In a territory where the sky is heritage and darkness is preserved as a natural resource, an experience emerges that unites two ancestral universes: wine and the stars.
Via Vínica in the Milky Way is a blind wine tasting conceived as an immersive sensory ritual, where the absence of light becomes an instrument of discovery. As in astronomical observation, it is in darkness that the greatest subtleties are revealed.
The experience may take place at the Official Observatory of Dark Sky® Alqueva, an emblematic space dedicated to the contemplation of the universe, or at carefully selected hotels, estates, wineries, and venues that ensure low light pollution conditions and appropriate wine service support.
The tasting is conducted in a controlled dark environment, using:
Deprived of sight, participants are invited to navigate exclusively through aroma, palate, and sensory memory. Structure, texture, acidity, tannin, minerality, and persistence become guiding coordinates like stars on an invisible celestial map.
Without labels, without chromatic bias, without visual expectations, the wine reveals itself in its pure essence.
Just as the Milky Way manifests fully only under a preserved sky, here too wine expresses itself with greater purity when light disappears.
Each wine is presented as a liquid constellation, the result of soil, climate, latitude, and time.
In Alentejo, where vineyards grow beneath one of Europe’s clearest skies, the connection between earth and cosmos is almost tangible. The same stars we observe today once guided agricultural cycles, harvests, and knowledge passed down through generations.
Via Vínica in the Milky Way celebrates this continuity between nature, culture, and infinity.
The investment per participant varies according to:
Each programme is tailored to the client, whether highlighting Alentejo wines or creating dialogue between different wine regions.
The experience may be conducted in:
Via Vínica in the Milky Way is not merely a wine tasting. It is a sensory crossing where each aroma is a star, each texture a pathway, and each sip a way of understanding that territory, like the universe, reveals itself fully when we know how to listen to silence.
For an even more immersive experience, Via Vínica in the Milky Way may be combined with an integrated Night Observation session.
When the tasting takes place at the Official Observatory of Dark Sky® Alqueva, the observation is conducted on-site, benefiting from its dedicated infrastructure and privileged setting for sky contemplation.
When the experience is held at another location, hotel, estate, winery, or selected venue, the observation session may also take place there, provided suitable low light pollution conditions and appropriate technical framing are ensured.
Following the sensory immersion into the universe of wine, participants are invited to raise their gaze to the real sky, exploring constellations, planets, and celestial objects through guided naked-eye observation and, whenever applicable, telescopic viewing.
This combination creates a harmonious dialogue between the microcosm of the glass and the macrocosm of the firmament: first, the territory is discovered in the intimacy of darkness; then, the universe that surrounds it is contemplated.
An integrated, coherent, and deeply memorable experience where wine and stars share the same silence and the same vastness.
The Stellar level reveals wines of balance and harmonious expression, where elegance and consistency define the experience. Like the stars that illuminate the night sky, these are reliable references with a clear identity and a subtle yet captivating presence.
Wines of precision and balance, bringing authenticity to the tasting experience.
30 € per person
The Pulsar level highlights wines of greater intensity and character, marked by aromatic depth, structure and a distinctive sensory signature. Like these highly energetic celestial objects, they assert themselves with rhythm, persistence and personality.
Vibrant wines, defined by their energy and expressive character.
45 € per person
The Quasar level represents the pinnacle of the tasting. Here, wines of absolute excellence stand out for their rarity, complexity and lasting impact. Inspired by the most luminous phenomena in the universe, these are intense, memorable and truly exceptional experiences.
Wines of singular greatness, that resonate beyond the moment.
80 € per person
Take note: Private Group Experiences
The stated rates apply to groups of 15 to 25 participants.
For groups of different sizes, as well as for experiences held at the Observatory or in selected external locations, each proposal is carefully designed on a bespoke basis.
Our team develops tailored solutions aligned with the group profile, context and desired level of exclusivity, ensuring a truly distinctive experience within the Dark Sky® Alqueva universe.
