The Vines, a small resort with just 16 stand-alone houses, each comprising of 2 independent villa suites, has the perfect balance of interior to exterior areas, ideally suited to the concept of vacation homes, as holiday-makers in the Algarve tend to spend the majority of their time outside. Each villa suite features one bedroom, a bathroom with walk-in shower, an open plan kitchen and living room, as well as a private terrace, adjacent to a cozy private relaxation area.

Quinta dos Vales has established itself as one of the cultural reference points of the region. Being the leading winery in the Algarve, it was originally founded with the dual focus of Wine & Art, and has since extended its offering to also focus heavily on interactive wine experiences, with the epitome being their new project, The Winemaker Experience, which helps its participants to create their very own wine.

The Vines offers a turnkey buy-to-let solution, which allows the owners to reap the benefits of owning a holiday-home, even including a 4-year rental guarantee, but with the operational management delegated to the estate's team.

However, for it to really become a unique proposition, the owners are given the option to combine a holiday home with a small, privately-owned vineyard. This is where The Winemaker Experience comes in – putting the two ideas together, the wine-lovers can become wine-makers in their own vineyard plot for a fraction of the usual cost associated with buying a winery.

Attracting clients all the way from the Swiss Alps to South Beach, Florida, the project, which can be managed remotely, allows wine-lovers to authentically be in control of their own production.

“We are offering a one-of-a-kind project, the possibility of realizing the dream of creating one's own wine, while still making a profit. Most people know the saying ‘you can't have your cake and eat it too’, but in this case, the winery created an opportunity where exactly this is possible,” says Karl Heinz Stock, the founder and owner of Quinta dos Vales.

By purchasing both a vineyard and a holiday-home, wine-lovers can get the best of both worlds, as the luxury lifestyle turns into a smart investment.

The Winemaker Experience needed to fulfil three criteria: being authentic, affordable and carefree, and it successfully ticks all the boxes. Each participant has as much decision-making power as a winery owner would have, but without the need to invest years of work and millions into the project, as it is now possible to produce a wine with an upfront cost of only 30.000€ to 60.000€ for a vineyard parcel and running costs ranging from 8€ to 11€ per bottle.

The estate's winemaking team educates and guides participants through the production process, providing use of the winery equipment and specialised personnel, which takes away from the concerns that the non-wine experts could naturally have, and guarantees the authenticity and quality of the end product. The project has been running smoothly even from the distance, with the regular updates sent to the clients ensuring their constant involvement in every stage of the creation of their wine.

Karl Stock explains: "We were adamant that before going live with the promotion of The Winemaker Experience it had to be perfectly fine-tuned".

The Winemaker Experience has attracted a huge positive response, with the number of private wine-makers almost doubling as soon as the marketing activities started. But then again, who would want to pass on the opportunity to sit on their own terrace overlooking their privately owned vineyard, drink their own wine which is more than paid for from their rental returns?

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For more information, please visit: https://www.quintadosvales.pt/