WHY DID THE DESIRE TO LAUNCH THE QUINTA DA PERDONDA PROJECT ARISE?
PAULO NUNES: IT HAS NEVER BEEN AN OBJECTIVE FOR ME TO HAVE A PERSONAL PROJECT, JUST AS MUCH OF WHAT HAS COME UP IN MY CAREER HAS ALSO NOT PASSED THROUGH OBJECTIVES, BUT IT HAS BEEN THE CONSEQUENCE OF A PATH, A WAY OF BEING AND LOOKING AT LIFE, I THINK WHEN YOU WORK FOR WITH WELL-DEFINED OBJECTIVES YOU MISS THE FUN OF THE PATH AND NEW OPPORTUNITIES THAT ARISE YOU CANNOT SEE THEM AND QUINTA DA PERDONDA APPEARS WITHOUT A DOUBT AS AN OPPORTUNITY THAT LIFE HAS PROVIDED TO ME. IN 2017, TWO FRIENDS CHALLENGED ME TO IDENTIFY POSSIBLE PURCHASES OF VINEYARDS IN THE SERRA DA ESTRELA REGION, AFTER SEVERAL ATTEMPTS AND ALMOST GIVING UP ON THIS INTENTION, A VINEYARD CALLED QUINTA DA PERDONDA APPEARED WHERE AT FIRST SIGHT I WAS FASCINATED BY THE CHALLENGE OF MAKING WINE IN THAT EXTREME CONDITION IN AN "UNUSUAL" VINEYARD.
WHICH EXPRESSION BEST REFLECTS THE WINES OF QUINTA DA PERDONDA?
PAULO NUNES: THE EXTREME TERROIR THAT IS FOUND IN THOSE 5 PLOTS OF PERDONDA IS ACTUALLY A CHALLENGE, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT ONE OF THE VINEYARDS FURTHER EAST OF DÃO ALREADY ON THE SLOPE OF SERRA DA ESTRELA AT SIZES ABOVE 600M ALTITUDE IN GRANITE SOIL WITH PLENTY OF SECONDARY CLAY RICH IN WATER RESOURCES AND ORGANIC MATTER PLANTED IN 1948, IT IS THIS SET OF VARIABLES THAT I WANT TO EXPRESS IN EACH BOTTLE OF PERDONDA, THIS CHARACTER THAT SERRA DA ESTRELA GENEROUSLY OFFERS ME, THE ELEGANCE AND THE FRANK AND GENUINE SIDE.
WHAT IS THE SOURCE OF INSPIRATION AND MOTIVATION IN THE PRODUCTION OF QUINTA DA PERDONDA WINES?
PAULO NUNES: THE RESPECT FOR THE PEOPLE OF THE MOUNTAINS, THE RESPECT FOR THE KNOWLEDGE OF MAKING WINE FROM TIME IMMEMORABLE IN THAT SPACE AS HARSH AND AT THE SAME TIME AS BEAUTIFUL AS THE TERRITORY OF SERRA DA ESTRELA IS, THIS CULTURAL HERITAGE IS WITHOUT A DOUBT AN INSPIRATION AND CONTINUOUS LEARNING COM THOSE PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN MAKING WINE IN THAT LAND FOREVER.
DO YOU PREFER TO MAKE WINES TO STORAGE OR TO BE ENJOYED IMMEDIATELY?
PAULO NUNES: I THINK TIME MAKES THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A WINE AND A GRAND WINE, IT'S THE PASSING OF TIME THAT MAKES THAT DIFFERENCE. TIME BRINGS THE TRUTH, THE PATIENCE OF WAITING FOR A WINE DECIDES THE TRUTH ABOUT IT. THIS IMPLIED IN THIS PERDONDA PROJECT TO WAIT ALMOST 6 YEARS UNTIL THE LAUNCH OF THE FIRST HARVEST, IT IS EVIDENT THAT 6 YEARS IS STILL VERY SHORT (BUT IT IS SOMETHING), I USUALLY JOKING TO SAY THAT I PREFER THE MARATHON TO THE 100M!
WHAT ARE HARMONY SUGGESTIONS FOR THE REFERENCES AT QUINTA DA PERDONDA?
PAULO NUNES: CURRENTLY QUINTA DA PERDONDA HAS 4 WINES IN ITS PORTFOLIO WITH A CONDUCTIVE LINE THAT IS EASILY FOUND IN ALL WINES, THIS DNA IS A COOLER, MORE ELEGANT SIDE THAT THE SIERRA NATURALLY OFFERS, BUT EVEN WITHIN THIS MORE "SERRANO" SIDE " THERE ARE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE 4 WINES WE WILL HAVE WINES FOR DIFFERENT PAIRINGS, FOR EXAMPLE THE QUINTA DA PERDONDA TALHÕES WHITE WITH A CHEESE FROM SERRA DA ESTRELA OR A QUINTA DA PERDONDA TALHÕES RED WHICH EASILY GOES FROM A GOAT ROASTED IN THE OVEN TO EVEN A BEAUTIFUL PORTUGUESE STEW.
