The ‘vindima’ is more than harvesting grapes. It is a festival of tradition, colors and scents that everyone should experience once in their lifetime.
Portuguese wine is increasingly recognized throughout the world for its excellence. The harvest is an essential part of the winemaking process and a process that dates back to thousands and thousands of years ago that still amazes us.
In Portugal there are several places where you can participate in this tradition. Alentejo, Bucelas and Minho are good examples. Douro is a classic destination for wine tourism and although it is superb throughout the year, it is especially breathtaking during the ‘vindimas’.
The workers start their day early in the morning, working tirelessly during summer days and carrying baskets sometimes empty and sometimes full of grapes.
The grapes are placed inside baskets or other containers that are carried to the tractors and taken into the wineries.
In the past treading the grapes by stepping on them was the only way to get this precious drink and the workers spent many hours shoeless stepping on the grapes. Although today we can still find evidences of this process, technology has made it much quicker and efficient thanks to the existing machines.
The process behind creating a high quality wine such as the Portuguese ones is complex and the only way to fully understand it is by visiting it and sharing knowledge with the engineers and other workers.
More than the technicalities, the ‘vindima’ is a festival surrounded by a certain mysticism associated with an activity that has been around for thousands of years, represents the livelihood of many families and provides us with the most wonderful nectar – wine!
Get to know our offer of private wine & food tours so you can take part in this unique and wonderful experience while you’re discovering Portugal!
