CLURICAUN

Cluricaun is a project led by Andre Gomes Pereira of Quinta do Montalto in collaboration with Carlos Sousa of CPS Wine. The project is named after the “Cluricaun”, a mischievous fairy in Irish folklore known for his great love of drinking and a tendency to haunt breweries, pubs and wine cellars. Some folklorists consider the Clurican to be a leprechaun on a drinking spree. The wines are aptly named as they are easy drinking, lively and playful, with whimsical and fantastical labels. 

All of the Cluricaun wines are made in a low intervention style, with spontaneous fermentation, low doses of sulfur, and no fining or filtration. They use a variety of vessels, including stainless steel tanks for the white and pet nat, open wooden vats called “dornas” for the reds, and amphoras coated with natural pine tree resin for the skin contact white. The amphoras are made by local artisans and are crafted from locally sourced clay. 

Grapes for the Cluricaun wines are sourced from rented vineyards in the subregion of Pinhel, which is located in the Beira Interior DOC region of northern Portugal, as well as the Quinta do Montalto estate, a historic family-run farm based in Ourem, outside of Lisbon. There are a total of 25 hectares of vineyards between the two properties, 10 hectares in Pinhel plus 15 hectares in Ourem. Soils in Ourem are limestone and clay, while the vineyards in Pinhel consist of sandy loam with schist and granite. Between the two properties they cultivate numerous native grape varieties including Fernão Pires, Touriga Nacional, Tinta Roriz, Alicante Bouschet and Síria. All vines are cultivated organically, with the Ourem estate receiving certification in 1997, (one of the first producers in Portugal to gain certification), while the Pinhel vineyards received certification in 2008. Organic cultivation is fundamental to the project and to winemaker Andre Gomez Pereira who says, “We’re organic not by fashion but because we believe that’s the only sustainable way to live and produce food, thus passing the fertile land to the next generation.”