The Winemaker Experience – Become a private winemaker in the Algarve
How does it work?
The Winemaker Experience is a hands-on project funded by Quinta dos Vales Wine Estate, which aims to turn wine-lovers into genuine wine-makers, each with a privately owned vineyard. Basically, what we offer is to guide participants through the full wine-production process, offering them our winery and consultancy, but encouraging them to make their very own wine, to their own preferences. This ensures that our private winemakers take their decisions based on the same information as we do, the only differences being volume and the fact that they can do so completely care-free. You choose the variety, you choose when to harvest, you choose the blend, basically, you choose everything.
Purchasing a vineyard parcel which is integrated into an award-winning winery is definitely a creative solution, you get a dual benefit; full control of your own wine production to whichever extent you desire, but without the responsibility of having to run a winery.
How much wine can I make per year?
The vineyard parcels are adjusted in size so that the average annual grape yield corresponds to a barrel of wine, 225 litres.
This volume is the crucial point in the project, as it allows the experience to be completely care-free, as participants do not need to worry about having to sell their wine, while also being authentic.
Being a part of the process
We have all been taught that you can’t have your cake and eat it too. But at Quinta dos Vales we offer an opportunity where exactly this is possible. On-site we have a small resort of holiday-homes available for purchase with a turnkey buy-to-let solution. If you invest in both, you have the opportunity to sit on your own terrace overlooking your privately owned vineyard and drink your own wine which is more than paid for from your rental returns.
Getting started
Quinta dos Vales offers an activity that introduces The Winemaker Experience called the bottle blending workshop, which invites you on a tour of the estate followed by a 3-hour workshop where you learn the art of winemaking and you make your own blend (and take it home with you).
The visit to the Estate’s barrel cellar gives a more deep insight into the winemaking and ageing process and explains the importance of choosing the right origin and age of the oak barrel and the effect this choice will have on the development of the wine. The tour is followed by a walk among the vineyards, where the guide will give all the insights on why these specific grape varieties were chosen, how they were planted and kept, the cycle of the vine – essentially what makes Quinta dos Vales‘ grapes the raw material from which the best quality wine is made of.
Once in the tasting room, guests will be presented with an equipment kit and a selection of young wines to make your own personal blend. After that you will then label, cork and seal your bottle of wine and take it home with you.
If the activity awakens a special interest in you, than you may know for sure that winemaking is the perfect hobby to pursue and
Quinta dos Vales will help you every step of the way!
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