There are places that become ours without us even noticing. It is not a decision — it is a feeling. That silent sense that we belong somewhere, that the air there has a different scent, more our own. For me, that place has glass walls, a wooden floor and a vast vineyard right in front. It is called the Monverde Wine Experience Spa, it sits in Amarante, on the Rota dos Vinhos Verdes, and it is where I became who I am.
I am Andresa, and I have been Spa Manager at Monverde Wine Experience Hotel since day one — since the spa opened its doors and I opened mine alongside it. We grew together, this space and I.
Vinotherapy: When Wine Cares for Your Skin
When people arrive at the spa for the first time and hear about vinotherapy, there is always a moment of curiosity — that smile of "but is wine for drinking or putting on your skin?". I love that moment. It is the gateway to a conversation that I am passionate about.
The truth is that the grapevine has always known how to keep beauty secrets. Its grapes concentrate powerful molecules — polyphenols — that belong to the plant's own immune system. These are the compounds that, when applied to the skin, protect against the effects of time, stimulate the production of collagen and elastin, combat free radicals and promote visible cellular regeneration. Vinotherapy is not a trend — it is ancient wisdom with scientific validation.
At Monverde, we take this philosophy very seriously. Here, wine is not merely what is in the glass at dinner: it is the guiding thread of the entire wellness experience we offer.
Vinésime: The Brand Bringing Burgundy to Your Hands
First in PortugalTo ensure treatments worthy of what Monverde represents, we chose to work with Vinésime, a French vino-cosmetic brand born in the Burgundy region — recognised by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. It was not a chance choice. It was a choice of the soul.
Vinésime was founded from a unique partnership: the centuries-old history of a cassis-producing family from Burgundy — whose ancestor Gabriel Damidot created the famous Kir cocktail — united with the wine tradition of Bernard Bouvier, a producer in Gevrey-Chambertin. From this alliance were born cosmetics of the highest quality, developed in partnership with the University of Burgundy and validated by rigorous scientific tests.
What makes Vinésime products truly exclusive is their proprietary active complex — the A2OC — which combines Pinot Noir concentrate from Gevrey-Chambertin with organic blackcurrant bud extract. The result? A formula capable of renewing skin cells, strengthening their resilience, evening out the complexion and restoring a luminosity that simply cannot be faked.
At Monverde Wine Experience Spa, we are the first hotel and spa in Portugal to offer exclusive treatments with this brand. When you lie down on our treatment table, you are receiving the most precious ingredients from Burgundian vines, transformed into protocols designed especially for you.
Our Treatment Offering: An Experience for Every Need
Every guest who enters the spa brings a different story — someone who needs complete silence, someone who wants to share a moment with the person they love, someone seeking a deep rejuvenation ritual. That is why our offering is so varied, and why I spend so much time listening before recommending.
Vinésime Signature Treatments
The essence of vinotherapy in its purest form. The skin leaves strengthened, radiant, visibly renewed — with results that persist long after the spa.
Exclusive Vinésime Facial Treatments
A fusion of therapeutic touch and aromas selected for each skin type. Each protocol begins with a careful analysis of the moment's needs.
Massages
A journey through the body, the senses, the breath. Carefully chosen aromas to lead into a state of deep relaxation where time simply stops.
Bath Rituals
Moments of escape and recovery of balance. The water, the aromas and the intimacy of the space ensure that whoever enters leaves literally on another frequency.
Magic Rituals
Deep exfoliations, intensive hydration and anti-cellulite treatments. For those who want visible results and skin that feels like velvet.
Special Moments
Vinotherapy bath followed by a relaxing massage with red vine leaf oil and essential oils. The kind of experience that cannot be described — it must be felt.
Experience for Two by Vinésime
Because wellbeing is even better when shared. Joint vino-therapeutic rituals to celebrate, reconnect or simply enjoy.
Jacuzzi in the Vineyard
Outdoor hydromassage, surrounded by Monverde's Arinto vines, available all year round. The view, the warmth, the silence and the sounds of nature in perfect harmony.
What Makes This Spa Different
The spa is almost entirely glass, and that changes everything. Light is a character here. When the sun shines in the morning, the vineyard right in front looks golden, alive, breathing. When it rains — and I confess I love rainy days — the sound of drops on the heated indoor pool has something meditative about it.
Nature here is not decoration — it is presence. The vines surrounding the hotel come in through the glass, change colour with the seasons, remind us that there is a greater time than our schedules.
But what truly makes this place mine is who inhabits it. By my side I have Diana — my right and left arm, as I like to say. She assists me with everything: treatments, the busiest moments, the most difficult decisions… and also the best laughs. Because yes, we laugh a great deal in this spa, and that is no accident. It is a choice.
I believe a wellness space begins with those who work in it. If we arrive with a light heart, if we receive each guest as though they were the most awaited visit of the day, that is felt. We do not need to say it — the guest feels it the moment they walk in.
There are days when the light comes in in such a way that I stand still, just looking — as if nature were asking me for a moment of silence.
Every morning, between 9:30 and 10:00, there is a ritual that never changes. I arrive, breathe in that warm air that smells of wood and tranquillity, and the first movement I make is to look towards the main terrace. Almost always someone is there — perhaps Laurinda, perhaps Telmo — and then it happens: a wave, a broad smile, a laugh in the air. That is how my day begins. With a wave of the hand full of warmth.
The Art of Listening
I like to smile. I like to welcome people warmly. I like to understand what that person needs — a vino treatment, a jacuzzi in the vineyard, or simply silence.
That listening is what drives me. Advising the best treatment for each person is almost an art — understanding whether someone needs a deep vino ritual or simply to sink into the outdoor jacuzzi while gazing at the vineyard at dusk. Each guest is different. Each moment is unique.
When people ask me how I feel at work, the answer always comes without hesitation: I feel at home. And it is not an empty expression. It is the simplest truth I have to give. This spa, this wood, this glass, this light, these people — they are my home.
Some say that luck is finding work you love. I would say that true luck is finding a place that recognises you — and I found mine, surrounded by vines, light and the best of company.
This spa is not just a space. It is the place where I became who I am.
Come and discover the Monverde Wine Experience Spa.
Reservations recommended in advance — especially for special programmes or couples' experiences.
