HUGO, HOW DID YOUR PASSION FOR WINE BEGIN, AND WHAT MOTIVATED YOU TO PURSUIT A CAREER AS A WINEMAKER?
HUGO MENDES: THERE IS A PRELUDE THAT BEGINS WITH THE FACT THAT I WAS NOT A HUGE BEER FAN. WINE CAME UP EARLY AS AN ALTERNATIVE, AND I REALLY LIKED THE COMPLEXITY AND VARIABILITY THAT, AT THE TIME, WE DIDN'T SEE IN BEER. I STUDIED BIOTECHNOLOGY AND WANTED TO FOLLOW A CAREER IN CANCER RESEARCH. I REALIZED THAT, TO DO SOMETHING WITH IMPACT, I WOULD HAVE TO LEAVE THE COUNTRY, AND AT THAT TIME THAT WASN'T AN OPTION I LIKED. I THEN LOOKED FOR OTHER OUTCOMES WITHIN MY RANGE OF KNOWLEDGE AND THE OPPORTUNITY TO TRY WINE CAME UP, DURING A HARVEST STAGE AT QUINTA DA ALORNA IN 2004. IT WAS A SPECIAL YEAR, DIFFICULT ON MANY LEVELS AND VERY EXCITING FOR THOSE WHO LIKE CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES TO OUTPERFORM THEMSELVES. IT WAS AN IMMEDIATE PASSION, AND I REALIZED THAT I WANTED TO MAKE WINE FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE. EVEN TODAY, THE HARVEST HAS A CERTAIN EFFECT OF “RENEWING MY VOWS” ON ME.
HOW WOULD HUGO DESCRIBE THE WINEMAKING PHILOSOPHY IN HUGO MENDES WINES? IS THERE A GUIDELINE THAT YOU FOLLOW IN ALL YOUR WINES?
HUGO MENDES: THESE STORIES ABOUT PHILOSOPHY (WHICH LOOK MORE LIKE RELIGIONS) ARE, IN GENERAL, A BIG NONSENSE, WHICH SERVES MORE TO HIDE IGNORANCE AND INCOMPETENCE THAN TO ACTUALLY MAKE WINES THAT RESPECT THE GRAPE, THE TERROIR OR, THE MOST FORGOTTEN OF ALL, THE CONSUMER WHO PAYS FOR AND DRINKS THE WINE. FOR A WHILE, I SAID THAT I DO “INTERPRETATIVE OENOLOGY”, WHICH IS NOT AND DOESN’T SAY ANYTHING. 😆
THEREFORE, I DON'T FOLLOW A PARTICULAR PHILOSOPHY, ALTHOUGH, IF YOU WANT TO PUT ME INTO A CATEGORY, I POSITION MYSELF CLOSER TO NATURAL PHILOSOPHIES, WHAT WE USUALLY CALL "LOW INTERVENTION". I BUY GRAPES FROM WINE-GROWERS WHO ARE GOOD AND ATTENTIVE CAREERS. I DO LONG-TERM WORK WITH THEM, WHICH ALSO INCLUDES APPROACHING MORE ORGANIC TECHNIQUES (BUT I HAVE TO GET THEM TO VALUE THE GRAPES FIRST AND ACHIEVE QUANTITIES THAT JUSTIFY IT). I DON'T LOOK FOR "NOISY" SOLUTIONS, BUT RATHER FOR SUSTAINABILITY FOR THE SMALL COMMUNITY THAT IS GENERATED AROUND MY WINES. IN THE WINERY, I ESSENTIALLY USE SULFUR AS A WINE PRODUCT. THE MOST DECISIVE POINT CONTINUES TO BE THE USE OF INDIGENOUS YEASTS FOR FERMENTATION. IN THE OTHER PROCESSES, I TEND NOT TO ADD OR REMOVE ANYTHING, BUT... I WILL NOT AVOID CORRECTING ACIDITY OR FILTERING A CERTAIN WINE IF THAT IS WHAT BALANCES IT. AND, SOMETIMES, IT IS.
