Douro Somm Camp returns for a second year

Douro Somm Camp, part of Symington Family Estates’ School of Port educational platform, launched in 2020, is returning this year in July.

The programme, with a mission to show port’s relevance to a modern, younger audience in an engaging and contemporary way, will return on 3-6 July 2023 and will feature a selection of the top sommeliers from Asia and America in addition to those from across Europe.

Its work so far has focused on teaching wine professionals and enthusiasts about port and the Douro region, primarily through its two free-to-access educational video series: ‘The Essentials’ and ‘The Masters.’

In 2022, School of Port held its inaugural Douro Somm Camp, an immersive educational boot camp for the best European sommeliers. 

Over four days, 13 professionals from across Europe came together to explore Porto and the Douro, learning about production and having exclusive access to some of the Douro’s most historic wineries and estates.

Participants will have the opportunity to visit several estates in the Douro, taste a selection of ports and Douro DOC wines, attend masterclasses, get to know the people behind the wines including winemakers, viticulturists, and salespeople, and gain behind-the-scenes access to all aspects of port and wine production. 

School of Port aims to establish Douro Somm Camp as a key annual fixture in the global sommelier calendar, inviting the rising stars from national competitions each year to take part.

The UK representative for 2023 is Maria Boumpa, a certified Sommelier and DipWSET student, and head sommelier at Michelin star restaurant Da Terra in London.