It all began when the guitar player and Vasco Durão (responsible for the Guitarras ao Alto project) met at the beginning of the year. Grutera was looking for a different place to express his new musical voice and Vasco challenged him to try an Alentejo winery.

Esporão was a natural choice. The Túnel das Barricas, where no record had ever been made, is a magical place; or, in the words of Grutera, “every second is more intense here”. This intensity was matched by Esporão’s desire to invest in different ideas and make its Alentejo’s Estate a unique site for combining both culture and wine tourism.

In the early hours of 27th to the 28th June, twelve metres underground, Grutera’s guitar absorbed the texture and aroma of the cellar and produced something that echoed throughout the Alentejo. What remains is Sur Lie, produced and mastered by Diogo and Tiago Simão, with photography by Leonor Fonseca and design by Ana Gil.

The album will be released on the Fnac label, in November, with support from Guitarras ao Alto and Esporão. Two concerts are scheduled for Lisbon and Porto, with dates and venues to be announced soon.