On the morning of my meeting with Quinta de la Rosa’s co-owner and manager, Sophia Berqvist, I am a bit grumpy. It’s a dreech old morning and the cold, damp air has inexplicably penetrated four layers of winter woollies, leaving me feeling pretty wretched.

I arrive at The Corner Club where I slump into one of those all-enveloping armchairs, tuck into a fabulous cappuccino and wait for Sophia to arrive.

The moment she walks through the door my spirits are lifted. She is smiling from ear to ear and dressed to beat the depressing weather in a floral print skirt and bright fuscia top.

Sophia is just the sort of person you would expect to find at the helm of a widely-acclaimed and multi-award winning wine estate like Quinta de la Rosa (www.quintadelarosa.com).

She has barely sat down before she is telling me all that is new and exciting at the family-owned winery. Situated in the heart of the Douro, the vineyards were gifted to Sophia’s grandmother as a christening present at the start of the 20th century.

For a while they sold their grapes to the house of Sandeman but, in 1988, Sophia and her father took the bold decision to restart the family business, with the aim of making the very best ports and still red wines.

“The Quinta de la Rosa style is all about balance, we are looking for elegance and finesse” said Sophia. “We have a fantastic winemaker — Jorge Moreira — who believes in terroir-driven wines which are well-integrated and which will drink well with food.”

It is a combination of the quality of the Quinta de la Rosa wines and ports, the fascinating history of the estate and their versatility with food that led us to select them for the first-ever The Oxford Times Wine Club Dinner at The Corner Club.

Sophia’s family have three generations of entertaining experience and this is an opportunity to experience it first hand. Sophia’s grandmother, Claire Feueheerd (friend of food-writer Elizabeth David), was renowned for her lavish parties in the Douro and was, as Sophia says, “a real gourmande . . . I grew up in a culture of five-course meals and of the whole wine-making process. It’s in my bones.” The dinner will give you a generous taste of this gastronomic history. It opens with a light and refreshing Portuguese cocktail, Quinta de la Rosa’s White Port and tonic, while Sophia gives a brief introduction to the estate and its history.

The three-course dinner will be served with a selection of wines and port. There will be plenty of chances to learn about the wines and to chat to Sophia and myself.

The dinner is on Thursday, March 5, at The Corner Club (www.thecornerclub.co.uk), a private members’ club, located on Turl Street in the heart of Oxford. After dinner you will be able to relax in the lounges with a final glass of port or a cup of coffee.

For details, see below left. I look forward to seeing you there.

Click here for The Oxford Times Wine Club offers.