Page 12 - Code de Vino, #17/23, a/w 2018

10 Wine Club Code de Vino #17 Code de Vino #17 Rui Cunha of Secret Spot Wines: "Winemaking is like painting" 11

I was impressed about the name, didn't knew of course what it was.
Had to look it up in the dictionary (don't forget that Google only
appeared a "few" years later) and found the idea great. He
continued… "Portugal will always be a wine country, wine is
developing and we don't have oenologists yet" — (My father worked
in the offices of a Port Wine house) — "If you want I can speak to the
oenologist and you could go and work for the harvest in the Douro".
So I went and although I was just washing the floor and tanks and
drinking beers at the local coffee at the end of the day and a wine
during meals (which with such a periodicity never happened before),
collecting berries in the vineyards and pumping overs I loved the
experience. Since that year I was working all the harvests
in the Douro until today.
After graduating I attended the University of Oenology
in Trás-os-Montes, went to Germany to study the white wines,
and started working on my own in 1995. I also attended many
master classes in Bordeaux about different subjects in winemaking
and nearly every year I continue to study.
My main interest in winemaking is trying to express the "terroir".
We are so lucky to have so many grapes, soils, expositions…
— You mention the great years from 2012 to 2017. Which — Tell us please about your experience in the wine world. So my goal is to protect them and help nature and bottle that
grape varieties showed their best properties in this period? How did you make wine your business? What education years result. This is what I do in Secret Spot and also in all
How important is the age of the vine and the vineyard? and professional experience have you had? What is your main the projects I work as a consultant.
What is the age of the vine for your best wines? interest when you make wines?
— Here in Portugal we have saying "You can't make an omelet — Easy — I've studied for it! As being half German I’ve attended
without eggs". I've made a slight adjustment in this expression. the German School in Porto. At the age of 15 (1987) we had to decide — Germans are generally accepted as hardworking successful
The grapes are the most important asset in quality, terroir driven if we wanted to study sciences, art, languages or economics. people. But what does it mean for you to be a half Portugal?
wines. The age plays an important role, because like we, the vines I remember arriving home and talking to my father about it. I hated
produce less but with better quality (with age we also tend to speak mathematics, loved biology, wasn't so bad at chemistry and of course — I was born half German, so I don’t know how it is to be 100 %
less but with more wisdom). In dry farmed vines, as they age, they loved sports. I hated to be locked in a room for one day. Even know Portuguese or 100 % German. I can even imagine that it would be
adapted to the soil, we adapt to them, their root system grows everything blood related impresses me. And while writing gave many to boring… I see myself having inherited the good parts of both
deeper in the soil and the yield and quality gets better and better. grammatical errors. nationality's. Half Portuguese means that I'm seen as a Portuguese,
At Secret Spot Wines, I consider that we have 3 excellent and very I fully understand the culture and working habits. To achieve my
different wines. Our Icon is of course the Secret Spot. A single My conclusion: I wanted to study biology out in the world or be a sports goals I know what I can expect and how I have to behave.
vineyard wine. The vineyard can be young or old, a field blend teacher! My father looked at me and said: "Look I understand you pretty And living in Portugal, when I do a mistake I can always say:
or different varieties planted in different plots. But as it's a secret well. But you'll be bored of teaching and it's very difficult to earn a living "Sorry, it was my German side!"
no one at Secret Spot can reveal the location and therefore being a scientist… Why don't you study Oenology"?
the grape varieties.
- You are a recognized oenologist in the region and cooperate
We also produce the Crooked Vines and Lacrau Old Vines with many companies. Tell us please about the projects you
(Portuguese name for scorpion). Crooked Vines is a blend take part in.
of 21 old vineyards that we harvest, ferment and age separately.
As we are working here with old vineyards, we are talking naturally — I divide my working time between Secret Spot Wines and several
of field blends. So it is for Gonçalo very difficult to say which wine projects where I participate as a consultant winemaker. Actually
of the varieties planted had a more important role in that particular I started my working live consulting because nobody wanted to give
year. What we of course see, is the behavior of the different me a fulltime job. Depending on the type of project, the dimension,
vineyards in each year. the wines & vines, etc… I visit the projects form a weekly basis
to a trimester basis.
Lacrau Old Vines, a wine with more freshness and elegance
than the structured and full body Crooked Vines, has its origin Now I'm focusing more on the North of Portugal, this means, Vinho
again in old vines that grow around the 450m to 550m Verde (Covela, Casa da Lavandeira, Quinta da Massôrra, Casa do
and Touriga Nacional. And here begins the interesting part. Casal, Quinta de Paços), Douro Valley (Quinta das Apegadas, Quinta
If you think of humans, as a single individual you can see and dos Avidagos, Pala da Lebre, Quinta da Boavista and Quinta das
control the behavior of him and also predict with much more Tecedeiras) and "the forgotten" Trás-os-Montes (Casal de Valle
accuracy. It’s very difficult to predict a crowd. And for this wine Pradinhos, Faioura, Casal Cordeiro).
we have used completely different % of Touriga Nacional
to achieve the same balance every year. My aim is always to express the soil, grape varieties and the style of
each particular house. I'm not speaking about expressing the terroir,
We also produce two single varieties: Lacrau Colheita 100% because, as you know, this involves also the human man working the
Moscatel Galego Branco and Lacrau Colheita Rosé 100% Touriga project, I don't want to leave my "foot print". I don't want people to
Nacional. Both are dry and crisp wines. Here I can tell you that recognize my winemaking style, I don't want to leave my footprint!
2017 was a great year for both wines. In 2016 I prefer the Muscat. I want the wine lovers to say: "I love this wine!" That's my aim
And in 2015 I prefer the Touriga. in consulting. And I have to tell you, I love this job…