Having reached QDV's target, in 2017 it was time for a new challenge. The timing couldn’t have been better, as in 2015 one Stock became two, as Karl Heinz’s son, Michael, joined the team, who now holds the position of Real Estate Director.
Quinta dos Vales was never planned as a family business, but it is such a fascinating and multi-faceted project that the offspring couldn’t resist. Now the 2 generations of Stocks manage the various activities and developments of Quinta dos Vales, working side by side and always striving create something new.
Finding a new challenge wasn't difficult, with 'The Winemaker Experience' our goal was simple. We wanted to give wine-lovers the chance to authentically make their own wine, without having to dedicate 10 years of their lives and invest millions into the endeavor. Basically, we structured a package as if Karl Heinz Stock (15 years ago) was our target audience, someone who has a passion for wine and wants to not just put his name on a bottle but also take every single decision in the winemaking process. In order to reach as many people as possible we offered 4 different versions of the project, from an introductory teaser (Bottle Blending Workshop) all the way to the full experience (Own a Vineyard).
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Quinta dos Vales as it is known today was founded in 2007 by Karl Heinz Stock, a recently-retired banker and real estate developer who wanted to bring his 2 passions together, wine and art. Throughout his life sculpting, principally with stone, was one of his favourite activities, and having lived in Portugal since 1996 he quickly fell in love with its wine as well. The target was simple, he wanted to produce the best wine of the Algarve. From the beginning the business model was clear, art and wine would be produced with no compromises, any decision of quality vs quantity would always be decided in favour of quality. And in order to allow this uncompromising (and economically damning approach) he would subsidize these 2 loss-making sectors with wine-tourism. Events, wine tastings and accommodation can be operated as very profitable business sectors, especially in a region such as the Algarve, one of the most popular tourist destinations in Europe. The next 10 years were dedicated to realizing this dream, and in 2017 he finally achieved his goal:
Wine -Quinta dos Vales is widely recognized as the leading producer in the Algarve, with its wines having won the distinction "Best wine of the Algarve" 7 of the last 11 years.
Art - The estate itself is one immense open-space art exhibition, with over 100 sculptures exhibited on the grounds, ranging from 30 cm to 7 meters in height. The vast majority of the sculptures are of Karl Heinz Stock's own creation, and this attraction draws thousands of visitors to the estate every year.
Events & wine tastings - This sector of QDV has grown every single year, in terms of weddings, corporate events, wine & food pairings, organized winery tours, workshops, spontaneous visitors, etc.
Accommodation - Spending ones holidays at QDV allows visitors to take advantage of both a tranquil countryside get-away as well as being close to the action of the Algarve (the estate is located 15 minutes’ drive from several award-winning beaches). For this reason, our accommodation sector has been a crucial element of QDV and we've gone from a simple one-man job to a smoothly-running operation. So much so that during 2020 we will see an expansion that doubles our capacity in accommodation.
The future of Quinta dos Vales is the combination of Wine & Real Estate, marketed under the brand-name The Vines.
Scheduled for completion end of this year, we are building 32 apartments in the heart of our estate. They will be available for holiday rentals, but we will also sell them as holiday homes, for those looking for a truly unique home away from home. These apartments combine perfectly with The Winemaker Experience, as is evidenced by the fact that our first client for each project was the same person. He pre-bought one of our apartments, as well as 3 plots of vineyard right in front of it (less than 10 meters away). When he visits us to taste his wine and get hands-on involved in the production he will stay in his apartment, and the rest of the year he puts it into our rental-pool to earn a rental yield. The Vines @ Quinta dos Vales are currently in construction and will be ready in March of 2020.
Wine and art are two elements that often go hand in hand but can also be appreciated separately. It takes unusual vision and entrepreneurial flair, however, to bring together art, winemaking and nature to develop a unique concept in oenotourism in Portugal.
Passion means many things to many people. But whatever the meaning, life is all about passion. Passion is something that comes from the inside that is impossible to resist. It’s this deep, overwhelming emotion that has inspired this year’s first travelling exhibition, brought to us by the Quinta dos Vales sculptors. This all-embracing theme is what makes us all unique and diverse and helps us achieve or fulfil what we most desire.
Evolution is the driving force for positive changes and vice versa and the reason why mankind has developed and develops further. This was the guideline behind this art installation.
Art Shop
Wine Shop
