Diogo Antunes Ataíde Baeta – Vigneron

Diogo Antunes Ataíde Baeta – Vigneron, Adega Viúva Gomes

In this interview, Diogo Antunes Ataíde Baeta – Vigneron at Adega Viúva Gomes -shares some behind-the-scenes insights into the life of a winemaker.

What do you do?

I oversee viticulture and winemaking at Viúva Gomes – Colares, Portugal.

How did you get into the industry?

I’m the 5th generation of the family. I joined seriously and full-time with my father, José, in 2017.

Share with us a story from behind the scenes.

I believe everyone imagines our job/work in a very glamorous way – owners of an antique wine property full of charm that passes from one generation to another. In fact, we are an extremely small team, where everyone does everything, participating in every part of the process, from the most messy to the most charming. I can spread manure in the morning and present the wines at a Michelin restaurant in the evening.

What food memory from your travels stands out?

Travel to the North of India in 2018.

What’s the best/ worst part of your job?

The best thing is that after a year, when you have one shot to do it right, the wine comes out great. The worst is when you are betrayed by the equipment – the tractor breaks down, the press is not pressing…

What’s one of your favourite food and beverage pairings?

Sintra’s cheesecakes with old Viúva Gomes DOC Colares.

What’s one of the scariest things you’ve seen behind the scenes?

The scariest is going into a tank while fermenting to take out the pomace for pressing or capsizing a tractor.

The perfect day off would be…

A good surfing session before a great meal with family.

A day in the life of Diogo Antunes Ataíde Baeta is…

… very different and varies a lot. It can be outdoors with vine maintenance or indoors at the winery tasting, racking, analyzing or even at the office, managing production, stocks, pricing, and so on.

What does Diogo Antunes Ataíde Baeta do for fun?

Surfing, hiking and drinking.

What would you like guests to know about Adega Viúva Gomes?

Wine is much more than people imagine.

How have you grown in your profession? What are your key learnings from your start in the industry until now? Any misconceptions?

When you study viticulture and winemaking, which is for sure an excellent starting point, it’s very important to learn with experience and experiment – especially when doing terroir-driven wines. Field experience, travelling, and networking gave me most of my growth.

What do you want people to know about being a winemaker as a profession?

Try not to become a parent during harvest time.

What’s your view on the wine scene in Colares?

Colares has been known for wines for a long time, although they are almost like a unicorn today. It exists, but there’s little to taste. This historical region had its hype and its downs, and it’s been coming back again for the past years. People are more enthusiastic now than two years ago and much more than 10 years ago. Actually, people from this village see a unicorn sometimes.

What practices do you currently implement or hope to implement to work towards social responsibility and sustainability in the future?

We started organic farming in 2018, although only some grapes we harvest are organic due to the collabs we have. Slowly, we are working on that. Social-wise, this winery has a vital role for local people, even by its walls and facade standing here for centuries. We try to pay the farmers we collaborate with fairly and defend the heritage by protecting old vines.

What can guests look forward to in the upcoming months?

We have a new wine coming up – A Viúva Gomes White Reserva, DOC Colares 2021.

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