The Pre-Conference Event will be held on Saturday 29th & Sunday 30st January. There are just 20 places available.To experience this amazing event you must either be a registered conference delegate or a registered member of the blogging/media group.
Saturday 29th: Evening Sandeman Port Lodge Visit
Prepare to go on a tour of the majestic and mysterious Sandeman Porto Cellars, home to the iconic silhouette of The Don.
The heritage of Sandeman dates back to 1790, when George Sandeman founded a wine business in London. Twenty years later, he purchased the cellar that we’ll visit in Portugal and began to export wines to countries across Europe, the Americas, Africa, Asia, and New Zealand.
In the 1870s, Sandeman became the first Porto House to sell labeled bottles of wine. The company started the tradition of “branding” their wine to guarantee quality to consumers, and their trademark is now one of the oldest in the world.
In 1928, George Massiot Brown (known as “G. Massiot”) created the powerful image of The Don. Dressed in a long black cape and wide-brimmed hat and holding a glass of Porto, The Don is recognized by wine lovers across the globe.
By the time you finish reading this paragraph, more than 20 bottles of Sandeman will have been bought. Distributed in over 55 markets worldwide, The House of Sandeman is one of the leading brands in Porto trade and a landmark for visitors to Portugal. During the Pre-Conference we’ll get a special peek inside their cellars to learn more about their internationally renowned wines.
Sunday 3oth: Grape Escape to the Vinho Verde Region
Departing from the Palacio do Freixo at 09.00 and travelling up to the Vinho Verde wine producing region, here we will have the opportunity to discover the breathtaking rolling green hills, jagged peaks, lakes, rivers and visit 3 family-run wine producers. The trip will return to Porto at approximately 17.30 – 18.00. Evening tasting activity and dinner TBA.
Here’s some background info to wet your appetite: In 1926, Lúcia Borges Vinagre received from her father, António Borges, the Quinta de Santa Maria Estate, situ São Miguel da Carreira, Barcelos as a gift.
Shortly after, the first Vinho Verde was bottled on the estate, which turned out to be a pioneering activity in the region. The winery was then enlarged. Quinta do Tamariz was acquired in 1939 and its manor house became the main residence of Lúcia Vinagre. In 1965 the Vinagre Family established the Sociedade Agrícola da Quinta de Santa Maria, S.A., which still runs the two estates. Today, the winery is run by husband and wife team Dr. António Borges Vinagre & Eng. Maria Francisca Bianchi de Aguiar Vinagre (winemaker).
Between the two estates some 35 hectares are used to cultivate both white and red grape varities including Loureiro, Arinto and Alvarinho (whites) & Vinhão, Borraçal and Touriga Nacional (reds).
Something special to look forward to in the wine tasting will be the Aguardente velha (wine brandy) which is aged in oak casks for 25 years.
Both estates are included in the Vinho Verde Wine Tourism Route and are close to Barcelos, Braga and Vila Nova de Famalicão in the beautiful region of Minho. In 2008/2009 the winery won the Best of Wine Tourism National Award (Architecture and Gardens) by the Great Wine Capitals jury.
12.00 Visit to Quinta do Casal do Paçofollowed by lunch at the wineryWe will now travel to Quinta do Casal do Paço, a winery known for its strong, modern image and its high quality Afros wines. On this visit, we will learn more about biodynamic viticulture, a field that this winery has pioneered in Portugal.
In 2003, Portuguese architect Vasco Croft renovated the estate and began producing wine a year later. In 2006, Daniel Noel, a French consultant with decades of experience in biodynamic winegrowing, helped Vasco convert the winery to sustainable agriculture. The winery will features a water turbine that generates electricity using its own spring water. This electricity is enough for its domestic and cellar needs. Soon, Quinta do Casal do Paço will be one of only a few estates in the world to have this type of energy autonomy.
Vasco named his wines after the story of Afrodite. According to Greek mythology, Afrodite is the Goddess of love, beauty, fertility, and desire and she was born from the “afros,” Greek for “foams of the sea.” The excellence of the Afros collection stands out both in Portugal and abroad, and has received such honors as the warranty seal Wine Passion Excellency by the Wine Passion tasting panel (for the aromatic red, Afros Loreiro), the Bronze and Silver Medals from the Decanter WWA Competition, and recognition on the 50 Great Portuguese Wines List for the UK in 2009.
It will be especially interesting to observe the creative environment and team behind Quinta do Casal do Paço, which Vasco believes is “essential to the quality we aspire to.”
16.00 Transfer to Porto
18.30 Sala Ogival at ViniPortugal where Sara Gonçalves of Vinhos Norte, one of the key producers of Vinho Verde in Portugal will be waiting to greet us.
