Living in a Portuguese Wine Region - [New York Times]

For things that don't fit into the other categories.

Moderators: Glenn E., Roy Hersh, Andy Velebil

Post Reply
User avatar
Mario Ferreira
Posts: 489
Joined: Tue Aug 02, 2005 7:08 pm
Location: Alcoba, Portugal
Contact:

Living in a Portuguese Wine Region - [New York Times]

Post by Mario Ferreira »

URL: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/20/reale ... ref=slogin

Image

Living in a Portuguese Wine Region

Image

June 20, 2007
Living in a Portuguese Wine Region
By PATRICK BLUM


Following your dreams can be harder than you expect, as Jerry and Carolee Luper found when they moved to the Douro, Portugal’s best known wine region, to run their own small vineyard and winemaking business.

Producing a quality wine was not a problem — Jerry Luper helped put California’s Napa Valley wines on the map in the 1970s. But settling in a country with very different customs and culture is always a challenge. The bureaucracy, poor public services and a shortage of skilled workers made the Lupers’ business a lot more complicated than they had imagined, they said, especially as much of Mr. Luper’s time is spent on his full-time job as technical director at Real Companhia Velha, one of Portugal’s oldest winemakers.

So the couple, who are in their 60s, have put their estate on the market for 1.5 million euros ($2 million) and, after a decade in the region, will move closer to Oporto, where Mr. Luper’s job is based and they already have an apartment.

“If I was 40, we would probably stay, but it is hard as we do most of the winemaking business ourselves,” Mr. Luper said. “At the beginning we were able to do all the work, but now we can’t. The problem is getting people to work here.” The Lupers are not the only ones to face such problems, as many Portuguese are leaving the country’s rural areas for better paying jobs in its cities.

The couple say they are sad to be giving up what Mrs. Luper describes as “a romantic dream” but admit that they no longer have the energy or fitness needed to maintain the vineyard and the 1.7 hectares (more than 4 acres) of vines that cover a large part of the 4.5-hectare (11-acre) property.

Perched on a steep hill in the heart of the Douro region, the Quinta da Carolina, named for Mrs. Luper, has views of the Douro River as it meanders through distant mountains and terraced hills. The landscape has been shaped by winemaking activities for 2,000 years. In 2001, Unesco declared it a World Heritage Site.

In 1993 the Lupers came to Europe from California, looking for a different life. Mr. Luper had worked at several Napa vineyards, including Diamond Creek, Freemark Abbey and Montelena, but he felt the valley was getting too crowded and losing its original character as a winemaking community.

After spending a short time in Slovakia, they moved to Portugal so Mr. Luper could take a job in Lisbon with a local winemaker. In 1996, he began helping Real Companhia Velha to improve its wine production and was appointed its full-time technical director in 1998.

The Lupers fell in love with the Douro region. “We knew the wine areas in Europe and we liked them, but we came here and we thought it was spectacular,” Mrs. Luper said.

Finding the right property proved to be a major challenge, taking time, patience and determination. Mr. Luper wanted to make his own wine so they needed a place near a main road, for easy access, and with outbuildings that could be used for their work.

The Lupers say the search was a hit-or-miss affair. Homes with working vineyards were hard to find. Local real estate agents were not very helpful, so they moved into the area to do their own research.

Finally, in 1998, they bought their house. It took two years to rebuild the rundown property, so, in the meantime, they stayed in a makeshift accommodation and learned the hard way about local regulations.

At one point they were told they could not build on the site at all, but then it was discovered that officials had mistaken the Lupers’ house for another building. Then they were told to move the house three meters from a wall, so the architect had to redraw his plans. And they had to get special permission to paint the house something other than white.

The 326-square-meter (3,510-square-foot) house, at the top of a steep drive, was rebuilt in traditional style with red tiled roof, wood-frame windows and shutters. A large terrace and balconies offer views down to the river and up to the vineyard. The property also has fruit and olive trees.

The house has a 75-square-meter (807-square-foot) living-dining room next to an unusually large 64-square-meter (689-square-foot) eat-in kitchen. There also are two bedrooms with bathrooms and a small office/guest bedroom, a third bathroom and a pantry. The house has under-floor central heating, connections for satellite television and Internet service, and a two-car carport.

Mr. Luper renovated the winemaking cellar below the house, but kept the old lagares, or tanks, where workers tread on the grapes. “We do it the traditional way, unlike in California where they use mechanical treaders,” he said.

In 1999 the Lupers’ first Quinta da Carolina vintage won praise in Europe and the United States. The winery now produces 4,000 to 6,000 bottles of red table wine a year, most of which is sold in the United States for $40 to $50 a bottle.

While the winemaking effort has been satisfying, the Lupers say living in the Douro has been less so. The couple have found it hard to make Portuguese friends in the rural community, and there are few expatriates in the area.

“We’re the only Americans here,” Mr. Luper said. And Mrs. Luper added that she misses their children, four of whom are in California and Oregon. The youngest, a daughter, is in Geneva, working for the Red Cross.

Mr. Luper, who says one of the reasons for selling is to have more time with their family, hopes to attract a foreign buyer who will appreciate the house’s stunning location. There are few wineries for sale in the area, he said, and prices are low compared with winemaking regions in Europe or the United States.

Mrs. Luper said that a friend in the real estate business in the Napa Valley confirmed her belief that “what we offer would sell for approximately $4 million to $5 million, or 3 million to 4 million euros, in France.”

On the positive side, Mr. Luper said, “We took a very rough place and made it something nice.” And Mrs. Luper added, “We did it against the odds. I always had a romantic dream and we did it.”