IF YOU WANT, THE KEY POINTS OF MY OENOLOGY ARE: GRAPES HARVESTED BASED ON ACIDITY, USE OF INDIGENOUS YEASTS, MINIMUM DOSES OF SULFUR, RESPECT FOR THOSE WHO WILL DRINK THE WINE AND FREEDOM.
WHAT ARE THE BIGGEST DIFFICULTIES IN CREATING A WINE THAT EXACTLY REFLECTS YOUR VISION?
HUGO MENDES: THERE ARE SOME DIFFICULTIES WHEN WE DON'T DO IT IN OUR WINERY OR WITH OUR GRAPES, BUT UP TO NOW THESE DIFFICULTIES HAVE ALWAYS BEEN OVERCOME WITH SOME EASE. THE BIGGEST ARE, WITHOUT A DOUBT, THE FACT THAT WE WANTS TO PICK THE GRAPES BASED ON ACIDITY AND PH. I AM ALWAYS THE FIRST TO PICK THE GRAPES AND OPEN THE WINERY, WHICH COMPLICATES LOGISTICS AND GIVES ME UGLY FACE.
BUT THE GREATEST DIFFICULTY CONTINUES TO BE SALES. WE ARE A VERY ATOMIZED AND DISORGANIZED SECTOR, WITH MANY PEOPLE THINKING THAT THE COMPETITION IS JUST NEXT DOOR. MY COMMUNICATION ALSO DOES NOT FIT WITH CONVENTIONAL STANDARDS, I BOTHER MANY PEOPLE AND THIS MADE IT DIFFICULT, DURING THE FIRST YEARS, FOR THE WINES TO BE TAKEN SERIOUSLY.
WHAT IS THE INSPIRATION AND HISTORY OF THE MAGNIFICENT LABELS THAT YOU PRESENT ON EACH OF YOUR WINES?
HUGO MENDES: IN THE CULTURE OF OUR SMALL COMPANY, LABELS ARE A CONTINUATION OF THE CARE WITH WHICH WE MAKE THE WINES. ON THE ONE HAND, WE LIKE TO HAVE A BEAUTIFUL LABEL ON THE TABLE, AS WE THINK IT INCREASES THE PLEASURE OF THOSE WHO CONSUME IT. ON THE OTHER HAND, BOTTLES ARE GREAT SPACES TO SHARE THE ART OF MANY TALENTED ARTISTS, WHOSE WORK WOULD OTHERWISE NOT BE KNOWN. WE HAVE THREE LABELING LINES: TWO MORE “CLASSIC” LINES, LISBON AND TEJO, WHERE WE WANT THE LABELS TO EXPRESS OUR APPROACH. LISBON IS MUCH MORE FOCUSED ON THE PURITY OF ORIGIN, AND TEJO, MY HOMELAND, WHERE I GIVE FREEDOM TO MY CREATIVE STRENGTH. FOR THE BOLDEST WINES, WE USE A LABELING LINE THAT WE CALL “UDOGART”. THERE, WE USE ORIGINAL ARTWORK, CREATED PURPOSEFULLY FOR US, THAT EXPRESSES THE WINES IN QUESTION OR SOME IDEA THAT WE WANT TO ASSOCIATE WITH THEM.
WHAT WAS THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE YOU HAVE FACED AS A WINEMAKER AND HOW DID IT IMPACT THE WAY YOU WORK?
HUGO MENDES: THE SHORTEST ANSWER IS ALWAYS THE SAME: “NO ONE SHOULD CONSIDER THEMSELVES A WINEMAKER UNTIL THEY HAVE FACED THE FIRST VOLATILE EFFECT!”
