Practical advicePractical advice
1. How to chill a bottle
Cava bottle chiller. With our chiller you can drink Cava at the ideal temperature, because it covers the whole bottle and keeps the Cava cool throughout the meal. It will also help you solve the occasional problem of unexpected guests, as if you stand the bottle in the chiller and put it in the freezer your cava will be ready to drink in 5 minutes. 
2. Conserving opened bottles
It is quite common for people to open a bottle of good wine and not finish it, whether because it was opened for a tasting or for other reasons. This wine is then kept in the fridge. Here it gradually oxygenates, slowly losing its organoleptic qualities, that is, its aromas and taste. The product's aromas are obtained from the grapes (first aromas), developed during fermentation (second aromas) and while maturing (third aromas). The product is produced with the utmost care, and it is a pity therefore to lose part of its qualities through excessive oxygenation. This can be avoided by removing the air from within the bottle using a vacuum pump. This is a natural and non-aggressive system as all you do is remove the air to prevent oxygenation.The oxygenation of wine is not always a bad process for the aromas and flavours. When we open a Reserva or Gran Reserva wine we leave it to aerate for 15 to 20 minutes to allow the inherent grape aromas or aromas from the production process to appear since these have been reduced by the maturing and laying down process in the winery. They appear through oxygenation, giving the wine the qualities for which it was produced. But if we leave this wine open oxygenation continues, and starts to produce acetic acid, called vinegar. But there is no need to be alarmed. Wine does not become sharp in two or three days. However, what does occur is that it continues to evolve, losing part of the essence that the oenologists have worked so hard to achieve and retain.
Open a bottle of wine as often as you want without losing the aromas and flavours that it had on the first day. The set consists of one vacuum pump and two corks.
3. Decanting wines.
Decanting bottles enables the aromas reduced over time to appear and to improve the perception of the wine's flavours. It consists of aerating the wine and also of separating the clean wine from any possible deposits that have formed over time. In the past decanting was an essential operation when wines were always produced with sediment. As a result the ritual has continued until today, although nowadays it is not necessary in every case. The formation of small deposits is a natural phenomenon in red wines, above all when these are more than 3 or 4 years old, although it does not happen in all red wines.
When wine has been laid down in the bottle for a long time, the lack of oxygen reduces the flavours and aromas, and they reappear with aeration, giving the wine the qualities that the oenologists have worked so hard to achieve.
As a general rule we can say that it is good to aerate Reserva red wines for between 20 to 30 minutes before consuming them. Maset del Lleó Tempranillo Roble, Cabernet Gran Origen, Cabernet Reserva, Cabernet Gran Reserva and Merlot Foc can all be aerated. Without a doubt decanters enhance the wine that is served in them.
4. Where to store wine.
A small wine cellar or corner can be sufficient for conserving bottles of wine acquired in optimum condition.Contrary to what one would think, it is not necessary to have a lot of space to create a small wine cellar. Wine is a living material that is continuously evolving, changing, maturing, developing, improving or deteriorating with time, and in the end it dies. It therefore has to be treated with extreme care. When we buy wine we must look after it and, above all, keep it under specific conditions so that it does not lose the qualities that the oenologists have worked so hard to achieve. The principal enemies of wine are oxygen, light and heat. If the cork dries out it will shrink and could let air enter the bottle. This will cause the wine to oxidise, making the wine age prematurely. If this happens it will lose almost all its qualities before being transformed into vinegar. The normal way of ensuring the cork does not dry out it to keep the bottle horizontal for long periods as it matures, such as for 6 months. By being in constant contact with the wine the cork is kept damp. Light (whether solar or electric) and high temperatures are equally lethal, as constant exposure to light destroys the qualities of any wine.
Less lethal but still harmful are unpleasant smells, closed atmospheres, noise, vibrations or sudden changes in temperature. So avoid kitchen cupboards and dining rooms at all costs.
The ideal situation is a subterranean wine cellar, dark, damp and silent. But do not worry if you do not have one. By taking precautions, we can fit out a place to store your precious treasure.
Check that the room has the necessary ventilation vent or open one up by, for example, drilling several holes in the door.
