With a view toward honing tasting skills and opening a more discriminating palate, the Vinho Verde Wine Tasting Workshop was held at the CVRVV, drawing participants from a wide range of sectors, including agents from wine-producing interests, restaurant managers and Maitre D’s, and product managers from hotels, hypermarkets and restaurants. The Vinho Verde Wine Tasting Workshop sessions, which took place at the Commission’s facilities in Oporto on November 28th and 30th and on December 5th, 7th and 12th, also focused on extending the participants’ knowledge of wine’s technical and practical aspects as they pertain to both general consumers and connoisseurs.

The workshop course (for which the Commission issued bona fide Certificates) was given the name “Vinho Verdes: Their Aromas and Tastes” and it shed light on theoretical and practical knowledge as applied to the organoleptic construction behind tasting, the physiology of the senses, the standard tasting techniques and the diversity and typology of Vinho Verdes and Minho Regional wines.

Starting off with the module dedicated to the Physiology of the Senses was Maria João Monteiro, Specialist in Oenology and Appellations, and Coordinator of Chemical Compositions and Organoleptic Services of the Biotechnology Advanced College at the Portuguese Catholic University, who led the participants into the area of sensory tastings by considering various liquids and identifying their tastes in order to better understand the mechanisms behind sensory analysis.

The module that focused on Tasting Techniques was led by Beatriz Machado, researcher and coordinator in the Specialized Course in Oenologic Production at The School for Technology and Industry Management (ETGI), who essentially covered applied techniques for wines and derivatives by following tests of aromatic liquids.

The task of exploring vinho verdes, its sub-regions and recommended grape varieties fell to António Cerdeira, head of the Laboratory, the Tasters’ Hall and head of Experimentation in Oenology for our Commission (the Comissão de Viticultura da Região dos Vinhos Verdes). This module included a brief historical overview of wine producing in the Vinho Verde Region followed by tastings from the various grape varieties and sub-regions, accompanied by plates of sushi (a culinary suggestion made by the Hua Qing Restaurant), as well as tastings of rosé vinho verdes served with various compotes from Casa Mateus.

Jorge Pinto, consultant and teacher in Oenological Engineering at the University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro, dealt with the themes of sparkling vinho verdes and their respective processes, after which there was a tasting of the wines with sweets provided by the Chocolataria Arcádia.

Lastly, Minho Regional wine and vinho verde brandies were discussed by Carlos Magalhães, a consultant in winemaking and oenology and Instructor in Oenology at the School of Hotellery and Tourism in Oporto, in the final sessions of our Workshop “Vinho Verdes: Their Aromas and Tastes”, which featured tastings of the Minho Regional wines served along side Quinta dos Moinhos Novos cheeses, and the brandies with a puff or two from Davidoff cigars.

A visit to the Laboratory on the grounds of the CVRVV topped off the last day of the workshop, with all session leaders and participants attesting to the mini-course’s success as well as its benefits for the Vinho Verde Region as a whole.