Interview mit Sara Perez

Interview mit Sara Perez, Mas Martinet (Priorat, ES)

Can you describe the style of wine your father made, how you took over and what your winemaking style is now?
And how would you describe the changes you made when you took over vs. the changes you made recently?
The look at the initial Mas Martinet wines goes back more than 30 years. Generational change, climate change, change of styles in the wines we drink vs. Those we drank... Changes
that have been happening little by little but without stopping.
In the 1990s, the axis of balance in our wines was the ripe tannins we achieved at 15º, with climate change we would need to reach further in maturity, so we shifted the axis
towards lower pH levels, allowing us to age the wines gracefully in bottle without relying on a large amount of tannins, at the same time, being able to produce fresher wines with lower
alcoholic degrees and texturally available (not aggressive in the mouth) but with great complexity. It has not been quick or
easy to go from looking at the skin to the juice, from looking at the extraction and potency to freshness and elegance without
losing the aging potential or complexity.


In Priorat you are battling lack of water since several years. What are measurements you are taking in the vineyard to oppose that? How do you see the future of wine production in the eye of climate change?
After a few years of surviving angry with climate change, wishing everything would return to normal, we have gradually accepted that we are living in a time of transition between the
Mediterranean climate we had when we started the project in 1981 and the semi-arid climate we are approaching. We have been changing our views of the landscape and therefore
changing the management of the soil, the vineyard and the grapes in the winery. It has not been a sudden change but rather small changes over time that after 25 years we can
summarize as: working according to the precepts of Agroecology and Biodynamics, removing the vine posts and
pruning to shading the grapes, keeping the soil covered with seed or straw, using the stems as a refresher, not working on
the extraction of tannins (which no longer ripen) but focusing on the balance of the grape juice, fermenting and aging the wines in tanks made of cold materials such as concrete, glass
or amphorae and reducing the aging time in tanks and extending the aging time in bottles.

How important is sustainability and regenerative
agriculture in your vineyard practices?
Working in open dialogue with nature and agricultural ecosystems, observing and acting to achieve greater fertility and resilience of the soils we work with, has been a philosophical
commitment of Mas Martinet for more than 25 years. Agroecology and biodynamic practices are the axis of our work in viticulture, olive growing and vegetable gardening.


What do you mean with ecofeminism?
Ecofeminism, as a political and social movement, originates from the hybridization of three previous movements: the pacifist, the environmentalist and the feminist. The ecofeminist movement is based on a worldview that considers that human beings are both social and biological beings, sociodependent
and ecodependent, who develop and operate in particular social and ecological contexts. Knowing ourselves to be ecodependent, we work the vineyards in a non-extractive way,
returning more benefits to the ecosystems than we receive.
Likewise, we work daily in the project several people of different genders and backgrounds and protecting the project from the social, economic and cultural exploitation to which
we are so subjected today.