Arm yourself with a thermometer (preferably one that reads both maximum and minimum temperatures) and get ready to monitor the changes in temperature at different times of the year. The temperature should never get above 22ºC in the summer and below 8ºC in the winter. 14ºC is ideal. However, remember that most important of all is the stability and consistency of the temperature rather than the temperature itself.
Avoid excessive humidity too as this can cause mould and destroy the labels, although it will not affect the content of the bottles.
If, by contrast, you live in a really dry climate, leave a jug with water in the corner. It will evaporate and act as a humidifier. If you do not have a room as described, look for a place in your flat where heating is not frequently used, a store room, the place where you dry clothes, a cupboard under the staircase or even a blocked off fireplace and do not keep the wine for more than 2 years.
There are various types of wine producers. There are companies that market their wines the same year as the harvest, hoping that the consumers will lay down their products to mature for as long as they believe appropriate. At Maset del Lleó we continue to maintain the philosophy of selling our wines and cavas at the optimum moment for them to be consumed. We mature them in our winery, so that you can enjoy them in optimum condition. So our advice is to consume the wines and cavas from Maset el Lleó within the year in which you bought them or in the following year.
Cavas, white wines and rosé wines are not made to be kept, as due to their structure they must be consumed in the same year they come onto the market, while Maset de LLeó red wines will mature and develop over the next two years. Complement your wine cellar with these accessories that will enable you to enjoy the wine to the full. The correct glasses for both wine and cava are essential, as the wines do not taste the same in any other glass.
Wines must be drunk from balloon glasses and they must have long stems. These glasses allow the aromas of the wine to develop. However, cavas must be drunk from fluted glasses so that the bubbles remain stable and we can see their movement.
5. All the steps necessary to enjoy a good wine.
First of all, before the bottle, there is the glass. And not just an ordinary glass. Ordinary glasses are for ordinary wines. Fine wines require fine glasses. And not small glasses, that's for sure. For red wines with body, a large, slightly oval, quarter litre glass is preferable to a small glass with a straight edge. And it must be made from clear glass. They say that the red and green glasses were invented in Germany, in a year when there was a dreadful harvest. Above all else wine has to be seen. And the glass must be as fine as possible. Just as beer requires thick glass, wine loves fine glass. The stem of the glass must be long and the glass must have a wide base. Why? Because good wine tasters do not heat the bottom of the glass with their hand but instead they take it by the foot with the thumb and index finger or if not, by the stem that joins onto the bottom of the glass.
The ideal glass for wine tasting is almost perfectly oval in shape, and its opening is always narrower than its base, to allow the concentration of the aromas. The classical small cava glasses are no use for cava. Cava is better in a tall, fluted glass, slightly narrower at the top.
If you want to distinguish between the glasses on the table intended for white wines from those intended from red, it is helpful to know that the glasses for red wine can be large, half-round, to allow the nose to go close to the bouquet of the wine.
Para poder apreciar bien un vino, jamás debe llenarse más que un tercio de la copa, o sus dos quintas partes.
The glasses intended for white wine by contrast are smaller, and may for example be oval. When the nose practically covers the narrow opening the delicate subtleties of the wine can be better appreciated. To be able to appreciate good wine, the glass should never be filled more than one third or two fifths full.
The wine is poured into the chosen glass, which must not have been recently cleaned with detergent or cleaning powder. But first of all the cork has to be removed from the bottle. And this is no easy task. We start by cutting the upper part of the bottle top with a knife or penknife, leaving the cork uncovered. Before inserting the corkscrew, it is worth cleaning the mouth of the bottle and the surface of the cork a little. If you do not do this, you run the following risks: there may mould on the cork and if it is not cleaned off it could fall into the wine leaving an unmistakable taste of fungus. Also some specks of lead could fall into the first glass of wine to be poured.
And now, the corkscrew. Use one that has a good, long spiral at least five and a half centimetres long. Shorter ones break the corks and those with a double spiral destroy them. They must be made of good steel that does not stretch with use. Those that have manual traction by means of a single lever are not recommended. Those using carbon dioxide are no use either. Nor are those with two sheets of metal that, in theory, penetrate both sides of the cork. They require months of practice. The best ones are any of the many versions that have two levers made of steel or that are covered with wood. Keep the bottle upright, on a table and remove the cork without shaking the bottle.
