VIDAVINHO is a project that is run by Petra Bakker. I am a wine expert with over 12 years of experience in teaching wine courses and giving wine tastings in the Netherlands. I followed my passion and relocated to Portugal a few years ago. Now I share my love for Portuguese wines with locals,  expats and other internationals in Cascais.

The diversity of Portuguese wines keeps blowing me away. Each region has so much authenticity to offer. And the quality of the wines is one of the wine worlds best kept secrets. My aim is to help others to enjoy the Portuguese wines as much as I do. I love to share my knowledge and passion in my tastings and classes.

My path to become a wine educator began in Amsterdam, where my side job in restaurants grew into a role managing a Michelin-recognized restaurant’s 300+ wine list. Here I made wine and food pairings and managed the wine list. Though my career later took me into marketing and technology, wine remained a calling. By 2011, I became a certified Vinologist and have been teaching and organizing tastings ever since.

In Portugal I have turned that expertise into a full-time business. Through Vidavinho, I run wine tastings and workshops in Cascais and Lisbon, often tailoring sessions for international groups. Including visits to wineries from my network.

The goal is always to give the international audience — expats and tourists — a better understanding of Portuguese wines. The events balance education and enjoyment, highlighting regions and grape varieties that go far beyond the familiar names of Douro and Vinho Verde.

I also run the Cascais Wine Club, giving consumers access to wines usually reserved for restaurants. See here the dedicated website for the Wineclub.

Besides my services aimed at consumers, I also help wine businesses. I bring consulting service to help restaurants to design wine lists, train staff, and support wineries and related businesses with their marketing and online strategies. With a focus on their growth in an international market. Here my professional expertises in wine and in digitalisation & marketing come together.

Wine is my passion and I have been eager for a long time to build my life around it. VIDAVINHO (life of wine) is the project that enables me to do just that: Make my life about wine.