Cellar work
They say that the transformation of must into wine is a natural process, as it comes about due to micro-organisms that are present in nature. This shouldn’t make you think that must will spontaneously transform itself into a great wine, however.
The process is in fact very complicated, and so if it does not come about in the best conditions and with the use of good sense at the right moment, then it can easily “take a wrong turning”, leading to uninteresting products, but also rather easily to defective wines, with unpleasant flavours, if not indeed to a complete transformation into vinegar.
There are many factors to be kept under control, changing from year to year, and often the only instruments that can be relied on are one’s own sensory organs. For a good oenologist, it is therefore necessary to have wide knowledge and experience united to a great sensitivity and a certain amount of talent. The difficulties of the job may tempt one to look for simplified methods, intervening with chemical correctors or invasive physical processes in order to “control” each phase of transformation in that much a safer way.
In this way it is possible to obtain perfect wines, but the unique characteristics of that particular grape (that come from the vine, the ‘terroir’ and the year) are nullified. We believe that vinification should back up the natural characteristics of the grape, even if this runs the risk of creating wines that are imperfect, but at least have a soul, and are not mass produced following the Law of the Single Flavour.
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1) Fermentation
 We press the grapes delicately, and the must is then placed in tanks for alcoholic fermentation, which is responsible for the transformation of grape juice into wine.
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2) Maceration
“Rimontaggio” is also useful in this process, which is carried out for the production of red wines at the same time as fermentation. Maceration consists of contact between the liquid and the skins of the grapes in order to...
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| 3) Coadjuvants and other substances |
It is possible to act on the must or the wine in order to “correct” possible defects, for example by adding concentrated must to increase the sugar content, correct acidity, add tannins, and so on. Read more › |
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4) Malo-lactic fermentation
In the past peasants noted that with the first heat of spring the wine would start to “boil”, that is, to ferment. Less well-known than alcoholic fermentation, this is malo-lactic fermentation, which comes about spontaneously due to... Read more › |
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5) The Barriccaia.
 This scarcely elegant term is now commonly used to indicate the room or rooms where refinement of the wine in wooden barrels takes place.
arrique means a 225 litre wooden barrel, which is now the most commonly used type given its good results and practicality.
Oak is the best type of wood, and we purchase barrels only from the most reliable companies, choosing those of medium and low toasting.
French above all, but also Spanish and Italian.
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6) Refinement in wood
Refinement or ageing are the terms used to indicate the slow transformation that wine undergoes in a wooden barrel.
The wine acquires softness, structure and clarity, and flavours and odours evolve.
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7) Fine lees
the French say with greater elegance sur-lie. When we put the wine into the barriques it is not yet clear, but contains tiny particles which derive above all from the remains of the yeasts (lie) which caused fermentation.
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8) Topping up
Given that wood is a porous material, part of the wine in the barrels can evaporate. As the environment is deliberately kept humid this phenomenon is limited, but does occur.
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9) Decantation
The wine in the barriques remains in contact with the lees for some months, but then it must be slowly clarified.
For this reason decantation takes place, sometimes useful also to...
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| 10) Blending |
 Or cutting, is the fundamental moment that decides the life of our wines.
Blending is above all an activity of selection, but also of creation, depending essentially on the experience, knowledge and sensitivity of the practitioner.
At the end of refinement there are numerous lots of wine, divided between barriques, and we know the history of each one, beginning from its time in the country.
The wines are tasted and different blends are tried until the best combination is found.
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| 11) Bottling |
 After being refined in wood for anything between 8 and 24 months according to type, the wine is blended and bottled.
It will be laid down in the bottle for several months in the best conditions, in order for further refinement to take place.
Only after 6 to 9 months will the bottle be taken, cleaned, labelled, capsuled and packaged. Then begins its trip around the world, where it may remain for years and years in the cellars of connoisseurs.
The bottle will be the home of the wine for several years more, then. For this reason it is necessary to have raw materials of high quality in order to guarantee conservation
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| 12) White wine |
 White wine requires a different approach during vinification.
Above all, the must, as soon as it has been pressed, should be separated from the skins, and so we pass directly to pressing, which is very delicate.
The must needs to be clarified to guarantee a good quality, and we prefer to do this by way of natural decantation, leaving it for a night in a tank at low temperature, so that the cloudy sediments spontaneously drop to the bottom.
The clarified must is then fermented in a steel tank, or (for the Guado al Melo white) also in wood. Using wood gives the wine more structure and also makes it more long lasting.
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