WLS2016: So many people that we have to thank. So little time…

We had amazing experiences in Portugal during the first International #Winelover Symposium.

Some of the fantastic people who helped to turn our event into something super special and unforgettable are listed below along with my #ThankYouPicOfTheDay comments.

And above we have Andre Ribeirinho. The brains and heart behind putting all the pieces together.

THANK YOU so much my friend!

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I want to take the time today to post a very very special#ThankYouPicofTheDay: This one goes to Dirk Niepoort.

What most people know is that he has amazing wines, right?
And this is true. But what people don’t realize is how big his heart is. Dirk is one of the most generous people you will ever meet. He will open the door of his home, he will open fantastic bottles of wine… and he will open a big smile on his face.

Dirk, we will never be able to thank you enough for the amazing experience you provided to our community during our visit to Quinta de Napoles last month. You are a star!

Thank you VERY much!

Pic by Jürgen Schmücking

 

 

Sofia Prazeres from Quinta de São José hosted us for an amazing dinner at the Chef Rui Paula DOC restaurant in Folgosa during the 1st International #Winelover Symposium in the Douro Valley.

Not only she introduced to us her delicious wines (made by the famous Portuguese enologist João Brito e Cunha), but she also declared to have become a #winelover.

This is a moment where we make it official…

Thank you so so so much Sofia for a very special evening!! We are all very grateful for your extraordinary generosity.

#ThankYouPicOfTheDay

Pic by King Magnus Reuterdahl

 

 

I’m sure most of you have heard of Bento Amaral, one of the top specialists of Port wine in the world and the chief director of technical services and certifications for the IVDP (Port and Douro Wines Institute). This last Saturday he joined the #winelover community at Quinta de Napoles (Niepoort winery – definitely a future #ThankYouPicofTheDay toDirk!!) in the Douro Valley to conduct a fantastic tasting of Port wines.

We can’t thank you enough, Bento!
It was a once in a lifetime experience!!
We will be #PortLover-s forever!

#ThankYouPicOfTheDay

Pic by Jürgen Schmücking

 

 

Ready for another #ThankYouPicOfTheDay?

This time I’ll say a big thank you to the biodynamic producer in the Vinho Verde region of Portugal: Vasco Croft (according to himself, “a Faun in disguise”).

THANK YOU very much Vasco. We – #winelover-s – had an amazing time visiting “Aphros Wine” and tasting your wines.

And, last but not least, congratulations on making wines that are so unique and delicious at the same time!

Pic by André Cid Proença.

 

 

I have to thank many people for the amazing times we – members of the community who attended the 1st #winelover Symposium – had in Portugal last week. I’ll start by saying a HUGE THANK YOU toTânia Branco Oliveira from Sogevinus (Kopke, Burmeister, Calem, Barros, …) for, not only putting an amazing tasting of Colheitas for us, but also for being a true believer in our community.

Thanks again Tania! You created a beautiful memory… Moments that will be forever with us… 

#ThankYouPicOfTheDay Pic by Jürgen Schmücking 

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Cheers,
Luiz Alberto
  • Master of Wine candidate
  • Member of the Circle of Wine Writers
  • Italian Wine Ambassador
  • I combine my passion for wine with social media