Churchill Graham, the boutique producer of Churchill’s Port and Churchill’s Estates Douro Wines, is introducing ‘Virtual Conversations with Winemakers’, a series of e-tastings of Churchill’s Port and Douro terroir wines hosted by Churchill’s founder and head winemaker Johnny Graham and production director Ricardo Pinto Nunes.
Churchill’s fans around the world will be able to taste alongside the winemakers in real-time thanks to tasting bundles available online and live-streaming from Portugal on Instagram.
In response to this moment of social distancing, Churchill’s aim is to bring its community from around the world closer together to taste, talk, and learn about the wines Churchill’s winemakers are so passionate about.
“These are difficult times for everyone, but in the wine business it’s particularly challenging for small producers like us,” said Churchill’s sales and marketing director Zoe Graham. “We are largely dependent on other small businesses, such as independent wine shops and restaurants, many of whom have had to close their doors.
While bigger producers have the supermarkets, we have to find new ways to reach our consumers. We’re excited to experiment in online sales and live-streaming, where people can engage with our winemakers and experience Churchill’s wines and ports in more meaningful ways.”
The tastings will be live-streamed in English on Churchill’s Instagram on Tuesday 14th and 21st April and Thursday 16th and 23rd April, at 8.30 pm GMT, including live question and answer sessions with the winemakers. The e-tastings will also be available to view on-demand afterwards.
People can purchase the wines online in advance – in a bundle with free shipping to most of Europe – so that they can participate as if they were being transported to Churchill’s intimate tasting room in Porto. The bundles are designed so that participants can enjoy the bottles over the course of the next week, with 20cl tasting bottles of the ports and a selection of 3 Douro wines to choose from.
Tuesday 14th and 21st April: participants will have the opportunity to learn from Johnny Graham, one of the port world’s master blenders and founder/head winemaker at Churchill’s. Johnny will lead a port tasting about three styles of port, with some of Churchill’s iconic ports: Churchill’s Dry White Port, Churchill’s Reserve Port and Churchill’s 10 Year Old Tawny.
“I’ve given countless tastings over the years to teach people about port and Churchill’s specific style of port, but I never imagined I’d be showing my wines alone in my home to an audience around the world,” said Johnny Graham. “What I love about port is that it brings people together. We hope this will create a sense of community.”
Thursday 16th and 23rd April: Ricardo Pinto Nunes will take the audience on a journey into the soul of Churchill’s Douro wines, with a tasting of Churchill’s single estate terroir wines from Quinta da Gricha, from Talhão 8 – Touriga Nacional, a single varietal from a single vineyard plot at Quinta da Gricha, to the terroir blends Gricha and Quinta da Gricha.
“The Douro is one of the most magical places on earth. I’m looking forward to sharing a bit of what I know about the terroir, encouraging people to taste some new wines, and, hopefully, inspiring them to come to visit us when this is all over,” said Ricardo Pinto Nunes.
Photography by @mutantemag.
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