Please support this terrific initiative – A democratically-produced Alvarinho from Portugal!

Alex Brogan and Manuel Cerdeira are first-year oenology students at Plumpton College who are going to make their first wine in Portugal this year. They’ve teamed up with Quinta de Soalheiro to make an Alvarinho with a bit of a difference. The twist is that they are selling the wine now before the grapes are even picked (a sort of pre-en-primeur campaign?) and everyone who buys a case in advance gets a say in how the wine is made! For example, if they are deciding how to ferment the wines, they give their members the pros and cons (impact on style, risks, costs etc.) of barrel fermenting vs stainless steel and then put it to the vote! It’s not just limited to winemaking too as members will vote on label design, the music played to the wine (maybe..) and even the name of the wine!