Bottles of cava are opened by hand. The top is removed and then, keeping the bottle slightly inclined and making it turn gently, press the cork with your thumb. And hold the cork so that it does not shoot out. The foam will not overflow if a bottle, which has not been shaken, is kept slightly inclined. If the cork sticks, strong snub-nosed pincers can be used to help. The shape of the cork after it has been removed from the bottle indicates how long the champagne has been stored since the final stage of its production. If the cork returns to its original shape, this indicates that the bottle has not been stored for long. After seven months to a year the cork loses its elasticity and does not expand again. A detail worth taking into account.
With wine, custom has it that you should clean the edge of the mouth of the bottle and then pour a small amount of the wine into your own glass. In this way, any unlikely remaining impurity goes into the host's glass. Then start to serve the others. The next step is to try the wine, but if you want to start to learn the art of tasting, you must first look at the wine.
"Examine the surface of the wine" say the wine tasters. Look down into the wine from above and admire its transparency. In the glossary all the terms used to describe this and subsequent terms are given. A good wine must be clear, clean and rich in colour.
If the wine is swirled, "legs" or "tears" form on the sides of the glass, which slide slowly or quickly onto the surface of the wine, leaving wider or narrower marks. The slower and wider the tears are, the smoother, more glycerous, more aromatic the wine will be and the faster and narrower the tears are the more watery it will be. By comparing the tears and the taste we will come know which wines we prefer.
Then the smell comes into play. In general there are three stages. Smelling the stationary aromas in the glass. Then agitate the glass, stirring up the liquid without touching it, shake it and smell it again. The French call this the "nose's second hit". In this way we can develop our nose for wine. We can find out whether, in comparison with other wines, the wine's aromas are non-existent or poor, brief, empty or even muted, or whether they are strong, intense, rich, powerful, full, or generous. And with time we will detect some positive and negative nuances.
After the smelling phase, which the experts prolong with a final test, and after leaving the wine for a few minutes comes the “in-mouth”/aroma stage. Because the human sense of taste is very weak. Barely four or five tastes can be distinguished. It is the combination of taste and smell which enables the value of a wine to be appreciated. And out of all the senses taste is the one that least responds to a need and most, by contrast, to a desire. Taste is essentially cultural. And because of this, it is relative. So to taste a wine the wine tasters recommend that you do the following.
Retain a small quantity in the mouth, move it almost to the back of the throat and then, before it enters the oesophagus, bring a mouthful of the wine back into the mouth.
At the exact moment that the wine returns to the mouth, breathe in through the mouth, letting your breath be impregnated with the wine. This is how we taste it and "smell it from behind". That is, we allow the least volatile substances to be perceived by the retronasal-passage. In effect, we smell it inside. We now know whether it is generous or warm, spirited or unfortunately bitter, hard, burning, vinegary or happily dry. And we know, from the carbon dioxide, whether it is fresh, lively, pearly and so on in turn. Rather than a scientific measurement of "impressions", it is an invitation to know and to train the palate. This will never be objective or scientific but instead poetic in the most profound sense of the word. A friendship between man and wine, a relationship that is creative, free and fulsome and that can be translated into many words or into total silence.
6. How to get wine stains out of tablecloths.
If wine is spilt on a table cloth or a carpet, dry it as much as possible with absorbent kitchen paper and immediately afterwards cover the stain with salt. The salt will absorb the remaining wine. Afterwards soak the table cloth in cold water. In the case of a carpet, once dry scrape off the salt and vacuum it..
7. How to make vinegar
To make good vinegar, we must start with a good wine. For this first "experiment" we recommend you use a Maset del Lleó red. Start with a half full bottle of wine. Put a cloth over the mouth of the bottle so as to let air enter but not flies. Leave the bottle for approximately 10 to 15 days. In this way the wine, in direct contact with the air and the ambient light will gradually be transformed into vinegar. After this time keep the bottle closed in a fresh, dark place and do not use the vinegar until 60 days have lapsed so that the acetification process has been completed.How can we flavour and personalise our vinegar?:
We have now learnt to make good vinegar. After sixty days, we are now ready to start experimenting. First pour the vinegar into a beautiful glass bottle, and to flavour and personalise it even more add a sprig of rosemary, bay leaves or herb of your choice to the bottle, or if you prefer you could add a red garlic or a couple of garlics. Leave it for 5 to 10 days and it will be ready to use. Tell me what it's like later!
