The vats where the Douro ages

From José Mesquita’s deft hands come the wooden cutouts that go to create miniature casks. Extremely knowledgeable about his craft for 57 years, the artisan from Sande continues to develop the art that he learned long ago. 

This old guard cooper obtains the raw materials to perform his craft from the old vats and casks that have held that most precious commodity of the Douro, Port Wine, that sublime nectar that fills a whole region with pride.

It was the appeal of wood, which he has always felt, that prompted this son of the Douro to take up this work. Due to the difficulties of the times, he was obliged to learn a craft. “I entered this profession at 14 and have always worked in this area. I learned everything from a master, from the start to the end of the work on a piece,” he says.

Until he was 16, José was an unsalaried apprentice. The only pay was the privileged of contact with the wood and the teachings that would be of use throughout his life. “I learned the mysteries of this art from my first master, then I joined another who paid me 7.50 escudos,” he recalls.

After completing his military service and 39 years working for an English company, José Mesquita could finally set up on his own. “I couldn’t make these tiny pieces at the company. Everything was on a large scale because they were tanks to store and age great quantities of wine. We made vats, or casks as we call them here, that would fit four hundred or so wine barrels. Only a very big estate would produce enough wine to fill that kind of vat,” he explains.

It was only later that José took up the production of small-scale pieces. “After I retired, I began to make these handicrafts as a pastime. I still make barrels and vats, but these are now for people to store wine at home, in a proper place.”

Time on his side

Each piece takes three days, on average, but the work is all-consuming, from “morning to evening”. The artist’s tools, bought several years ago, are scattered over the workshop shelves. It is with these friends and allies of a lifetime that José unravels his talent.

The quality of the chisels, planes, saws and wood are the guarantee of excellence. The wood, in particular, carries with it the old flavours, being from old barrels, already dismantled.

"I only work with oak wood, which is the best for making these pieces. All of it is old and was recovered by me. After I’ve worked it, it’s as good as new. I wish I had the wine that's been in these woods," he confesses.

The manufacture of the casks

José Mesquita invites us to take a closer look and shows how the staves are bowed. It is a meticulous and systematic process that is evidence of decades of practice. This is wood that for years, was soaked in Port Wine and now serves the same purpose, but on a different scale. 

The roundness of the kegs and casks arises precisely because the staves, the boards that make the outline of the barrel, are subject to enormous stresses. After all the wood has been put into place, iron is also used in the form of arches. Hammered into place, these arcs go down along the body of the barrel" to force the staves to join even more."

In the end, there are barrels with a capacity for 6, 15 or 30 litres and the prices vary depending on the finishes. José attempts to make faithful copies of the gigantic vats, eternal inhabitants of the cellars of the Douro, with the same dedication of his "early days in the art".

And that most distinguished product that comes to life on the slopes of the Douro, its fine wine, is still allowed to stay and age in these miniatures.

Text: Patrícia Posse | Daniel Faiões