Wednesday 3 September 2008

Wine Tasting

After spending two days in the Douro Valley, Gaston had reached a state of delirium. He was totally unprepared for the warmth and hospitality extended to him. But it was more. He had entered a different world.

Victor and Gaston sat down to shoot the breeze.

“You know”, Victor said, musing over which bottle to open, “I love to be alive and share expertise with professional people who are passionate about what they do and love?”

“Where does this come from?” asked Gaston

“Look around you. I was born in the most fantastic region for great wines. When you have great wines you have passion and care. The Douro Valley is a sacred place for viticulture because here we have fantastic weather and soil. The sun shines at the lovely walls up in the vineyards in Tua and the Douro Valley”.

Victor finally made his choice. “Let's start with a Vinho Verde. It is one of the green wines that we represent in overseas countries”

Gaston watched as Victor poured a small amount into the two glasses. When the wine swirled around in his mouth he could taste a persistent fresh flavour and tropical fruit aromas. It was going to be a long difficult evening, he thought pleasantly.

“This is a beautiful country, but it is not easy here. It forms the character. And, do not forget, the Victor Marques family has been producing wine for over 100 years. So, ever since I was a young boy, I was determined to win in every field that life put me in. I had to learn. I'm a risk taker and I follow all my passions with an open heart and with a smile on my face”

Gaston could only listen. The pride expressed in those words could not be overheard.

“I have it in my soul. The Marques family believe in it and carry on planting more than 13 acres of new vines near Douro and Tua rivers where even the Romans have been cultivating the culture of the wine!”

“You have deep and strong roots then.”, Gaston added.

Victor nodded. “And because of that, there is a tremendous benefit for everybody”

“How so?” asked Gaston, “Is there a secret?”

“Passion for people and for wines is my only secret...I love people and great wines...You can ask me why...!”

Gaston, raising the glass, was about to when Victor continued.

“Passion is a word that belongs to small producers who make wonderful wines. They make it in a such sensitive and caring way! Everything is a process that never finishes until the wine is bottled and go to storage in French oak or in metal containers. The honest and fair way that have been doing business help me to have a smile everyday of my life! Be yourself, so never judge people and never complain against the storms or bad weather because the sun will shine again and again...

“It sounds so simple. Why can't others in business be the same?” questioned Gaston.
Victor sighed.
“You want to try another wine? Maybe you will find the answer there. In Vino Veritas, eh?” he said with a twinkle in his eye and a captivating smile.

“You know the history is very important with the product. The Port wine region was established in 1756 and is still the second oldest region protected in the world! Traditionally the wine was taken to port by the so-called rabelo boat and then stored in oak Barrels in Vila Nova de Gaia. The port is sweeter and is served before or after meals with cheese. The white Port is often served as an aperitif. Tawny Ports are aged in wooden barrels.
Remember Gaston, that you are visiting a fantastic part of northern Portugal . But don't forget a great place called Tua. The Tua river there is very calm and at the same time like a paradise for men and God. Here we have a great micro climate that is optimal for cultivation of olives, almonds and especially the many types of grapes like tinta Barroca, Tinto cao, Tinta Roriz, Touriga Franca, Touriga Nacional and touriga Francesa.
The Douro Valley is a great place for olive oil too. And I usually say that we can compare wine with olive oil because the climate, the soil and the real people who take care of the vineyards and olive trees. The olive oil organic version in produced with care and love from small producers of Tua and Douro Valley! So, olive oil and wine can live in the same land like sister and brother.”

It seemed that Victor was building up his history and geography lesson to give credit to the next wine he was going to try. Victor was still holding a bottle as he continued

“I think we should try a late bottled vintage. It is a kind of wine that had been destined for being bottled as Vintage Port, but the due to the lack of great demand for Port was left in the barrel for rather longer that it was at first planned. Over time it has become two distinct styles of wine, both of them bottled between four and six years after vintage, but one style is refined and filtered prior to bottling while the other is not. So you have filtered wine ready to drink without decanting and unfiltered wines which are bottled with conventional corks and need to be decanted. The cork is so important for a great wine. These Ports are the product of a single year's harvest and tend to be lighter bodied than a vintage Port.”

Gaston recalled the growing number of wines now being bottle with screw capped tops. He shuddered inwardly.

“You are going to try a Quinta Seara Dordens 2003 Late Bottled Vintage Porto bottled last year in 2007.”

Victor poured the liquid into a fresh glass, gave it to Gaston, and then settled back with an expectant look in his eyes. Gaston took up the challenge and raised the glass to the light. It was intense in colour. When he tasted it, it exploded in his mouth with a bouquet of ripe grapes and forest berries.

After a second taste, he said “Very elegant, .....fruity ........and full -bodied.”

Victor nodded in satisfaction. “Yes, he said, it has a unique personality and aged for 20 months and then in old wood casks until bottling in the 4th year. With I wine like that, I love to be alive and share expertise with professional people who are passionate about what they do and love.”

“You said that earlier” said Gaston.

Gaston did not overhear the hidden statement. For all the love of his product, his roots, his sense of being, Gaston had grown to realise that with a commitment to quality came the expectation to appreciate quality. But what quality? Quality of life, quality of work, quality of being generous. There was a sense of modesty in Victor but there was also a man who new what he wanted and how to get it.

“Victor, I must ask you a frightfully boring question now, but this wine here is such a perfect inspiration”, said Gaston slowly, looking for the right words.

Victor nodded.

“What do you understand by leadership?”.

Victor grew solemn.

“Gaston”, he commenced, “I'm not afraid of fighting for the ones that need help! I really believe in what I say or do... I'm very positive and never give up, I follow my passions and all my dreams . Gratitude is a source of inspiration!
Everything is global and I can do everything and I'm not afraid of a fight, not afraid about my future, my own abilities give me the right way of positive things that will always happen because I work hard seven days a week...
I'm like a navigator who never knows what is going to happen next...
So. I'm a long life learner who loves real people and I trust myself and I show it to others in a farming way...

Silence began to settle. “There,” thought Gaston, “sits a truly wise man!”

Victor, slightly uncomfortable, started again. “Gaston, that is business. This is pleasure and what do we do? We try great wines with perfect food and the most important ingredient: Love, family laughs and great moments! Look at this fantastic picture, taken when we were all celebrating the confection of Pork and Beef, both grilled at a local grill!”

As Gaston retired for the night, he jotted down a few thoughts.

“In business, you must have your own world. It contains your roots, your identity and is what has moulded you. It goes beyond being authentic because it also contains your soul. It radiates a spirit. Not everybody will like your world, but they will respect you for it. Perhaps more, when people sense that their world might feel very empty in comparison. It is pure inspiration and all perfectly simple”


In this dialogue, Victor's words are largely his own, taken from his blog entries here on Ecademy and rearranged for the storyline and message for my own observations. I am deeply indebted to Victor and his generosity in allowing me to use his material.

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