My other passion: Surfing with Luis Duarte of Haja Cortezia Wines
Luis Duarte tells Ines Salpico how a lifetime of surfing inspires the making of his ocean-kissed wines.
For Luis Duarte, surfing isn’t just a passion, it’s a way of life.
His connection to the swells of the Atlantic has guided both his professional and personal choices from an early age, leading him to where he is now: making ocean-kissed wines in the small village of Cortesia (Colares, Lisboa, Portugal), tending to vineyards overlooking the coast where he surfs almost daily.
Growing up with the beach of Praia de São Julião as his playground, Duarte developed an umbilical relationship with his surf board.
‘There was something exciting and forbidden about it,’ he says. ‘We would hide our boards from our parents – as if we were doing something secret and dangerous.’
Tradition and soul
Duarte started out as the owner of an architecture office, but the bureaucratic intricacies weren’t for him.
‘At some point, we had the opportunity to buy a plot in Ribeira d’Ilhas, where the World Surf League Challenger Series event takes place.’
Together with fellow surfer Tiago Oliveira, he set up one of Portugal’s first surf camps. Before that he had run a surf school for local kids near São Julião beach.
Following the creation of the World Surfing Reserve of Ericeira in 2011, Duarte and wife Teresa Soares opened a surf-themed hostel in the village, as well as a restaurant, but the ruthless demands of hospitality took a toll on Duarte’s passion.
‘I then started contemplating coming back to my father’s vineyards, which he originally planted [in Cortesia, less than 2km from the coast] – about 1.5ha, from which we now produce our vinhas velhas (‘old vines’) wine.’
He eventually partnered with winemaker Mauro Azóia, and planted another 4ha. In 2016, Duarte and Soares left their hospitality endeavours to dedicate themselves fully to Haja Cortezia Wines, producing under the motto Tradição e alma à beira-mar (‘Tradition and soul by the coast’).
The change has allowed Duarte to rediscover his rhythm, attuned to both vines and waves.
From father to son
Duarte now supports his son, Santiago, a successful semi-professional surfer (his daughter Matilde, is a semi-professional acrobatic gymnast).
‘I travel with Santiago, film and photograph him, and introduce him to the waves I know,’ he says.
‘As surfers, we have our secret spots. That’s part of the magic. Although social media is somewhat destroying that…’
He’s also working on a parallel project, Ocean Wine, to create a community of winemakers and vineyards situated less than 2km from the coast, where surfing is also part of the local culture.
‘I’d like to create a new concept, a new way of presenting and experiencing wine,’ he says.
Travelling, surfing, passing on his knowledge to Santiago, ‘it’s all part of a lifestyle’. Haja Cortezia gives Duarte a degree of freedom, allowing him to travel over winter and escape almost daily to catch a few quick waves.
Above all, he now feels a seamless connection with the landscape.
‘I can always see the sea when I’m working in the vineyard.’
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