VinoLoverThe winery “4 Kilos Vinícola” was created by Francesc Grimalt and Sergio Caballero in 2006 in Mallorca, with the idea of developing authentic wines with a distinct personality, which could reflect the grape and its nuances. 4 Kilos (4 million pesetas) was what the two partners initially invested to carry out their project, a modest investment, which for them became a declaration of principles, as it is a further demonstration that for them the quality of wine does not depend on having a large budget, but on ensuring the quality of the product. “We claim that for us the most important thing is always the viticulture”, says Francesc Grimalt, in this exclusive interview with Gourmet Hunters.
How did 4 Kilos started?
The winery started as a team, between me and my partner. We put 2 million pesetas each and the name is ‘4 Kilos’ because we claim that for us the most important thing is always the viticulture. Viticulture is what makes the difference. If you have a good grape, you already have a lot. The name is ‘4 Kilos’ because it represents the initial investment of pesetas that we made. And we claim that at that time, when there was no crisis, when everybody was making big wineries, we made a winery in the garage of a friend of ours who had a licence to make wine.
How would you describe the philosophy behind your winery?
Our philosophy is basically based on a couple of axes, which are to seek the maximum study of the environment, the soil, the microclimates, the varieties, and then make the minimum intervention. We try to understand the environment in order to express it as well as possible in the bottle.
Why is minimal intervention important to you?
Well, to be able to better reflect our environment. Less is more.
What characteristics of the environment can someone tasting a 4 Kilos wine perceive?
People always associate the Mediterranean with warmth, but they have a brutal freshness and that is what we try to reflect.
Why your commitment to natural wines?
Well, we have natural wine lines because there is no addition of sulphur, and then we have very low additions of sulphur. The more we can reflect the vineyard and the environment, the more recognisable our wines will be and the more personality they will have. Because by using many techniques what we do is to homogenise the product. On the other hand, certain “defects” can also often be homogenised. In other words, what we are trying to achieve is maximum differentiation with respect to our neighbour. Not because our neighbour is better or worse, because if what you are looking for is to have personality, you have something, because if what you are looking for is price, then go to the tail. Small defects generate personality.
What would you highlight about the methods you use to make your wines?
We are looking for our own methods. As Gérard Gauby said, the Mediterranean has to look for its own identity. This is true. We have to look for our own winemaking methods, our own ageing, to better express the freshness of the Mediterranean. We want both the viticulture methods and the winemaking methods to have their own identity. For example, you cannot make a Manto Negro in the same way as a Cabernet. The problem is that everybody homogenises the vinification and production systems. We have to know what we are looking for in certain varieties. Wines are not made with numbers, wines are made with a certain way of understanding. Wines are made with feeling and are made with poetry.
You need a sensibility…
Yes, of course. And you also need to make a lot of mistakes. I have been making wine for 29 years and I have made many mistakes.
How do you see yourselves in the internal and external market?
Well, I am very happy because we have an acceptance both in the internal and external market, by people who have been betting on us for a long time and people who understand our changes and understand our way of being.
What would you say to someone who is trying a 4 Kilos wine for the first time?
Not to expect wines with a lot of muscle and a lot of power, because these are wines where elegance and subtlety are sought after. Because Callet is closer to a Sangiovese or a Pinot Noir. It doesn’t give wines with a lot of muscle, I think that you will find wines with more fragrance and more mouthfeel. Elegant but without much power. You will find wines with a completely different structure. These wines are closer to Jura than to Bordeaux.
What can we expect in the future? What is the future horizon?
In the 12 years of 4 kilos we have always moved towards a greater respect for the environment, that’s why we are certified organic. And we seek to understand our environment. These are our philosophies. Understanding our environment also leads us to make more differentiated products. They may be liked more or less, but they are more differentiated.
We are now applying biocontrol to wines. We are trying to put into practice technologies where there is a great diversity of yeasts and this generates more complexity in the wines, even in agriculture. We are now inserting floral bands, agroforestry and agroecology, looking for more intervention of all the elements. And I am not a hippie, this is science. What we also try to do is to enjoy. What we like most is to enjoy nature and my work, which I love. I am privileged. This is my future.
VinoLover
Claudio Comella