WHAT STYLE OF MUSIC REFLECTS QUINTA DA PERDONDA WINES? IT'S BECAUSE?
PAULO NUNES: WINE FOR ME IS INSEPARABLE FROM THE PLACE IN WHICH IT WAS BORN, IN FACT I LIKE TO THINK THAT WHEN WE OPEN A BOTTLE, WHEREVER IT IS, THAT BOTTLE "FORCES" US TO TRAVEL TO THE PLACE OF ORIGIN AND LOOK AT THE VINEYARDS OF PERDONDA AND TO THAT MAGNIFICENT LANDSCAPE OF SERRA DA ESTRELA MAYBE ON A SNOWY DAY VIVALDI- THE FOUR SEASONS - WINTER OR ON A BEAUTIFUL SUMMER DAY THE QUIET AND SERENE SAKAMOTO OR A BUSY HARVEST DAY MAYBE NIRVANA, PROBABLY ON ANOTHER DAY I WOULD RESPOND WITH OTHER SONGS ...THIS IS REALLY THE FASCINATION OF MUSIC AND ART!
AFTER MANY AWARDS AND RECOGNITION THAT TRANSLATE INTO CONSTANT SUCCESS, HOW DOES CONSISTENCY WORK TOWARDS CONTINUOUS GROWTH?
PAULO NUNES: I DON'T THINK WE SHOULD VALUE THE AWARDS TOO MUCH BUT OF COURSE THIS RECOGNITION AND THESE AWARDS ARE GRATIFYING. I AM THANKFUL FOR WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO ME IN MY CAREER, THEY HAVE NEVER BEEN OR WILL BE GOALS FOR ME, THEY ARE JUST THE CONSEQUENCE OF A PATH THAT IS TAKEN BY "WALKING" WITH A LOT OF PLEASURE AND A LOT OF JOY IN THE ETERNAL SEARCH TO DO MORE AND BETTER! FORTUNATELY, THE CONSEQUENCES OF THIS PATH HAVE BEEN EXTREMELY POSITIVE.
WHICH WINE WILL STAY IN YOUR MEMORY FOREVER AND WHY?
PAULO NUNES: THERE ARE MEMORABLE WINES BECAUSE THERE ARE MEMORABLE SITUATIONS IN OUR LIFE AND IT WILL NOT BE ATTRIBUTED EXCLUSIVELY TO THE INTRINSIC QUALITY OF THAT WINE, BUT IT WILL BE THE CIRCUMSTANCE IN WHICH THAT WINE IS DRINKED AND OF COURSE WE ALWAYS PREFER TO REMEMBER THE BEST MEMORIES ...BE FOR PLEASURE TO LEARN AS A WINEMAKER (THERE ARE WINES THAT IN THEMSELVES ARE TREATED ON WINEMAKING) OR FOR THE PLEASURE OF DRINKING IT. I REMEMBER THE WINE FROM THE WINE STUDIES CENTER OF THE DÃO COLPHEITA RED 1963 OR THE WHITE COLLHEITA 1958 ARE TRUE HYMNS TO PORTUGUESE ENOLOGY, BUT I COULD REMEMBER A DOZEN OF THEM FOR THE SAME REASONS OR FOR OTHER REASONS.
WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO THE CONSUMER WHEN THEY WANT TO CHOOSE A WINE FOR A CERTAIN MOMENT?
PAULO NUNES: VERY SIMPLE.... THE PATIENCE OF KNOWING HOW TO WAIT FOR A WINE AND THE "DEPENDENCY" OF OPENING A BOTTLE AT THE RIGHT TIME WITHOUT WAITING TOO LONG FOR THAT BOTTLE, IN SUMMARY TIME IS EVERYTHING!
REGARDING THE FUTURE, WILL WE HAVE NEWS IN THE QUINTA DA PERDONDA PROJECT?
PAULO NUNES: THERE WERE DEFINITELY NEWS BUT I CONFESS THAT I STILL DON'T KNOW WHAT (THIS IS REALLY THE MAGIC)! AT THIS MOMENT WE ARE RECONSTRUCTING THE SMALL WINERY AT QUINTA DA PERDONDA WHERE IT WILL ALLOW ME IN THE NEXT HARVEST TO MAKE VINERY PLOT BY PLOT IN AN ISOLATED WAY (A TOTAL OF 5 Plots) THE CONSEQUENCE I DON'T KNOW WHAT IT WILL BE, BUT I KNOW THAT WE ARE AT THE BEGINNING OF THE "ADVENTURE "THIS IMPLIES LEARNING A LOT!