Vinegar is one of the oldest known condiments and preservatives, which gives food aroma and flavour and in many cases helps preserve it. Since ancient times vinegar, as its name indicates, was made from wine.
It is essentially a dilute solution of acetic acid. Its production is based on consecutive alcoholic and acetic fermentations in a suitable medium, such as grape must, apple juice, etc. Here we shall focus on wine vinegar. It is easy to conserve, preferably in a fresh, dry place free of vibrations.
It is ideal for use on salads. A few drops are sufficient to achieve a delicious aroma and flavour in any dish or sauce..
8. How to cook with wine.
The simplest way to cook with wine is to use it to replace the water or stock in a stew. Try it, you will notice the difference. Never cook with a bad quality wine that you would not serve to drink. As the alcohol evaporates the flavour intensifies. And a wine with an unpleasant flavour could spoil the best dish.
Do not worry that your guests will get drunk because of the large amount of wine that a dish requires. The alcohol content evaporates with the heat from cooking and only a pleasant flavour remains.
Are you going to serve a wine and a dish prepared with wine at the same meal? If so make sure that both wines are of the same type or at least made with the same type of grape, otherwise the flavours could clash. However, the wine you cook with does not need to be as expensive as the wine you serve to drink.
It is important that the wine boils a little so that it loses the taste of raw alcohol. If the dish you are going to add wine to is not cooked for very long it is best to boil the wine first separately in a stainless steel pan or frying pan and add it to the dish afterwards. If you are going to poach fish or poultry in wine, boil it first for a few minutes before starting.
Do you want to tenderise a piece of hard meat? Cut it into pieces and pour a little wine over it. If, in addition, you add an onion cut into slices and a few well chopped herbs and leave it to stand for one or two hours, just cook it all on a low heat and you will make an exquisite dish.
To flambé a dessert, heat the drink you are using a little, so that the alcohol evaporates. When you are about to light it, keep well back and pour the now burning liquid onto the dish. There will be no need to cook it further. Remember that flambéed dishes are not only delicious but also very impressive.
Next time you are going to make a pudding or a fruit tart, soak raisins or other dry fruit cut into little pieces in a sweet wine. Then use them when you are preparing the mixture.
9. Maset del Lleó red wine sauce.
Sauces made with red wine are a derivative of the so called dark sauces. They are generally used to accompany red meats. They involve a slightly complex but enjoyable process which produces a delicious result. Let's take it a step at a time. Ingredients: 4 onions – 1 glass (approximately 1/4 litre) of Maset del Lleó red wine - 1 tablespoonful of a good red wine vinegar - 100 grs. of fat - Recently ground black pepper and salt to taste.Recipe:
Chop up the onions Mix them together with the wine and vinegar and bring to the boil. When it has been reduced by half, salt and add the pepper, sieve the mixture and return to the boil. Remove from the heat and without it getting cold, mix in the fat little by little and it's ready! Serve it with your favourite meat!
The production process
1. The process for making wines and cavas
The process for obtaining the pulp to start the fermentation process consists of four steps:The grape harvest. Once the grape has reached the desired degree of maturity the grapes are harvested, normally in the months of September or October in Europe. It is important to separate the good fruit from the damaged fruit when collecting it.
Transporting the harvest to the winery. This is a delicate operation, which must be done as gently as possible, preventing the grapes from being squashed too much and breaking, thereby causing early fermentation.
Unloading.The crop is unloaded into a "reception hopper", a type of inverted, truncated pyramid, which gradually places the grapes on a conveyor belt which will transport them to the crusher. The fruit is analysed in the hopper to determine its condition and sugar and acid content.
Crushing.The crusher breaks the grape by pressure, but just enough so that the hard parts of the bunch (the seeds, stems and skins) are not broken and do not contaminate the must. The resulting viscous pulp is transported in a number of ways to the presses, making sure it does not come in contact with the air, so as to avoid premature fermentation.
