We went to harvest Fernão Pires in Tejo.
After an easy one-hour drive from Lisbon, and quenching our thirst with a delicious glass of white wine, we hold on tight inside the four-wheel-drive jeep as it passes over hard, dry terrain that raises a dense dust due to the prolonged lack of rain that marks 2022.
We drive through the vineyard of Quinta do Casal Branco, a historic producer in the Tejo wine region. At the wheel is the winemaker, Joana Silva Lopes, for whom all this excitement is usually routine, but now it's somewhat stressful as we are in the middle of the grape picking season.
Surgical harvests and old vines
It is the middle of August and Joana already has a good part of the harvest done. She decides the harvest by criteria, such as the plot of land, the degree of ripeness and, most importantly, the acidity index, in view of the type of wine for which these grapes are intended. For high-end wines, the grapes have a fixed location on long-defined plots. Despite the rationale of all these decisions, one can clearly see Joana's wise and healthy balance between "art and science."
We are on our way to a vineyard planted mostly with the white variety Fernão Pires, which will be harvested by us. It is one rare and very special 60-year old vine of Fernão Pires in the Tejo region. Interestingly, these old vines were the ones that best withstood the heat and drought of 2022. Old vines don't always hold up, but because of the greater depth of their roots they reach the clay in deeper layers of the subsoil, underneath the sandy surface, where nutrients are stored in more pronounced water reserves that help the plant defend itself.
Despite all the appreciation for old vines, along the way many areas missing vines are evident. Joana tells us that some of her old vines are no longer profitable due to multiple diseases, poor production, and high labor costs, so they had to be uprooted and replaced by other newer vines with the same genetic material. Ultimately this approach ensures better quality and the continuity of the essence of the wines to be produced.
That being said, Quinta de Casal Branco with over 119 hectares of vineyards, preserves centennial old vines for the top-of-the-range wine Falcoaria Grande Reserva Tinto. In the case of Fernão Pires, the youngest vineyard is 60 years old and the oldest is 70 years old. It is from these vines that the grapes for its iconic white wine, Falcoaria Vinhas Velhas Branco, are harvested.
Vines shaken by the heat
The torrid air that swept through the vineyards acted as a blowtorch that was scorching bunches in the vineyard, especially those with less leaf protection that are positioned under the influence of direct sunlight and scorching wind.
This is the so-called scalding effect, in which the hot air and lack of humidity at night causes the berries to dehydrate and shrivel. Applying a natural "sunscreen" called Kaolin (whitish clay) tends to mitigate the effects of the heat and the sun's rays. The "sunscreen" is sprayed on the leaves, forming a white film that reflects the sunlight and protects the leaf from excess radiation. This technique effectively reduces the impact of heat and drought on the vines. It has a similar effect to the sunscreen we use to protect our skin when going to the beach.
Another interesting effect of the Kaolin is a decrease in the temperature of the leaves surrounding and shading the bunches, preventing the berries from being dehydrated and burned. Applying Kaolin should be done preventively, in other words, before stress conditions occur, but when the foliage is dry, otherwise the product doesn't adhere to the leaves. Subsequent applications depend on weather conditions and the quality and density of the kaolin film that remains on the plants. A second application is usually done after 30 days, but the timing might be more or less depending on weather conditions.
Even so, it is painful to see so many bunches burnt. The consequences are a drop in production, due to the burnt fruit that can't be used, irregular maturation levels since some plants interrupt their normal vegetative cycles as self-protection, and very small berries that obviously produce less juice. However, this year in the Tejo region, good flowering and good fruit set (between May and June), made it possible to increase overall production by 5%, compared to 2021.
From scissors to the press
With scissors in hand we began to harvest the grapes for "our" wine, a Vinho Abafado or Abafadinho, which designates a wine in which after a slight fermentation, it is "smothered" with grape brandy to prevent further fermentation, therefore leaving a very large amount of residual sugar, and an alcohol content between 17% and 20%.
We, amateur grape pickers, filled up a few boxes with grapes, and took them to a state of the art winery. But there, in a little corner, our grapes had a completely different destiny, as far away from modern technology as possible.
Our grapes were dumped into an old, very traditional, and clearly very well used press powered by our arms. Winemaking ancient-style. The gentle turning of the press, delicately squeezed the berries, from which drops of juice slowly came out. After a while, with our exhausted arms, the juice was transferred to a very old barrel where it will ferment and age, producing a wine that is not currently part of this winery's portfolio.
The closest wine to a Vinho Abafado that Quinta do Casal Branco produces, is their Falcoaria Colheita Tardia 2016, a Late Harvest made with Viognier and Fernão Pires, and arguably one of the best made in Portugal.
That's what we call a full day! Lots of experiences and information, what a great way to feel the pulse of a region that has not allowed itself to stay behind others, and that is changing its outdated image with innovation, vigor, and fresh marketing ideas.
Heritage, gastronomy, terroir, culture, grape varieties, and quality, it's all there in Tejo!
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