Tasting notes – Copyright Andrew Hayes

When planning my recent trip to Lisbon, I found some information about Vini Portugal’s ‘Sala Ogival’ –offering free tastings of Portuguese wines – and decided to have a closer look. Having experienced plenty of tastings, usually focused more on selling and less about the wine itself, I was pleasantly surprised by the beautiful tasting room in Lisbon’s Baxia neighborhood.

Upon entry, you might suspect that you had gotten the directions wrong and stumbled into an inviting art gallery. Artfully decorated, there is no overt commercial aspect to the space even though Vini Portugal is a private organisation, partially funded by the Portuguese government, partially by wine producer associations. The focus here is resolute: give the consumer a memorable experience, balanced between all the senses and they’ll become your best salesmen.

You can choose your own flight of six wines, dividing your choices across two wines out of each of the selected regions currently on offer. The three highlighted regions change every three weeks to ensure all Portugal’s winegrowers are fairly represented, although this also means you might have to make a return trip. The staff are very friendly and eager to help you make an appropriate choice based on your own personal palette and wine preference.

Once you’ve tasted your wine, you’ll be given a score sheet to rate the wine. If you find something you like, you’re in luck: the tasting room also sells the wines on offer; this saves you the hassle of finding your favourites in a wine shop in town. My favourite was the vinho verde sparkling wine, but then again I have always been a fan of these bubblies. I’ll be honest, everything we tried was wonderful, and the ambience of the tasting room is one of my best Lisbon memories.

To learn more, visit the website http://www.viniportugal.pt