Over the last four decades, Vinhos Norte has pioneered new methods of winemaking, including inventing the concept of the first Vinho Verde sparkling wine. International distribution is the core focus of Vinhos Verdes, and they provide consumers across the world with young and aromatic wines. The state-of-the-art winery has several bottling lines (bottle, demijohn, sparkling, and bag-in-the-box), which allow Vinhos Norte to efficiently respond to their widespread global market. We’ll learn a little about the environmental responsibility of the winery, which invests in water treatment facilities and is now looking into the potential of using renewable energy in their vineyards.
After the wine tasting, we’ll have dinner and rest up for the next morning, when the conference programme officially begins!
Pre-Conference Event
The Pre-Conference Event will be held on Saturday 29th & Sunday 30st January. There are just 20 places available.To experience this amazing event you must either be a registered conference delegate or a registered member of the blogging/media group.
Saturday 29th: Evening Sandeman Port Lodge Visit
The heritage of Sandeman dates back to 1790, when George Sandeman founded a wine business in London. Twenty years later, he purchased the cellar that we’ll visit in Portugal and began to export wines to countries across Europe, the Americas, Africa, Asia, and New Zealand.
In the 1870s, Sandeman became the first Porto House to sell labeled bottles of wine. The company started the tradition of “branding” their wine to guarantee quality to consumers, and their trademark is now one of the oldest in the world.
In 1928, George Massiot Brown (known as “G. Massiot”) created the powerful image of The Don. Dressed in a long black cape and wide-brimmed hat and holding a glass of Porto, The Don is recognized by wine lovers across the globe.
By the time you finish reading this paragraph, more than 20 bottles of Sandeman will have been bought. Distributed in over 55 markets worldwide, The House of Sandeman is one of the leading brands in Porto trade and a landmark for visitors to Portugal. During the Pre-Conference we’ll get a special peek inside their cellars to learn more about their internationally renowned wines.
Sunday 3oth: Grape Escape to the Vinho Verde Region
Departing from the Palacio do Freixo at 09.00 and travelling up to the Vinho Verde wine producing region, here we will have the opportunity to discover the breathtaking rolling green hills, jagged peaks, lakes, rivers and visit 3 family-run wine producers. The trip will return to Porto at approximately 17.30 – 18.00. Evening tasting activity and dinner TBA.
10.00 Visit of the Quinta de Santa Maria & Quinta do Tamariz winery
Shortly after, the first Vinho Verde was bottled on the estate, which turned out to be a pioneering activity in the region. The winery was then enlarged. Quinta do Tamariz was acquired in 1939 and its manor house became the main residence of Lúcia Vinagre. In 1965 the Vinagre Family established the Sociedade Agrícola da Quinta de Santa Maria, S.A., which still runs the two estates. Today, the winery is run by husband and wife team Dr. António Borges Vinagre & Eng. Maria Francisca Bianchi de Aguiar Vinagre (winemaker).
Between the two estates some 35 hectares are used to cultivate both white and red grape varities including Loureiro, Arinto and Alvarinho (whites) & Vinhão, Borraçal and Touriga Nacional (reds).
Something special to look forward to in the wine tasting will be the Aguardente velha (wine brandy) which is aged in oak casks for 25 years.
Both estates are included in the Vinho Verde Wine Tourism Route and are close to Barcelos, Braga and Vila Nova de Famalicão in the beautiful region of Minho. In 2008/2009 the winery won the Best of Wine Tourism National Award (Architecture and Gardens) by the Great Wine Capitals jury.
12.00 Visit to Quinta do Casal do Paço followed by lunch at the winery
We will now travel to Quinta do Casal do Paço, a winery known for its strong, modern image and its high quality Afros wines. On this visit, we will learn more about biodynamic viticulture, a field that this winery has pioneered in Portugal.
In 2003, Portuguese architect Vasco Croft renovated the estate and began producing wine a year later. In 2006, Daniel Noel, a French consultant with decades of experience in biodynamic winegrowing, helped Vasco convert the winery to sustainable agriculture. The winery will features a water turbine that generates electricity using its own spring water. This electricity is enough for its domestic and cellar needs. Soon, Quinta do Casal do Paço will be one of only a few estates in the world to have this type of energy autonomy.
Vasco named his wines after the story of Afrodite. According to Greek mythology, Afrodite is the Goddess of love, beauty, fertility, and desire and she was born from the “afros,” Greek for “foams of the sea.” The excellence of the Afros collection stands out both in Portugal and abroad, and has received such honors as the warranty seal Wine Passion Excellency by the Wine Passion tasting panel (for the aromatic red, Afros Loreiro), the Bronze and Silver Medals from the Decanter WWA Competition, and recognition on the 50 Great Portuguese Wines List for the UK in 2009.
It will be especially interesting to observe the creative environment and team behind Quinta do Casal do Paço, which Vasco believes is “essential to the quality we aspire to.”
16.00 Transfer to Porto
18.30 Sala Ogival at ViniPortugal where Sara Gonçalves of Vinhos Norte, one of the key producers of Vinho Verde in Portugal will be waiting to greet us.
After the wine tasting, we’ll have dinner and rest up for the next morning, when the conference programme officially begins!
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