Swept Away – Fitapreta Castle In The Dark of Night

My media group was swept away to Fitapreta’s Castle, one dark and mysterious night, to our first winery tour in Evora, in the Alentejo region of Portugal. There’s no way to express the awe of it all, but I’ll try. The cast of characters on this tour were wine writers: Gwendolyn Alley, L.M. Archer, Rich Cook, Martin Redmond, and yours truly. We also had wine publicist Jane Kettlewell with us , and lastly was Tiago Caravana of Evora’s Comissão Vitivinícola Regional Alentejana. Our guide for the evening was Sandra Sárria, one of the two Fitapreta winemakers.

 

The Drama Is Staged in Evora, Portugal

I can no longer find their website, becasue It has just vanished. Their Facebook page still exists. Just yesterday the contact person went into an email for a salesman, but today that doesn’t even exist. Every one of their wines is so worth tasting, that I can tell you. They were all fabulous. So, this is more mystery, than not. My group and I will swear to it, For these reasons, I’m going to let my own photos describe those remarkable moments. I loved every every bit of it, so I’m saddened by their quick disappearance.

 

Fitapreta Was Our First Tour of Evora

As the evening began to fall, we were taken in a van for our first night’s dinner, although we didn’t know who, what, or where we were going. It was not only a planned dinner, but it was also the full monty, the illumination we saw before us in the darkness had no describable shape. The illuminated room was really inviting, even though it was just a glow in the dark. We then saw a tasting room, which meant we were going to be having wine first. Finally, there was a first clue.

 

Consider Fitapreta’s History

We were introduced to Sandra Sárria (above), who is a highly regarded winemaker. She studied enology at Insttituto Superior de Agronomia. Sandra first give us a brief history of the winery. It  began with the original owner, in 1306, as a palace. Her story did a forward to the Saldanha family, who took over in the 19th century. Then António Maçanita’s purchased the Paço (English: palace) in 2016, and began restoration efforts, besides using his winemaking skills.

 

Then, Where Fitapreta Wines Are Made

It’s a mini demonstration wine cellar, with stainless steel fermenting and aging tanks. It’s a well-designed and carefully maintained wine cellar. The temperature is controlled at 55 degrees, which keeps wine stable. The cement floor holds the chill, as a benefit. Catwalks are around the perimeter of the top of the tanks. This allows winemakers to work from above during winemaking, storage, and topping off during the wine making processes. The elevated design of the facility enables winemakers to efficiently carry out various tasks during winemaking and storage. Examples are topping off barrels to compensate for evaporation losses, which occur throughout the aging process.

Settling In At The Wine Tasting Bar

I was salivating by the time we had some Fitapreta’s wines, also offered with Evora’s famed appetizers. I was thirsty and famished, God only knows what time is was for us, given that we had just flown in from Los Angeles on this day. The flight time involved is a 17-18 hour adventure, not counting leaving Sonoma County to get to the airport. It’s safe to say that by now I was 24 hours into my own utopia.

 

Tour of The Castle By Way of The Courtyard

How awe-inspiriting the walk was, with its beautifully focused illumination. I could have lingered for a very long time, but there was still more to see. We didn’t know that, as a matter of fact, but we were soon to find out.

 

Walking Across The Courtyard Into The Castle Proper

Talhas are indigenous to the Evora Region of Portugal. Talhas have, in fact. their own appellation distinction, just as wineries in the US have their distinction. Take California, for instance. We have the North Coast, which breaks down into many regions, like Napa and Sonoma counties, for instance. In Evora, there is a vessel distinction called Talhas.

 

Tahlas Galore – Differing Sizes And Uses

I have written extensively about these vessels for fermenting and storing wine grapes. Talias are so important to Alentejo’s culture that they have become a Talha appellation, just as regions are also appellations.Talha are throughout Fitapreta’s castle. It makes me wonder if any of them have come from that era.

This link is a historical resource called Patron Saint of Wine is St. Martin. Another story is Breezing Through Talha Tales? This comes from : “In Portugal, the Alentejo region has long been the guardian of talha wines.” Here, the techniques developed by the Romans for making wine in the clay amphorae called talhas have been safeguarded. The talha winemaking process has been handed down from generation to generation throughout history, almost without change.” This text is from the Alentejo region of Portugal website.

Down The Spiral We Went

We all descended into the basement, because there still was so much more to learn and do. We went down the metal, spiral staircase, only to see to our right the dungeon. The chamber today is used for storage, of course. Still, it did add a special layer of mystery to our adventure. The flowing of this basement adventure is this juxtaposition of good and evil. Through the door below, we entered the castle’s chapel. I see life as a yin yang, and this certainly qualified. Behold the chapel, where the party was just starting.

The Juxtaposition Was Palpable

The polar opposite was before us, and it didn’t take long for the dungeon to melt away. Still, I couldn’t quite shake off what it would have been like when it was first created. I couldn’t dwell on it, I had to then move on. Again, met with Talhas at every turn. A beautiful table was set before us. And, that altar, I Imagined the small Sunday ritual for anyone in the castle, whether it be the owner and his family, or another mass, perhaps, for his servants.

 

Fitapreta’s Chapel Dinner

Our dinner took in so many elements, which included learning even more about the wines. This room, of course, is also part of their wine cellar. The thick stone walls keeps out any heat and there was a slight chill. We didn’t suffer, though because of the heat lamps. Still, it had a bit of a chill.

 

Descended Into The Chapel For Dinner

I decided to capture this moment, as we all settled into the room. We all needed to catch our breath. Yes, there are amazing sights to see in the US, however we don’t have the history with its architecture, aromas, or auras. And, this is where the party really began. I’m reliving the adventure through my images, and took them all so I could share such an extraordinary wine adventure with you.

 

We All Got Down During Dinner

All of us sat around this unique square table, which surely it took on an impact of grandeur. I felt so small in these ancient walls, looking at their near primitive texture. It was really a different kind of feeling, than all the rectangle ones we know with rectangle tables. There is a psychology to square table, with distinct impacts. It begins with a democratic equality, due to there is no “head” of the table. There was also a cozy feeling, considering the spaciousness of the room. Our communications easily flowed. It was joyful and summed up what an extraordinary day we were experiencing.

 

Liquid Gold, Or So We Thought

It seems we were just warming up. We would have all been singing Portuguese, if we spoke the language. We found out that Sandra and Jose sing in church, and could they ever sing. It helped that we were in the wine cellar, which exaggerated the acoustics. The night was wearing on, but we had one of those moments. Jose said he has a guitar at the winery, and I thought, “Wait a minute.” I really wanted to hear them as a duo. Jose had been a silent partner throughout the night, while letting Sandra shine.

 

Encouragement Is All It Took

I have no problem begging and so I did. Jose left and returned with his guitar. THIS was the real icing on the entire experience.

Read more:

• • Exploring Alentejo – It’s Évora
  • Adega Natus Vini