The production process then follows a series of different steps according to the type of wine to be made:
1. White wine
Removal of the vine or separation of the must.After pressing, the pulp with the skin and the stems is taken to “cages” and left to sieve slowly either by gravity or by using presses (preferably pneumatic). By using different pressures musts of different qualities can be obtained.Mosto yema, mosto de flor or mosto lágrima is free-run juice (must) flowing from grapes crushed by their own weight without any mechanical pressing. It is light, fine, aromatic, smooth and fruity.
Firsts, seconds and thirds are musts obtained through low: medium and high pressure respectively. The greater the pressure, the lower the quality.
Each of these qualities of must is fermented separately, producing different types of wine. With the remaining must sweet liqueurs, "fresh" liqueurs (distilled without fermenting the must) or eau-de vie can be made.
Clearing. To eliminate the solids in suspension, the musts are left to rest for a time so that the solids are deposited, through decanting, in the bottom of the container. This cleaning process can also be carried out mechanically.
Fermentation. Fermentation is the process through which the sugars in the must are transformed into alcohol, by the action of yeasts which, not having air, metabolise the sugars into alcohol and carbon dioxide.
Controlling the fermentation temperature, kept between 18 and 22 º C, determines the amount of sugar that remains in the must. Fermentation takes place in two phases, the tumultuous phase and the rapid phase, and normally lasts between 10 and 15 days. Different types of wine can be distinguished according to the amount of sugar they contain:
• Dry wine: no more than 5 grams of sugar per litre.
• Semi-seco (medium-dry) wine:between 15 and 30 grams per litre.
• Sweet wine: more than 50 grams per litre.
Racking. To eliminate the solids resulting from the fermentation process the wine is passed from one container to another. It is racked two or three times between November and January (in Europe). Afterwards the wines are selected according to their qualities.
Clarifying. By using clarifying agents the solids that have remained in the wine are drawn to the bottom of the container.
Filtering. With aim of further clarifying the wine, it is poured through a porous material or membrane. These can vary from earth filters to the most modern amicrobic sterilizers which remove the material held in suspension.
Bottling.The wine is bottled for selling.
2. Rosé wines:
The production process is similar to that of white wine, but red grapes or a mixture of red and white grapes is used. Only must produced by the pressure of the grapes' own weight ("mosto yema") or produced under light pressure (mosto primera) is used.Maceration. After eliminating the stalks the grapes are crushed and transferred to a container in which the must is briefly cold macerated with the skin and without fermenting. The must then becomes coloured, so the "draining" or separation of the must from the solid pulp is carried out.
Clearing and fermentation. The solids are separated from the must in the same way as for white wine. Fermentation is carried out at controlled temperatures to obtain fresh or fruity wine.
Remontage (overpumping). Carbon dioxide given off during fermentation pushes the skins upwards. These form an upper barrier called the "sombrero" (cap) which has to be soaked with the must by pumping wine from the bottom of the vat over the cap to improve the extraction of the colour. The grape skins must be “stirred” occasionally, through a process known as "racking".
Drawing off or devatting. Once the desired colour has been achieved through maceration, the liquid is racked to another container separating it from the solid material.
Malo-lactic fermentation. Fermentation is finished in the second container, a process known as slow fermentation. In this container the strong, vegetable malic acid is transformed into lactic acid which is milder and smoother and brings subtlety and softness to the wine. .
Racking. Once the fermentation process is finished, the wine is racked a number of times and treated to clarify and stabilise it. It is then selected for its qualities and young wine is bottled, or it is put into barrels to mature in wood.
The best quality wines are matured in oak barrels. The choice of oak (American or French) and the toasting of the staves is very important. No one type of oak is better than another. The important factor is the oenologist's skill in making a suitable match between the fruit and the wood.
3. Red wines
Red wines are made from the must of red grapes that have not fermented together with the solid parts of the grape (the skin and the seeds). The process is as follows:Destemming. The pulp resulting from crushing is taken to a container where the grapes are separated from the stems so that unpleasant herbaceous smells and flavours are not transferred during maceration.
Fermentation. The sugars unfold in alcohol and give off carbon dioxide while the colouring material of the skin is dissolved in the must.
