There are strange people all over the world.

Some just have strange ideas. Others decide to act on such ideas and see what emerges.

I encountered one of the latter types last week.

I was driving in the Alentejo region of Portugal and encountered a sign that read: “Ervideira.”

The building looked like a factory. The entrance was unprepossessing. I knew, though, that it was a winery and wineries are places often worth dropping into.

“I’d like to taste some wine, please” I said.

So they poured me vodka.

At least it looked like vodka. In fact, it was a white wine made from red grapes and called Invisivel. Invisible, to you. And to me.

The wine was lovely, but these people were clearly quite odd. In a good way, you understand.

Suddenly a man appeared at my side.

“Would you like to try some wine from the bottom of a lake?” he said.

His name was Duarte Leal da Costa. He co-owns the Ervideira winery with his five brothers. They are the fourth generation of his family to do so.

“Sure,” I replied, wondering if I’d stumbled into some Portuguese reality show.

“You’re going to think I’m lying,” he said.

That’s exactly what I was thinking. I knew that the occasional winery had experimented with aging wine in large areas of water — the ocean, for example — but I suspected it might be a gimmick.