The weather favoured us, and the expected showers held off which meant that we were able to spend some time in the vineyard. It was here that we learnt about the growing process, and observed the owner turning the soil near his newly planted vines to aid the absorption of the coming rain (gardeners note).

Following this we were escorted to the fermentation room where we were given a brief introduction to the various steps in converting grapes into wine - including de-stalking, pressing, blending and finally the bottling and labelling process. Our next stop was the cask ageing room where we learnt of the use of oak barrels. It was interesting to note that the winery also deals with other local wineries and their wines.

The next stage of our visit meant that we were decanted (no pun intended!) into the tasting room where we were presented with tables laden with charcuterie boards. Needless to say, this part of the tour had been eagerly anticipated.

Each of the three wines to be tasted was introduced with a short talk about the wine itself and the foods that would complement it. Everyone was complimentary about the wines, and finally, we were treated to a taste of a delicious limited edition Moscatel with an interesting history.

The afternoon ended with us forming an orderly queue to buy wine!

We would like to thank Cabrita Winery, and especially our knowledgeable guide Duarte whose presentations were informative and interesting without being too technical.

An enjoyable afternoon was had by all, with the advantage of C.A.S.A. gaining some new members.

Our next (also new to us) club event will be a lunchtime Quiz which will take place on the 16th May in Vale Fuzeiros, details of this and all our events, and club membership, are on our website www.casasocial.club.