Remontage (overpumping). The sugars unfold in alcohol and give off carbon dioxide while the colouring material of the skin is dissolved in the must. . Remontage (overpumping). The carbon dioxide given off during the fermentation pushes the skins upwards. These form an upper barrier called the "sombrero" (cap) which has to be soaked with the must by pumping wine from the bottom of the vat over the cap to improve the extraction of the colour.
The grape skins must be “stirred” occasionally through a process known as "racking"
Drawing off or devatting. Once the colour has been achieved in the maceration process, the liquid is racked to another container, separating it from the solid material.
Malo-lactic fermentation. Fermentation is finished in the second container, a process known as slow fermentation. In this container the strong, vegetable malic acid is transformed into lactic acid that is milder and smoother and which brings subtlety and softness to the wine. .
Racking. Once the fermentation process is finished, the wine is racked a number of times and treated to clarify and stabilise it. It is then selected for its qualities and young wine is bottled, or it is put into barrels to mature in wood.
The best quality wines are matured in oak barrels. The choice of oak (American or French) and the toasting of the staves is very important. No one type of oak is better than another. The important factor is the oenologist's skill in making a suitable match between the fruit and the wood.
4. Cava
Cava is wine that contains carbon dioxide gas from the second fermentation in the bottle.Second fermentation. Once the base wines have been obtained (clean and fruity wines) "coupage" or blending the base wines is carried out. This is the fundamental work of the oenologist. A "tirage liqueur", a mixture of yeasts and sugar, is added that causes a second fermentation to take place in the bottle.
The traditional or champagne method. The second fermentation takes place in the bottle. These are the best quality wines and are typical of the Champagne region and of cavas.
Stacking. The bottles are stacked horizontally, one on top of the other, so that the second fermentation takes place in this position. They are stored in wine cellars, generally underground, at a uniform temperature and humidity, for at least nine months.
Riddling: Once they are near the end of the maturing period, the bottles are moved to the pupitres (sloping racks) where it is positioned sloping downwards. There it is gradually turned and further inclined until the yeasts are concentrated in the neck of the bottle. In this way the liquid in the bottle remains stable, transparent and clean.
Disgorging: The bottles go through a refrigeration system that freezes the neck of the bottle. The bottle is opened so that the lees (the remains of the yeasts) come out in a small block of ice. Afterwards, if it is a brut nature, it is bottled directly for sale. If it is not destined to be brut nature cava “liqueur de expedition” is added. This is generally very old and very stable wine which provides different amounts of sugar (brut, medium-dry, sweet).
Types of wines
1. White wine
White wine is usually made from varieties of white grapes, but with some exceptions such as in the case of champagne, whereas the colouring quality of a red or rosé wine is not based on the grape must, but instead on the skin of the grapes. So by taking only the must of a red grape without macerating it along with its skin, and fermenting it, we can obtain a white wine based on red grapes. The exception is the Tintorera varieties, so called because they produce coloured musts.White wine can be young wine that has not been matured or wine that has been mature in the barrel. While matured white wines are stronger and generally more golden in colour, young wines are characterised by not having a high alcoholic content and essentially being dry and fruity. They are cold fermented at controlled temperatures of between 11 and 14 ºC. This avoids the loss of aromatic substances. These wines are very popular in cold, Central European climates such as, for example, Alsace and Germany. Like red wine, white wine can be made using the classical method of maturing it either in the barrel or in the bottle. Wines that are matured for a long time, that are intended to be "laid down", such as the classic, golden Rioja Reserves are matured in the barrel for several years after fermenting.
2. Red wine
Red wine is made from varieties of red grapes. As in the case of the white wines, we can talk of young red wines, although usually red wines have been matured. The main characteristic of red wine production is the maceration of the grape skins during and after fermentation. The duration of maceration determines the degree to which substances, which dissolve in the wine, are extracted from the grape skins. Maceration is regulated by a number of parameters, such as the temperature or alcohol level, which determine the characteristics of the resulting wine. So for young wines we macerate for short periods and at low temperatures (between 20 and 25 ºC), while to produce mature wines or for more full bodied wines we lengthen the maceration period considerably, sometimes for more than thirty days, and we macerate at higher temperatures (between 25 and 30ºC).Mature wines are matured in barrels, either for a long period of time or a very long period of time. The wine is then matured in the bottle for another, equally important number of years. Amongst the most esteemed red wines are those for "laying down" which, after having matured in the barrel for several years, carry on maturing in the bottle for many more years. The producer aims to create strength and long life in these wines and during this period the aromas of the wine become more complex and the tannins and acidity more rounded. For their part, young red wines are fruity and do not age well.