SINCE MY TRAINING WAS IN BIOTECHNOLOGY, I STARTED AS A WINERYMAN. I WORKED ALONE, WITH A CONSULTANT OENOLOGIST WHO WAS OBVIOUSLY NOT IN THE WINERY 99% OF THE TIME. AS I NEVER LIKED DEPENDING ON ANYONE AND ALWAYS LIKED TO UNDERSTAND WHAT I WAS DOING AND WHY, I HAD TO STUDY AND ASK A LOT OF QUESTIONS TO FEEL COMFORTABLE WITH EACH ACTION. THIS MADE ME A WINEMAKER (ALONG WITH A SOUR WINE! 😆) AND GAVE ME THE CONFIDENCE TO TAKE THE RISKS I HAVE BEEN TAKING IN THESE ALMOST 20 YEARS.
INNOVATION IS ALSO A CENTRAL THEME IN MODERN WINEMAKING. WHAT INNOVATIONS DO YOU BELIEVE ARE SHAPING THE FUTURE OF WINE PRODUCTION AND HOW DO YOU APPLY THEM TO THE WINES YOU PRODUCE?
HUGO MENDES: ALTHOUGH I AM A ROMANTIC TYPE, I HAVE LEARNED THAT I ALSO HAVE TO BE PRACTICAL. FOR EXAMPLE, IT WOULD BE OF NO USE TO ME TO BELIEVE THAT A MANUAL HARVEST BRINGS BETTER RESULTS THAN A MECHANICAL HARVEST IF, AT THE END OF THE DAY, THERE ARE NOT ENOUGH PEOPLE TO PICK THE GRAPES ON TIME. IN INNOVATION, WHAT IS MOST IMPORTANT TO ME IS THE KNOWLEDGE THAT YOU BRING TO YOUR HEART. WITH THIS KNOWLEDGE I CAN MAKE CONSCIOUS AND ASSERTIVE DECISIONS THAT RESPECT THE GRAPES, THE WINE AND THE PEOPLE WHO ARE GOING TO DRINK IT.
THE WINES I WANT TO MAKE DON'T NEED MUCH INNOVATION, BUT THEY BENEFIT FROM ALL THE KNOWLEDGE I CAN HAVE.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE WINE YOU HAVE EVER PRODUCED AND WHY?
HUGO MENDES: THIS IS ALWAYS THE HARDEST QUESTION TO ANSWER. I TAKE GREAT PROUD OF THE WORK I HAVE DONE, WHETHER AS A WINEMAKER OR AS A PRODUCER. THERE ARE WINES THAT, BECAUSE OF THEIR IMPORTANCE, WILL ALWAYS BE STRIKING. MYRTUS RESERVA 2008 WAS THE FIRST I MADE WITH MY OWN IDEAS. QUINTA DA MURTA CLÁSSICO 2015 WAS THE CULMINATION OF YEARS AND YEARS OF LEARNING, TRYING, TRIAL AND ERROR. QUINTA DA MURTA ESPUMANTE 2015 STAND OUT FOR ITS TECHNICAL "PERFECTION."
TODAY, I AM MORE INTERESTED IN THE HISTORY OF REFERENCES THAN ISOLATED HARVESTS. HAVING A SPECIAL HARVEST IS VERY GOOD BUT IT RARELY DEPENDS ON US, IT DEPENDS ABOVE ALL ON THE FACTORS OF THE YEAR IF WE ALWAYS GIVE OUR BEST. CONSISTENCY AND REGULARITY ARE THE MAGIC WORDS THAT I ASSOCIATE WITH PERFECTION. IN THIS SENSE I WILL HAVE TO HIGHLIGHT CASTELÃO AND CURTIMENTA AS “FAVORITES”. LET OTHERS NOT READ ME.😅
WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO THE CONSUMER WHEN DRINKING A WINE FROM THE HUGO MENDES BRAND, SO THAT THE WINE GOES FROM BEING A GREAT WINE (BECAUSE IT IS), TO BEING MEMORABLE?
