Vinhos Apart3 started their wine making journey in 2018. It all started when Luis, Diogo and Guilherme met in the ISA enology course. At that time still working as a nurse, sommelier and agronomist. None of them met before or lived in the same city, but they felt united by the passion to do things different. They realized that doing things on a minimal scale meant it was not necessary to stabilize the wine with als the stuff the large wineries use.
It was a barrel from the 2017 internship, which was left ‘apart’, that gave them their name. A skin contact white, Muscat of Alexandria and Muscat Roxo, that left them completely stunned! From this barrel they created their now highly appreciated ‘Ambar’ wine. The guys figured if this was possible, there must be a lot more to explore with all the techniques and grapes that could be combined. “It started with this idea from a barrel that was apart, to make wines that are also.. apart. Always in small, hand-held and limited editions. Experiences that may or may not be repeated but with their own sense of aesthetics.”
The Labels
Highly appreciated and delicious as the wines are, so infamous are their labels. “We feel like real artists working with the liquid! That’s why we needed to look for artists from other fields who could illustrate our wines and give them life after bottling.” And so several artists are creating different and exciting labels for their wines. Giving the artists total freedom to interpret the wines and not listen to any briefing. With Binau as their first collaboration they defined a punk-like style that boosted the brands communication in a big way.
Growing up
To start creating more wines, in 2018 they borrowed a garage in Alenquer, Lisbon and started looking for growers who worked sustainably and who could help them start cutting bunches and fermenting musts. They created several wines that year and quickly grew out of that place. So in 2019 they moved to Torres Vedras, rehabilitated an old winery and started traveling around the country looking for old vines and lost varieties. They travel around Portugal in rented vans, pick up lost parcels and bring the grapes to their new headquarters. “The disadvantage of not having our own vineyard also offers us the advantage of being able to harvest from all over Portugal, picking the most classic varieties in their regions of origin.”
Changing the industry
There is a bigger movement of more natural products being in demand. Sometimes that means they are made to be different from the standard. But when we want to create a more sustainable environment, the natural way should become the standard. The mindset of the bigger public needs to be shaken up, while also taking into account what that bigger public is used to. “Not using products does not mean that our wines are only made to be different or unique. The idea is to prove that it is possible to make wine in a natural way without being detected in a blind tasting with other wines in the industry. Natural wine is not a style, it is a philosophy.”
All of this made you curious to try a bottle?
Order your bottle of Apart3 in our shop now while stock lasts!
