ENJOY VINDIMAS, THE PORTUGESE GRAPE HARVEST, AT FOUR SEASONS HOTEL RITZ LISBON
Enjoy one of Portugal’s oldest traditions during a unique day trip that takes Four Seasons guests backstage into the culture of a 7th-generation Portuguese wine-making family that produces enough wine every year to fill four Olympic-sized swimming pools.
Enjoy Vindimas at Four Seasons Hotel Ritz Portugal. The end of summer and beginning of fall is synonymous with harvest, and in Portugal, it’s the start of the Vindimas, one of the oldest Portuguese traditions, where the grapes are harvested from the vines to produce the year’s wines.
The Vindimas represent a unique time of year in Portugal, being the culmination of almost a year of work – after the pruning in January, the arms start to grow in the spring, and in the summer the grapes acquire their colour, aroma and taste. Between September and October, when the grapes mature, and thus their weight, acidity and colour present the optimal characteristics to produce wine, the Vindimas take place – the grapes are harvested and the production of the wine begins. They are a true staple in Portuguese ethnography and, in the olden days, were accompanied by feasts and celebrations. Today, friends and family still gather for this ritual where, in only a couple of days, they painstakingly take a pair of scissors and a box and harvest the year’s crop.
To immerse guests in this local, centuries-old tradition, the Concierge team at Four Seasons Hotel Ritz Lisbon has partnered with JMF, José Maria da Fonseca, who have been producing wine since 1834, to create a day-trip to their estate, where guests can follow the whole process first-hand, as well as participate in tastings and visit the family’s house-museum, the most beautiful in the region. Tastings include the famous Azeitão cheese and pie, and some of their best wines – the Hexagon and the DSF Colecção Privada Verdelho are some of the highlights. Guests will also be able to take a tour of their breat-taking gardens, as well as the vast vineyards that compose what is one of the largest wine-producing estates in the country, with an area of more than 650 hectares (1,600 acres). All in all, the estate has more than 130 workers, produces more than 10 million litres (2.2 million gallons) of wine per year and exports 80 percent of its production to more 70 countries and manages more than 30 brands.
A visit to this beautiful location is a memorable experience that will take one backstage into the culture of a seventh-generation wine-making family – and one might even end up finding out about some secrets of the trade.
Heading back to Lisbon’s buzzing Chiado district, JMF’s recently-opened By The Wine bar is also a fantastic place to try many of the best Portuguese wines.
In charge of a list of more than 250 wines at Varanda Restaurant, including some of Portugal’s best, Maître Sommelier Licínio Pedro Carnaz puts some numbers into perspective: in 2015 in Varanda Restaurant, 41 bottles of Chryseia 2011 – the world’s 3rd best wine (according to Wine Spectator magazine) – were consumed, as well as 26 bottles of Quinta do Vale Meão, the world’s 4th best wine – both Portuguese.
Contact the Concierge team at Four Seasons Hotel Ritz Lisbon to arrange a Vindimas experience.
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