HUGO MENDES: THANK YOU FOR THE “GREAT WINE”. 🙂
THE BEST WAY FOR A WINE TO BE MEMORABLE, IN MY OPINION, IS BY BEING PART OF A MEMORABLE MOMENT. SO… SHARE IT WITH PEOPLE WHO MAKE YOU FEEL HAPPY, FOCUS ON THEM AND THE MOMENT. WITH HOPE, THE WINE WILL PLAY ITS ROLE AND YOU WILL BE RECOGNIZED FOR IT.
IN MANY CASES, DECANTING ALSO HELPS TO INCREASE THE CHARM, AND OUR WINES WITHSTAND WELL THE USE OF THE DECANTER.
WHAT STILL DOES YOUR CAREER AS A WINEMAKER REMAIN? WHAT ARE YOUR LONG-TERM GOALS?
HUGO MENDES: WELL... AS A WINEMAKER, I LACK THE COMFORT OF WORKING ON MY VINEYARD IN MY OWN WINERY. FORTUNATELY, I HAVE BEEN ABLE TO MAKE THE WINES I WANT AND HAVE HAD SOME SUCCESS WITH THEM. THE PROJECT ONLY LACKS THE MATURITY THAT ONLY TIME CAN BRING (THEY SAY IT HAPPENS IN 10 YEARS... THERE AREN'T MANY MORE!). IN THE LONG TERM, I WANT TO STABILIZE PRODUCTION FIGURES, MOVE TO MY OWN SPACE AND FREE UP TIME TO DEDICATE TO OTHER PROJECTS THAT ARE ON THE DRAWER. ON THE ONE HAND, I WANT TO COMPILE AND WRITE MAINLY IN THE AREA OF DISCLOSURE. IN ADDITION, THERE IS A MEGALOMANIAN PROJECT/DREAM THAT I WOULD LIKE TO IMPLEMENT. I CALL IT “WINE CAMP”, AND AS I IDEALIZE IT, IT WILL BE A SPACE FOR MEETING AND SHARING BETWEEN ALL THE PARTIES IN THE SECTOR (PRODUCERS, WINEMAKERS, CONSUMERS, CRITICS, JOURNALISTS, ETC.), SOMETHING THAT I HAVE NO KNOWLEDGE EXISTS. IN A WORD… I WANT TO CREATE A WINE COMMUNITY.
FOR THOSE WHO FOLLOW HUGO MENDES' WORK, AS WELL AS UNCORK WINES, WHEN WILL WE HAVE A WINE INSPIRED BY “MIGUEL SANTOS”? :D
HUGO MENDES: AH, AH, AH. IT'S POSSIBLE THAT I NEVER WILL. I'M VERY SERIOUS ABOUT MAKING WINES, SO I CAN BE NOT SERIOUS WHEN I COMMUNICATE THEM. TRADITIONALLY WE ARE A FEW BORING PEOPLE, ALWAYS TRYING TO PUSH INFORMATION THAT DOESN'T ADD ANYTHING TO THE PLEASURE OF THOSE WHO ARE GOING TO DRINK THE WINE. IT'S NOT DIFFICULT FOR US TO FALL INTO SELF-VALUE, LIKE "LOOK HERE HOW MUCH I KNOW ABOUT THIS!", INSTEAD OF "LOOK HERE HOW MUCH PLEASURE YOU'RE GOING TO GET FROM THIS!".
MIGUEL SANTOS, JUST LIKE ANÍSIO CUNHA, D. COSTODIA AND ALL THE OTHER DEMONS THAT LIVE IN MY HEAD, SERVE THE PURPOSE OF PROVIDING A HAPPY, JOYFUL AND LIGHT IMAGE OF THE BRAND, WHILE ALLOWING ME TO HAVE FUN... AND IF I HAVE FUN I MAKE LITTLE OF THIS SOCIETY OF OUR “MAKE-BELIEVE HAPPINESS”.
