An evening at the House, done properly.

Portugal, as it turns out, travels well.

We kicked things off with a White Port & Jasmine Spritz: light, aromatic, and exactly what you want in hand when you walk into a room full of people you’re about to spend the evening with.

No overthinking it. Just a very good drink, doing its job.

How the night unfolded

No formal sit-down, no rigid structure. Just a steady flow of wines and canapés, designed to work together without anyone needing to study a pairing card.

A few highlights:

• Wild garlic & asparagus tartlet with the first Branco
• Smoked chicken Caesar bite with the Reserva Branco
• Hoi sin duck cornet (a crowd favourite) alongside the Clarete
• Keen’s cheddar sandy with the Reserva Tinto

The Wines: A Proper Run Through the Range

We moved through the Pedra Alta lineup in a way that made sense, building from crisp and fresh to deeper, more structured styles:

• Pedra a Pedra Branco 2023 – clean, bright, easy to get into
• Reserva Branco 2023 – more weight, more texture
• Clarete 2022 – light red, slightly chilled, very drinkable
• Reserva Tinto 2020 – proper Douro red, with depth but still approachable

No jargon needed. Just wines showing well and doing what they’re supposed to do.

The Guide: Matt Gant

Matt kept things exactly where they should be, informed, but never heavy.

A bit of background, a few stories from the vineyard, and enough insight to make the wines more interesting without turning it into a lecture.

You got a sense of the place, the process, and the personality behind it. That’s all you really need.

The Twist: VR in the Douro

Midway through, we brought in the VR headsets.

Standing (virtually) in the Douro Valley while holding the wine in your hand added something real, context, scale, a better sense of where all this actually comes from.

The Finish: Sweet Done Right

We closed things out with:

• White Port and lemon cheesecake
• 10 Year Old Tawny Port with dark chocolate brownies, raspberry

Classic combinations, done properly. The Tawny, in particular, did exactly what you want at the end of the night, slowed things down a notch and gave everyone a reason to stay for one more glass. Nothing overcomplicated, just a room full of people enjoying great wine, good food, and a bit of shared discovery.