Fifty members of the Algarve Wine Society met for an unusual wine lovers’ dinner on Wednesday, September 14 at the Vila Monte farmhouse hotel near Moncarapacho.
Six wines had been carefully selected by organiser Derek Lambert but appeared in disguise. Chef Nuno and his team served a tasting menu, with each dish accompanied by a mystery wine.
It was the task of expert bluffers David Grindley, Gaynor Stapleton and Derek himself to describe the wines – three different ways.
So who was telling the truth? Each table had to decide and vote for their favourite. Reaching agreement on this point was perhaps the most difficult part of the evening, but, by the time the diners had enjoyed the sixth wine (an excellent Touriga Nacional/Syrah blend made near Santa Bárbara da Nexe by winemaker Helwig Ehlers), even the bluffers were so relaxed they had difficulty getting their stories straight!
One table managed to identify all six wines – or so they said! Thanks are due to the Vila Monte and all who contributed to a fun evening.
www.algarvewinesociety.com