And the less positive? “It was the frustration of trying to get things accomplished in a culture that is not your own,” Mrs. Luper said.
User avatar
Andy Velebil
Posts: 16613
Joined: Tue Aug 02, 2005 4:49 pm
Location: Los Angeles, California, United States of America - USA
Contact:

Post by Andy Velebil »

What a shame they were not able to make it last. But having been to the Douro I can understand the feelings of being alone. It is quite the rural place and far removed from the hustle and bustle of city life. Not to mention how hard the work is to operate any winery, let alone one that gets well over 110 degrees in the summer.
Andy Velebil Good wine is a good familiar creature if it be well used. William Shakespeare http://www.fortheloveofport.com
Frederick Blais
Posts: 2706
Joined: Sun Jul 31, 2005 10:07 am
Location: Porto, Portugal

Post by Frederick Blais »

A shame indeed, I just love his wines and have made them imported in Quebec this year, sold out in a few days.

I had the pleasure to meet them last year, a lovely couple and yes they were speaking that they felt alone but not already to the point of selling the property.

I wished to write an article about my visit there, but lack of time got me :cry:

If you want to see more pictures of this great place : http://www.frederickblais.com/pics/thum ... =36&page=1
Living the dream and now working for a Port company
Jay Powers
Posts: 527
Joined: Wed May 17, 2006 10:48 pm
Location: Pacifica, California, United States of America - USA

Post by Jay Powers »

will somebody please give me $2M so I can buy this place?

Jay
Todd Pettinger
Posts: 2022
Joined: Fri Mar 09, 2007 7:59 am
Location: Sherwood Park, Alberta, Canada

Post by Todd Pettinger »

Wow, those pictures are stunning Fred! What an amazing view!

Now if only I had a couple million Euro kicking around. I'm young enough and eager enough to do something crazy like that. Or die trying! (But definitely with a smile on my face!)

Todd
User avatar
Andy Velebil
Posts: 16613
Joined: Tue Aug 02, 2005 4:49 pm
Location: Los Angeles, California, United States of America - USA
Contact:

Post by Andy Velebil »

Guys, if I had the money we all would be on a plane over there to buy it up and keep it going....guess I need to start buying lotto tickets
Andy Velebil Good wine is a good familiar creature if it be well used. William Shakespeare http://www.fortheloveofport.com
Todd Pettinger
Posts: 2022
Joined: Fri Mar 09, 2007 7:59 am
Location: Sherwood Park, Alberta, Canada

Post by Todd Pettinger »

Andy V. wrote:Guys, if I had the money we all would be on a plane over there to buy it up and keep it going....guess I need to start buying lotto tickets
You and me both. I didn't win the $40Million that was up for grabs the other day :cry: :cry:

I'd be there in a heartbeat - along with all you others who might actually have some clue as to what to DO with a vineyard... besides drink the product into bankruptcy!!! :twisted:
User avatar
Andy Velebil
Posts: 16613
Joined: Tue Aug 02, 2005 4:49 pm
Location: Los Angeles, California, United States of America - USA
Contact:

Post by Andy Velebil »

Todd,

You gotta sample the product to make sure its safe for other to drink, right :twisted: :lol: :lol:
Andy Velebil Good wine is a good familiar creature if it be well used. William Shakespeare http://www.fortheloveofport.com
User avatar
Roy Hersh
Site Admin
Posts: 21427
Joined: Thu Jul 28, 2005 1:27 am
Location: Sammamish, WA
Contact:

Post by Roy Hersh »

The work is much harder than any of us really understands and the key difficulty is not in the winemaking, but in taking care of the vineyards. Even if you choose to outsource this work, the number of people willing to work such a small property (if not any property) steadily decreases and the rate of pay continues to rise.

But as long as we are in the "wishing" modus ... how about 20 of us, each put in $100,000 and buy it outright as a sort of time share. We then choose the 30-40 best weeks of the year and have a lottery for who gets which weeks, which would change annually. As a consortium, we could then decide how best to choose a winemaker and viticultural team. We'd then have our own Douro house wine and Ports to enjoy, as well.

It is fun to fantasize, eh?
Ambition driven by passion, rather than money, is as strong an elixir as is Port. http://www.fortheloveofport.com
Moses Botbol
Posts: 5923
Joined: Wed Aug 30, 2006 7:38 am
Location: Boston, USA

Post by Moses Botbol »

How many employees do they have?

How many hours do they work and at what salary rate?

How many of the roles are skilled vs. unskilled?
Welsh Corgis | F1 |British Cars
Frederick Blais
Posts: 2706
Joined: Sun Jul 31, 2005 10:07 am
Location: Porto, Portugal

Post by Frederick Blais »

This is not a vineyard you can live from. It was more a place to make his own wine with no restriction from anyone but nature.

Yields are low around 15-25hl/hectare if I remember( this is more than half those of 1st growth in Bordeaux).

He does not hire much. He manages the hestate by himself with his wife. The family and friends come and help during the harvest time. Normally they get all the grapes in 1-3 days max. They get a bottling line from a van that is available for small vineyards in the Douro. For the labels, his wife is putting them on bottles by hand.

Since the vineyard is grade A and all IVDP law applies according to quantity of Port the vineyard can produce, he does sell half his production for Port production. How don't know how much this can bring back.

You can get between 100k-150k by selling the wines. Start removing some salary,expenses, fertilizer, vines treatment and caring... You'll see that there is not much left.

But yes it is a great place and the quality is TOP!
Living the dream and now working for a Port company
Post Reply