Wine experiences in the Alentejo

In the Alentejo, one of the most prominent places to stay is the L´AND Vineyard Resorts, an architectural wonder, combining structural innovation and splendor with traditional vineyards and experiences. With this, a lot of wine related experiences can be enjoyed, such as a balloon ride over the vineyards and the entire estate, wine tasting sessions and wine and food pairing classes. Another possibility is the emblematic Torre de Palma Wine Hotel, a modern hotel located in a traditional area of the Alentejo. This hotel also provides experiences such as wine tasting sessions and wine and food pairing sessions, but it also provides unique experiences like bike tours through the region and the vineyards, trips to the local market with the hotel´s chefs and accompanying the entire vindimas, from observing the workers pluck the grapes to stomping them and finally tasting the end product at the end of the session.

Experiences in the Douro Valley

There is a large plethora of experiences and places to stay in the Douro Valley related to wine and wine production. One of these is the Vila Galé Douro Vineyards, a premium hotel with a variety of experiences on offer, such as: visiting the vineyards; visits to the wine cellar, where wines like the Val Moreira Tinto DOC (DOC meaning the highest quality) and the Porto Val Moreira Tawny 20 Anos can be enjoyed. Another great place to stay and partake in experiences is the Six Senses Resorts Douro Valley, which also provides some fun experiences: wine tasting, wine courses and during the vindimas, participating in the ancient grape stomping ritual.

The vindimas

The wine harvesting process in Portugal is one of the oldest and most traditional and untouched industries in the portuguese country. Most vineyards still have the harvests performed manually, hiring mainly locals from the area to collect the grapes. The process itself is one of the reasons why the vindimas have kept its originality: the harvesting begins early in the morning, with hundreds of people (mainly women) throughout the estate harvesting the grapes by hand, covering themselves from the heat with straw hats and cloth around their bodies. After the grapes are gathered and undergo a selection process, they are stepped on, thus commencing the wine production process in itself.

Wine Harvesting in Portugal, 2019

Portugal is mainly known for 3 things: Cristiano Ronaldo, the beaches and great wines (not in any specific order). In this newsletter, we will be talking about portuguese wine harvests (commonly known as vindimas), more specifically about this process in two of the greatest wine producing regions in the mediterranean: Alentejo and Douro Valley, home to some of the most well known wines of Portugal. A lot of Portugal´s tourism derives from wine tasting and attending the sites where the grapes and vines are grown and harvested, and Portugal´s wine export figures keep increasing, thus the portuguese wines represent a major tourism attracting factor, possibly the next reason your clients visit Portugal. Hope this newsletter makes your clients want to learn more about portuguese wines and perhaps come and try some!