from Cape St Vincent to Vila Real de Santo Antonio on the border with Spain, and much of it today is built up with hotels and holiday apartment blocks, particularly the area to the west of Faro.

A special feature of the Algarve is the myriad almond trees that are found throughout the region.

In late January and early February the countryside is blanketed with white almond blossom.

There are also groves of lemons, oranges, carobs, pomegranates and figs growing inland in what is known as the "garden of Portugal".

BLOSSOM

For those feeling more energetic, the Algarve is also popular for guided walking and cycling tours as well as horse-riding trips.

Worth a visit is Cape St Vincent, claimed to be the most south-westerly tip of continental Europe.

The winds are strong and chilly, even in summer, but you get magnificent views of the sheer cliffs and the vast horizon.

The cape is named after a Spanish priest killed by the Romans in AD304 in Valencia and who was later made patron saint of Lisbon.

Another attraction is the historic port of Lagos, where Prince Henry's fleet began voyages of discovery to Africa and Asia in the 15th century.

In 1444, the port notoriously hosted the first sale of African slaves to Europeans and became a centre for the slave trade.

An earthquake in 1755 caused extensive damage but houses in the old medieval town still retain much of their former character in the stonework and wroughtiron balconies.

Faro, where many soccer fans will stay, is surprisingly pleasant for a thriving commercial centre.

It boasts a charming marina and a nice sandy beach.

Another big magnet for the Irish is Alvor, a well-designed resort, with deserted coves and bays along with tightly-woven cobbled streets dotted with a range of good-value restaurants, lively discos and a casino, where you can have a flutter from as little as 10 cent in one of the many slot machines, to much higher stakes at the Blackjack tables.

If your idea of a great summer holiday involves watersports, wide golden sands and evening entertainment that ranges from pavement cafes and restaurants to lively bars, Praia da Rocha is your kind of resort.

Praia Da Rocha, which is really Portimao's seafront. It was the first place to be developed as a resort in the Algarve. There are scores of cafes, bars and restaurants overlooking a vast beach.

At one end of the beach, guarding the entrance to the river, stands the Fortress of Santa Catarina built between 1521 and 1557. At the other end is a tunnel called the Buraco da Avo, Grandmother's Hole, which connects the main beach with several smaller, rockier ones.

Having retained the charm of its fishing village roots, the bustling town of Albufeira is a fantastic resort for families and couples alike.

Daily markets, inexpensive sea food restaurants and a picturesque harbour lend themselves to this Portuguese paradise.

A modern and sophisticated resort, Montechero is the liveliest area in the Algarve, boasting bars, restaurants and night-clubs to suit all tastes.

Just off The Strip, the bar and clubbers part of Montechero, we came across a real live Leprechaun out on the street decked out in green costume urging punters to have a drinks in Delvins Irish Bar.

The not so Little Person turned out to be a cheerful girl from Darlington who worked in Delvins, a bar owned by an English couple!

And speaking of drinks, one of the Algarve's best-known residents is the legendary Cliff Richard - the Peter Pan of pop.

SOPHISTICATED

The singing star who has produced so much popular music has a stunning house in the Portuguese countryside at Quinta do Moinho near Albufeira, one of the most visited tourist resorts on the Algarve.

Perhaps less well known is that Cliff has a great love of wine, and that in 1998 he recruited some of the best wine experts to help him develop the vineyard that came with the run-down property he bought in 1993.

Cliff didn't drink wine until he filmed Summer Holiday in Greece when he was 21.

"I was with the rest of the cast and crew sitting in some restaurant by the quay side in Piraeus," he says. When he bought his estate in the Algarve, he was determined to keep its farm functioning.

"I was advised that figs would be ideal," he says, "But a year later, I met the Australian winemaker David Baverstock, who said that I'd be better off with grapes. After chatting to him, it wasn't hard to de-cide which I'd rather produce - syrup of figs or wine. So we dug up the fig trees and planted vines."

Baverstock agreed to become Sir Cliff's winemaker. They planted 6.5 hectares of vines, mainly aragonez - tempranillo - and syrah.

The resulting wine is called Vida Nova - which means "New Life". Visitors to the Algarve can take a day trip to Cliff's estate which the guide describes as a "boutique vineyard".

VINEYARD

It consists of just 23 hectares or about 57 acres. The place is all very eco-friendly, even down to the left-over grape skins after harvesting being used as fertiliser for the vines.

About 100,000 bottles of wine - 75,000 red and the other 25,000 a mixture of white and rose - are produced each year at Quinta do Moinho.

Bottling is all very hi-tech. A huge mobile bottling lorry arrives at the vineyard and the wine is bottled and left in the cellar to age. After the tour of the vineyard is over, visitors can purchase a couple of bottles of Vida Nova which range in price from about EUR5, to EUR15 for the reserve.

Cliff says: "I'm so pleased, I called the wine Vida Nova, New Life, because I intended to breathe new life into my farm. In fact, we seem to have revitalised the whole region."

We raised a glass to Cliff's New Life on the Algarve and hope the sun shines on the grapes during the glorious summer months.

GETTING THERE

BUDGET Travel offer a wide variety of holidays on the Algarve.

Well recommended is the Hotel Baia Grande in Albufeira and the Hotel Pestana Dom Jo...o in Alvor.

Budget Travel offer one week in The Algarve starting from EUR229 per person for departures in June.

For Further details on Budget Travels summer 2009 holiday offers, click on - www.budgettravel.ie or call [phone].

Pre-book your visit to Cliff's Vineyard on 00351 968 776 971.

CAPTION(S):

PICTURESQUE: Despite the impact of tourism many villages retain their charm QUAINT: Village square bustles with life during the day and night SUN-KISSED: Algarve offers something for everyone ACTIVITIES: Coastline is known for its walking tours REMOTE: Cape St Vincent on the Algarve