When crafting amphora wines, or "Vinho de Talha" in Portugal, the technique of "pesgar" the vessel's interior takes on a decisive role. This technique not only waterproof the recipients which gives them resistance, but ultimately add complexity to the wine's aromas.
This might explain why there are still today many "talhas" over a century old fulfilling their mission in the elaboration of "Vinho de Talha" in Portugal.
The "pesgar" is also an indispensable technique to avoid the wine getting "entrenched" in the clay, and turn sour. In the Portuguese southern region of Alentejo it is a common operation, done by families of "pesgadores" who apply handmade and secretive "pez" recipes, religiously kept within each family, and only passing from generation to generation. The differences in recipes for making pez obviously lead to a distinction in the flavor of each wines.
“Some say it was possible to identify who was doing the coating by the kind of resin the wine had.” Virgílio Loureiro
The "pez" is a mixture of beeswax, pine resin, and olive oil, but other (and secret) natural products can be added, according to each family's recipe.
The beeswax is produced by "young female worker bees". This natural treasure of nature is key in the survival of a hive. The production of beeswax is a long and tedious process: bees must consume about 10 kg of honey to produce 1 kg of wax!
Composed mainly of fatty acids, the beeswax is widely used for its ability to bind different components, and for obtaining a creamy texture.
"There was a time when beeswax was used especially for higher quality wines, and especially for olive oil, as the resin's taste was unpalatable.” Virgílio Loureiro
The pine resin is harvested from nearby pine forests, and then sent to a factory where it undergoes a natural distillation process to remove all its impurities. At room temperature it is amber colored, fragile, and transparent, very much like pieces of glass from a windshield.
Because the resin has good resistance to oxidation and a melting point between 120 and 135 degrees it is used in many products such as glues, varnishes, paints, and even in chewing gum!
"The pine resin comes from the Pinus Pinaster the most abundant conifer in Portugal."
In the process of "pesgagem" the talha must be very hot. It is positioned, facing down, to receive the heat of a wooden fire.
At the same time, the "pez" is being melted in an iron pot.
The very hot (and usually very large and heavy) vessel is the placed on the floor, slowly and carefully, and placed on its side so that it's interior can be coated with the "pez".
The talha is slowly rolled over to create a homogeneous layer of "pez" on the inside to prevent leakage and add depth to the wine's aromas.
And that is how this ancestral technique is being kept alive, and increasingly used in Portugal.
If you're curious to taste some different styles of "talha wines", the sommelier Manuel Moreira recommends:
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