Sérgio Nunes became unemployed in 2014. To occupy his time and develop some skills, he decided to attend a marketing training course in Castelo Branco. With that decision, he unknowingly took the first step towards becoming a Callum wine producer in Oleiros and, together with his partner, assuming guardianship over a centuries-old winemaking tradition. Following conversations with his trainer, Domingos Tiodósio, they soon realised that they had mutual friends and were from neighbouring parishes in the municipality of Oleiros. They lamented the fate of their land, where almost nothing happened and few opportunities existed for the local people. Their dissatisfaction impelled them to do something for their homeland and they immediately asked the mayor of Oleiros, Fernando Jorge, for a meeting. He implored them to recover and promote one of the region's wine-growing traditions – Callum wine – which had been produced by small farmers for their own consumption since the Middle Ages. They mulled it over, but since they were starting from scratch, they needed to create the means to move things forward. Since they had experience in design and advertising, they decided to create the company Hot Stuff Design, Lda. The mayor of Oleiros helped them out personally as he already had a similar company in Castelo Branco, so he gave them some equipment, which they would only pay for once they were making an income from Callum wine.

Sérgio and Tiodósio did not immediately think of becoming winegrowers themselves. Their business model was to help small vignerons with ‘calua’ vines by buying their grapes at a good price. Their first experience came in 2015, with the generous help of Pedro Teixeira, an engineer who put his heart and soul into supporting them. In a makeshift cellar, they vinified more than six tonnes of grapes, which they purchased from some twenty producers. Their mutual friend Jorge da ‘Vinha’ took on the role of cellar master, looking after the production side to give the entrepreneurs some peace of mind. The first wine was tasted in an ambience of pomp and grandeur, at a dinner organised by the Oleiros Municipal Council and attended by the president of the Beira Interior CVR. The feedback was so positive that Sérgio and Tiodósio's enthusiasm grew further.

In 2016, they purchased a plot of land to create a Callum vineyard, but then the difficulties began, as the variety did not appear on the official list of Portuguese grape varieties (in fact, it did, but under the name Batoca) and the nurserymen had no specimens to supply. With the support of the local council, they succeeded in persuading the Vine and Wine Institute (IVV) to recognise the name Callum in 2019, and it was included on the official list of grape varieties following some exemplary research by historian Leonel Azevedo, who provided all the historical grounds for granting such recognition.

Until 2019, they continued to vinify grapes from producers, gain experience, refine the style of the wine and sell it at regional fairs and local restaurants, the only places where they were able to do so. In the meantime, the project was taking shape. In 2018, they created the company Sérgio & Tiodósio, Lda. in order to separate the advertising and wine production businesses. In February 2019, construction began on a new winery in the village of Cardosa. The pandemic of 2020 failed to dampen their enthusiasm and that year's vintage was the best ever. In 2021, they bottled 2,500 litres of the 2019 vintage and another 2,500 litres of the 2020, which earned them certification as a PGI Terras da Beira wine from the Beira Interior CVR. Now a new phase is beginning. Hopefully it will be a successful one, to reward the entrepreneurs who care so much about this part of Portugal, to preserve a wine-growing heritage that is unknown to most Portuguese, and to bring more prosperity and hope to the small unsung wine-growers of Pinhal Interior.

Vineyards

Grape origin: Grapes from small local vignerons

Viticulture type: Integrated production

White grape varieties: Callum

Wine cellar

General manager: Sérgio Nunes

Oenologist: Pedro Teixeira

Types of wine produced: White Callum varietal

Wine brands: Cepa C'alua

Percentage of PDO/PGI production: 100% PGI

Average annual production: 3,000 litres

Production destination: Internal market

Wine tourism

Events, by appointment

Wine shop

Wine tasting

Part of the Beira Interior Wine Route