What portion of the Aragonez grape variety should be combined with a certain percentage of Touriga Nacional? Should you add a little Antão Vaz or Touriga Franca? A great wine involves many factors. Knowing how to make the ideal blend is one of the most important.
In Portugal, in some parts of the rich Douro, Alentejo and Algarve wine regions, there is a challenging Bottle Blending Workshop waiting for you. It’s a demanding process that in the end allows you to take home a literally unique wine, designed by you, corresponding to the most exact personal taste. Something far above having a monogram engraved on an object. Here, the object is of your own creation.
The labor is complex. Over the course of three hours, professional oenologists first guide you through the barrel cellar, to learn about winemaking. They explain the importance of choosing the right origin and age of the oak barrel and the effect that that choice will have on the evolution of the wine. They’ll also take you through the vineyards to understand how grape varieties grow and how to select them.
Once in the tasting room, you are given an tool kit and a selection of young wines to taste, compare and analyze. Here your palate and sense of smell come into play. This is where your wine is born, your blend – whose bottle you label, cap and seal yourself.
The final experience is accompanied by delicious cheeses, cold meats, and other local treats. It’s essential for setting up future pairings. When you finally serve the nectar to your friends, the expression “This is not just any wine” will never have rung so true. Do you dare to try?
