I recently traveled to Portugal on an education-based wine trip. I came to this blog to write about said trip. I think that is a mistake.
There are countless articles, on the internet and in actual BOOKS, that record industry professionals and their journeys walking the vines. Most are fact-based; some emote all the way to the stars. I’ve just been told last week that I am “sensitive” - maybe that is why I am confused on how to plot this whole thing out. On one hand, you probably would like to learn something, and I would like to teach you something. On the other hand, wine travel can be such a personal shift in thinking. The entire point of you being there is to absorb not only the technical aspects, but also the culture, the vibe, the semblance of space you can’t, and shouldn’t, get from an Instagram post. Please stop judging travel to wine destinations from the girl in a cropped T-shirt swirling her glass and talking about “legs”. Should I go on about that?
I’ve been lucky to travel quite a bit in my lifetime. I do wish it wasn’t when I was so young: I’m searching for different meanings now at age 55. The impressions stayed, however, and the desire to know more about people and history has never left me. I’m surprised at how shallow I approach travel in the beginning of setting up a trip. I still have preconceived notions on how it will all will go down. I will eat too much, need to excuse myself if the party goes too late, take copious notes, and ask poignant questions. None of this happens. Eating in Europe is a treasure, a past time, something that takes time, something to pay attention to, and something to share. I’m also not a child - I know when to say no to the second or third pastel de nata that comes my way. I am also aware that I am there to EXPLORE wine consumption, not to consume it. I’m not saying I’m an angel, or that a few beers in a pool at the end of the night DIDN’T happen - but I usually stick to the plan. Notes are taken, but more conversation is spoken. More questions are asked, but they have taken on a new voice.
Do I like a fancy room - I do. I hate to say it, but I do. Traveling these past few years hasn’t always shown me the prettiest spots, but I’ve dealt with the tragic joints and moved on. Giving our group a few days at The Yeatman in Vila Nova de Gaia was a gift. A jewel overlooking Porto, a breakfast buffet of champions, a spa, a waterfall pool - I had a hard time thinking that I deserved this at first. But this was home for a week, and I showed up like I was meant to be there. And I was.
There are car rides on tight little winding roads where you were warned to “not look down”, there were bottles opened, dinners consumed, vineyards hiked. The whole note taking part went out the window; we were HIKING people. The Douro in Portugal is basically a vertical walk of sorts. I was hobbling, but keeping up. I took my time and brought up the rear of the group. I didn’t mind. I usually found a guide or Taylor Fladgate team member to talk to, and these were some of the best conversations. We could re cap on some of the quirky winemakers we just met. I was told the “extras” that usually stay out of the winery presentations. The funny things that make these people human. I found beautiful rocks in the ground, and encouraged others to look for them as well. It became a thing after a while - “Grab a rock for Susan”. Such treasures. Rocks can just be rocks, or vehicles that can transport you. Tangible objects make your stories real. I stood and took in the paintings that were hung in the tasting rooms. I purchased a few nonsensical keepsakes that made me happy at the moment. All these things, AND wine, make up the journey. All these things added to the wine facts and notions I would take home with me, and layer on. I’m more than just a one-note presentation, and I should be. Looking and seeing and absorbing are all different things, and can happen at the same time - as I’m finding out.
I’m looking over my wine notes now to give you something technical, which is what I feel I NEED to do. The one profound moment I can’t get out of my head is the day our group visited Croft. We were greeted by one of my champions David Guimaraens; wine director for the Fladgate Partnership. He is spellbinding. Few people can capture a moment and make it stop in time. He doesn’t just speak from the heart but from the past/present/future and beyond of winemaking in general and winemaking in Portugal. I took notes on my phone, and had ideas of making them pretty for you. I decided against it. My notes were what I heard, and we all hear differently. My notes were taken from a vineyard where I was standing on a slant for an hour, sun beating down on me, sweating like an animal. I didn’t care. I was frozen in a dirt pile, swatting away flies, and listening to a great man talk about his craft:
Each vine gives you little but it’s the sum of its parts
High vine density
Field blend
Age
Vines of Duoro
Revolution in 1974
A lot of cheap labor to reduced and higher cost
Post phylloxera- created wealth
50s and 60s
The fathers decided to be more active in Duoro
More vigor rootstock
Less density
Field blends diminished- more concentration on a few varietals instead of a million
10 yrs later some varieties did not adapt
David appears
Now co-fermentation
These are wines of terroir
What has changed
The quality of the spirit we add — David did this, he saw this needed change. This altered the playing field. This makes us great.
Our competitive set:
Take out stalks
More color
Fruit bombs
Great aromatics
Very one-dimensional
Not going to age
If you go to stainless steel, you will get more fruit but less depth
Ours are balanced: less color and grip that balances sweetness
That’s all I’m going to give you, but that's not all that is floating around in my head, and that’s not all I experienced. I have changed; I know my understanding is deeper and richer. I am more confident. I feel like I am part of a secret club; one where we all have a large responsibility in growing our footprint, sharing what has happened and what could happen, and finding partners to take along for the ride. Sometimes I see these experiences like a comic book strip, or some kind of graphic novel. They are segmented encounters that all connect to the big splashy ending. I’m not at the ending. Help me fill in the blanks.