3. Carbonic Maceration
Young, very fruity and fresh wines are obtained using this process. They generally have little depth of colour and rarely keep for more than a year. They are made using a special process in which whole bunches of grapes are put into a closed container without crushing them. An inert, oxygen free atmosphere is produced in the container.This is achieved by the addition of a small amount of must into the fermentation. This gives off carbon dioxide (CO2), displacing the air inside the container. Under these conditions a special process of fermentation takes place inside the intact grapes on the bunch without the addition of yeast. In this fermentation process aromatic compounds typical of, and inherent in, each variety are developed. In general they are aromas of mature berries (strawberry, raspberry, blackberry ...).
Subsequently the grapes will burst due to the build up of the carbon dioxide resulting from the fermentation taking place inside them. They will gradually give off a partially alcoholic wine-must that will stop fermenting, with or without maceration, and produce these light and fruity wines.
4. Rosé
Rosé wine is made either with red grapes alone or with a mixture of white and red grapes. The first make the best, fresh, fruity wines, with aromas of red fruit and cream. Their production process starts like that of any other red wine, but maceration is stopped just a few hours after it starts (between 6 and 36 hours). The lightly coloured must is then extracted and produced like a young white wine. Rosés are wines that cannot be matured, other than in exceptional cases.5. Sweet wine
Sweet wine is wine with natural grape sugar. It can be young or matured, white or red, acidic and fresh, or tannic and structured, alcoholic or light. There is a great variety of sweet wine. The production process, the time and way of maturing all vary according to the area the product comes from.6. Dessert wine
Dessert wine is wine with a high added alcohol content, between 15º and 23º, that has been matured for a long time in wood under systems that are particular to each area, such as those of Jerez.Wine tasting course
1. Introduction
Wine tasting is an art that is part science and part knowledge acquired through experience. There are two phases to wine tasting: a sensorial phase and another phase that translates these subjective sensations into a language that can be understood by others.Wine tasting is a whole process which has many aspects and where balance is an important factor. Attention to the five senses, hearing (the sound on serving), sight (colour, tone, appearance, transparency, shine, nuances etc) smell (aroma), taste and mouthfeel (the wines interaction with the mouth), all make for a more intense enjoyment of the wine. However, sight, smell and taste are the main factors.
The wine taster looks for integration and this is reflected in other factors.
1. The temperature (too cool and the aroma will be muted, too warm and it can evaporate quickly).
2. The glass used (glasses with a rounded mouth contain the aromas better).
3. The way the wine is served: the glass should be filled no more than one third full and should be held by the foot so as to be able to see the wine well and not warm the wine up too much.
4. Lighting should be adequate and the colour should be contrasted against a white background.
To taste a wine we must:
Observe it: to define the appearance and colour (visual phase)
Smell it: to define the aromas (nasal phase)
Taste it: to define the flavours and finish (mouth phase)
Evaluate the overall sensation
2. Sight - Visual analysis
The colour is the precursor to the tasting and to a large extent announces the sensations that smelling and tasting will then discover. For example, there is a close relationship between the colour of a wine and the degree of its development.The type of colour can be defined by referring to the principal colours of the spectrum or the secondary colours that are involved in its tonality. We can see this in a description of a young Syrah wine - red - (principal colour) and its secondary effect (bluish).
The usual colours of a red wine vary from the violet red of a new wine, through to ruby or purple depending on its development and then nuances of orange when it starts to age.
In white wines greenish yellows predominate. In rosé wines shades of cherry, rose and old rose can be seen and even browns when the wine is old.
Intensity:
The intensity of the colour is equally important, not only the intensity of the principal colour but also of the secondary shades. For example, in a red wine we can see intense reds, a slight bluish tone (secondary), ruby red with maroon nuances, etc.
