Spear Communications

Red legs, dirty toe nails, sticky hands.  When did you last get dirty, really dirty in the pursuit of wine?  Well we did in the Douro this week along with my press companions, Terry Kirby (The Independent), Johnny Ray (GQ and The Field),  Gabby Savage (Drinks Business), Maggie Seed (My Weekly) and David Williams (Observer, Fine Wine and Wine Gang).
We boarded the train in Porto and travelled along the length of the River Douro to Vargellas, home to Alistair and Gilly Robertson.  As the official station master, it was only right that Alistair met us off the train, collected our bags and whisked us up to the quinta where we spent the night.  I was a bit disappointed he wasn’t wearing his official station master’s hat but all was forgiven when he took us high up amongst the vines to a folly with a backdrop of the splendour of the Douro vineyards and plied us with Chip Dry and tonic, delicious roasted almonds and slices of smoked ham.  He explained, whilst bribing us with treats, our role that night.  A good dinner, copious amounts of 1985 Taylor’s Port, then wear a white T-Shirt and unflattering elasticised shorts (uh?) and then enter the lagares to tread that night. 

Following on the footsteps of London Fashion Week, I don’t think you could have described us as fashion icons but we were there in spirit and for the experience.  Everyone dived in feet first with no thought in the world but to feel the cold juice, pips and stalks underfoot.  A healthy dose of the Birdie song, lots of testosterone, beautiful young girls adding spice to the treading and we were away.  De de dede dede de, de de dede dede de,  de de de de …………… the Birdie Song an awful 60s creation which I’ve spent months trying to obliterate from memory since the last harvest was there to haunt me once again in the winery at Vargellas.
We trod, we sang, I danced with Nuno and lapped up the atmosphere.  Most importantly, we were treading the 2011 harvest which has all the ingredients of being a great vintage.  It’s early days but harvesting conditions are excellent in the Douro and David Guimaraens, Head Winemaker, has a permanent grin on his face.  I know him too well to know that he likes this vintage.  It’s been a difficult growing season, but he applauds the grapes which are coming into the winery.  A Declaration?  It’s too early to say, but if my feet are in it, it will be sweetly scented with nail varnish from Dior and Jo Malone’s Rose body lotion.  Certainly a recipe for success!