GDS 2.0GDSGrão Duque Sambrasense
GDS

The Club

Life is too short to drink bad wine

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Our story

In January 2012, a group of seven friends started something fun around a shared passion: wine.

The idea was a series of dinners through the year where, above all, they could taste and score a range of wines, always paired with good food.

Through themes such as single grapes, regions, awards and head-to-heads, the aim is to grow our knowledge of wine and sharpen our senses and taste.

Along the way we also learn about the history and geography of Portugal and the world, through its regions, estates and the wine itself.

Full members

Full members

  • Alexandre Bento
  • Raul Conceição
  • Paulo Guerreiro
  • Gonçalo Mesquita
  • Vitor Belela
  • Gilmar Brito
  • Osvalde Silva
  • Alain Guerreiro

Blind tasting rules

Each tasting has seven full members and one guest. Each brings a bottle on the chosen theme, plus one "joker" bottle: only one person knows which it is, and it must be off-theme.

The bottles are handed to someone who does not take part (usually from the venue hosting the dinner). They decant the wines, pick a random serving order and note it on a sheet that is only revealed at the end.

During the tasting, every member and the guest score each wine from 0 to 20 on their own sheet. The scores are then added up to give each wine an average: that is the club's score.

Download the tasting sheet (PDF)

Scoring scale

  • 0 – 9.5Weak or very weak wine, with faults.
  • 10 – 12Acceptable wine, below average.
  • 12.5 – 14Average-quality wine.
  • 14.5 – 15.5Good wine, above average.
  • 16 – 17Very good wine.
  • 17.5 – 18Great wine, a classic.
  • 18.5 – 19Remarkable, world-class wine.
  • 19.5 – 20Extraordinary in every way, a unique wine.

Wine producers

If you are a producer and would like the club to taste, present and review your wine, please get in touch. We will be glad to do it.

graoduquesambrazense@gmail.com

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Where we are

Thanks for the gifts

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