Cleanliness or transparency:
This is of primordial importance throughout the various stages of development of all wines, from fermentation to bottling. Generally, a beautiful clear colour is indicative of a select wine, insofar as an ordinary or mixed wine usually has a dull appearance and lacks shine. In addition, lack of clarity in a wine, opaqueness or cloudiness, like the formation of a deposit, is a sure sign of problems of physico-chemical or biological instability.
It is important to differentiate between a cloudy wine (a bad sign) and wines that have a deposit or sediment, the consequence of not having been chilled (a sign of careful production).
The colour of the wine depends on various factors, such as the type of wine (white, rosé or red), the production (whether by modern or traditional technology), the age of the wine, maturing in wooden barrels, the action of the sun on the grapes, the effect of its storage, the type of grapes, the climate, etc.
The colour and types of wine
White wines
The darkening of white wines is due to oxidation by heat, light or even reduction in the bottle or development in the absence of oxygen, at higher temperatures.
A high acidity can be revealed by greenish reflections, on the margins of which characteristics of the variety can give a more or less intense yellow tone.
Red wines
The time it takes to extract the colouring material during the maceration of the skin with the must depends on the amount of sun that the grape has had while growing.
The wine at first has a solid and intense colour. With the passing of the years it will open up slightly due to the colour molecules tending to unite with one another, becoming thicker and sinking to the bottom of the barrel or bottle. They are the inoffensive deposits which many people confuse with chemicals.
In short, the colour of the wine will depend on the type of grape, the maceration of the skins, the maturity of the grape, how long it is matured and the age of the bottle.
3. The smell - analysis by smell
Smell is the most elemental and primitive of our senses. However, it is very important in wine tasting as the nose is much more perceptive than the mouth.For the sensitive cells of the nose to be stimulated they need the inhaled substance to be volatile. To achieve this, it is best to swirl the wine gently in the glass and inhale deeply. The volatile ethers and aldehydes transport the substances to the nose where a very large number of complex cells capture them. Perception occurs with inhalation and takes thousandths of a second.
When we refer to the bouquetof a wine we are referring to a complex mixture of nuances in smell. The aroma of a wine can be described by its intensity, its subtlety (a great wealth of components), delicacy (absence of common smells), etc.
Some of the factors that influence the aromas of wine are the varieties and the degree of maturity of the grapes used in its production, the type of soil (sandy, clay, limestone, etc), the production process, the maturation of the wine in barrels and its storage in bottles.
Prolonged exposure to a smell usually reduces our perception of it, so smelling a wine for too long can make the nose insensitive. If the first impression is slight, it is best to pass on to the following wine and come back later.
To facilitate the description of a wine in wine tasting the aromas are usually grouped into families: for example, fruity aromas (strawberry, redcurrant, raspberry, grapefruit, etc), animal aromas (leather, wet hair etc) balsamic aromas (cedar, vanilla, etc) But the variants are almost infinite for those who consider themselves to be specialists: wooden (new oak barrel, old wood, green wood, etc) an aroma of black pepper, toasted caramel, almonds, coffee, cocoa, chocolate, vanilla, etc. However, one should not let oneself be too influenced by these descriptions.
4. Analysis by taste.
Taste comes from the taste buds situated on the top of the tongue.According to psychological and physiological studies, four elemental tastes are known: acid, salty, sweet and bitter. The perception areas on the tongue for each of these four tastes are completely different:
The right and left edges recognise salty sensations.
The areas on the tip of the tongue recognise sweet flavours.
Bitterness is perceived by an area at the back of the tongue that has the shape of a circumflex accent.
Acidity is recognised by the taste buds situated on the sides of the tongue below those taste buds that perceive salty flavours.
Acid flavours: these are easy to recognise as they are associated with green fruits or vinegar.
Salty flavours: these are almost non-existent in wines but they must not be ignored.
Sweet flavours: the majority of wines are dry and do not contain sugar (except some whites and liqueurs).
Bitter flavours: these can be perceived in red wines rich in tannins. The slight bitterness of tannins is lost over time as the reduction process takes place in the bottle.
