Clara Salord, from Binitord Winery, Winner of the Foodies on Menorca Gastronomy Award for Best Wine: “Quality Lies in the Small Details”

Iitziar Lecea/Ciutadella - Clara Salord, from Binitord Winery, collected the Foodies on Menorca Gastronomy Award for Best Wine at the latest Fira Arrels for Ciutat de Parella, a wine that particularly reflects the philosophy of this Menorcan winery. Aged for two years in barrels and a further two years in bottles, it is a product that requires time, patience and constant care. For Clara Salord, the recognition has special value because it comes from the people of Menorca, at a time when the island's wine sector continues to grow. Binitord is also committed to controlled production, sustainable practices and a model that allows attention to every detail, both in the vineyard and in the wine.

What did receiving the award for Best Wine mean to you?

Whenever you receive recognition, you are always very grateful and delighted, but especially when it comes from people here. In the end, it seems that we readily recognise products from elsewhere, or that people from outside Menorca highly appreciate what we have on the island, but among ourselves it is sometimes more difficult to see and recognise the good products we have. Having people from here value what we do in this way makes us very happy.

The award is for Ciutat de Parella. What does this wine represent for Binitord?

Ciutat de Parella is a wine that spends a great deal of time in the winery. It is a wine we nurture and work on for a very long time. With other wines, they are ready within half a year, they start being sold and then they are out of your hands. Ciutat de Parella, on the other hand, spends two years in barrels and then another two years in bottles. That means you continue looking after it for a long time. It is like our little treasure. Having it receive this recognition makes us very happy.

So we are talking about four years of waiting before the wine reaches the consumer.

Yes. When you put it like that — two years in barrels and two years in bottles — it sounds like something quick, but people do not always appreciate that it really means four years invested in just one wine. When you release the first vintage of a wine like this, it means you have spent four years waiting before you can begin to see a return on that product. It is a long wait, but when it is subsequently recognised, you get that feeling that it has all been worthwhile: the waiting, the patience, the investment and everything behind it.

What year was the first vintage of Ciutat de Parella?

The first vintage was 2010, and we have produced it almost every year. There was one year we skipped because, initially, we aged it for less time and then decided to give it longer. But yes, Ciutat de Parella has been available for many years now.

Is it a wine that already has a loyal following?

Yes. Some people come straight in and say, “I want Ciutat de Parella.” It is a wine they have very much in mind. When they come looking for a wine of a certain quality and with particular characteristics, they come directly to us. People who like it really like it, and they come back for more.

And it has also received recognition outside Menorca.

Yes. With Ciutat de Parella, for example, we have won a Grand Gold at CataVinum, and we have also received gold medals practically every year at CataVinum, which is where we usually enter it. We are very pleased about that. That is why the Foodies Award brings double happiness: it is a wine that has been highly appreciated outside Menorca, but having it recognised here, at home, is also very special.

How has Binitord's production been this year?

Production has been quite limited this year because we had very bad weather around Easter. There was a strong tramontane windstorm that blew off all the flowers from the vines that had already started growing. And every flower that fell represents grapes we did not get. The white varieties were particularly affected, and we harvested fewer white grapes. However, I think the quality is very good. There was no disease at all, the vineyards were very healthy and the grapes developed very well. The only issue is that there was less of them.

Binitord has various certifications and quality distinctions. What do they mean to you?

We have the Vi de la Terra Illa de Menorca label, the PGI, and we are also certified under the Menorca Biosphere Reserve brand. In addition, we participate in Custòdia Agrària, with a commitment to implementing sustainable practices. And we have now been undergoing conversion to organic farming for more than a year.

Are these labels also important to consumers?

I would like to think so. That is why we do it: so consumers can see that we follow sustainable practices and that we work to preserve Menorca and its countryside.

It is not just about practising organic farming as such. By participating in Custòdia Agrària, for example, we also commit ourselves to maintaining the entire surrounding environment: the dry-stone walls, biodiversity, corridors for insects... We do not remove the vegetation growing on the dry-stone walls so that insects can move from one area to another. We also plant aromatic herbs to encourage biodiversity and preserve ground vegetation cover. Ultimately, all of this contributes to maintaining the farm and its surroundings.

So sustainability goes beyond the vineyard.

Yes. It means looking after everything surrounding the vineyard. The landscape, the dry-stone walls, the plants, the insects... Everything is part of the same environment. And I think it is important to understand that running a winery is not just about producing wine, but also about looking after the place where you produce it.

Since you started, you have chosen to grow in a controlled way rather than becoming a large-scale operation.

Exactly. We never intended to build a large operation or anything very big. We wanted to create something we could manage ourselves, remain true to who we are and control every stage: the vineyard, the wine and making sure everything was done properly.

Once things get out of your hands, they become more difficult. You may be producing a great deal or have a very large area, but you cannot control everything, and small details start to escape your attention. And I believe quality lies in all those small details. That is why I think we have to stay attentive and keep a close eye on everything. The way to do that is not to grow too much all at once, but to take small, steady steps.

And those small steps produce wines such as Ciutat de Parella.

They produce Ciutat de Parella and the other wines we make. We are very happy with all of them overall. Ultimately, what we want is for every wine to be well made and for this way of working to be reflected in every bottle.

The Foodies on Menorca Award is a recognition that makes us particularly happy because it comes from Menorca, but it is also confirmation that this way of doing things, with patience, control and great attention to detail, makes sense. And that gives us encouragement to continue.