Growing more than grapes

Project Germinar reflects our desire to collaborate with the local community. It starts in a special parcel of vineyards cared for by a couple who are members of our Club of Producers. António Matos, who is also a senior social worker, cares for these vines with the help of people from the Valença Branch of the APPACDM (Portuguese Association of Parents and Friends of Mentally Disabled Children). This work in the vineyards promotes their personal, professional, and emotional development, always conscious of their individual traits. It is a project about integration, stemming from a genuine desire to create dignity and to value equal opportunities. This project recognizes the quality results of their hard work, which are bottled in the wine Project Germinar that is sourced from this special plot of vines. Members of this organization also designed the wine’s box and label. At least 30% of the sales revenue of Project Germinar are reinvested back into the organization. Work on this project also inspired a Master’s thesis about how wine tourism can benefit the local community.