The oenologist’s work, in the process of elaborating a cava, is an arduous and responsible task. He, throughout the year, assumes completely different functions and must remain alert to each type of process. In the steps prior to mixing varieties, the oenologist’s role is similar to that of an orchestra director, it is he who gives his approval to start the collection of the grape, it is he who chooses the yeasts to be used for the alcoholic fermentation, and it is always he who controls almost obsessively and restlessly that the temperature of the tanks remains stable and, during all this time, he does not close his eyes at night, and if he does, it is only to dream about his wines and about the next steps to do to get a product of excellence. However, at this time of year, our winemaker assumes a much more complex, mystical and magical role. It becomes the true creator, who molds, with everything he has at his disposal, his raw diamonds, the wines, which he will have to polish little by little in the following steps to obtain our cavas of optimum quality. The hand of the winemaker is seen in the blend of the wines, mixing the different components that constitute a finished product. It is very difficult that a base wine obtained in a single harvest and coming from a single vineyard and from a single vine variety can provide the perfect aromatic balance and the level of sugar and acidity necessary to produce an excellent cava. This is why we usually mix different varieties of still wines, in our case, always from the same vintage, producing Vintage Cavas every year. This procedure is carried out directly at the end of the first fermentation and is considered the real key in the art of cava production. What we are looking for in our winery is to contribute what is missing to a component with one that has it, something like leveling the lame leg of the table, to achieve complexity and originality in the finished product. Due to the long aging on the lees of our cavas, our winemaker has a difficult task, since it is difficult to predict the result of the mixture. There is no chemical formula in force to know how to get it, this is intrinsic to the considerable experience of our technicians, their knowledge, their philosophy of product style and their magic touch;).

The initial blend of still wines in the denomination of origin Cava involves the use of 9 varieties of grapes such as Macabeo, Xarello, Parellada, Chardonnay, Malvasia, Trepat,  Garnacha, Monastrell and Pinot Noir, to give life to a wine that is subjected to a second fermentation, the key passage in which the perlage (bubbles) is formed in the cava.

To make a blend we need (and certainly we have) a team of tasters of great experience, sensitivity and finesse, who as composers must be able to perceive the particularities of each individual element to put it in value in its entirety. They have to be visionary, creative and be able to imagine what they want to achieve, thinking about how to improve and how to make the product exponentially more attractive, staying anchored to the style of our winery.

The secret is to choose expressive base wines from the point of view of softness, warmth on the palate and acidity. According to our experts will be chosen which way to undertake, opting always for obtaining a fine, sophisticated and well-integrated bubble and reaching very elegant finishes with great complexity in the aftertaste. The variations are endless and the tasting of the blend is a discipline that requires rigor, knowledge, ability to perceive the future and must be nourished by a great passion.

Professional tasters or simply CAVA ENTHUSIAST, we are intrepid to know how we will evolve our 2018 vintage.

This week we have started with the pruning of the vines, a very important process that will determine the quality of the grape, and as a consequence the quality of the wine of the next harvest. That is why we can affirm that pruning is one of the most important tasks carried out in the vineyards throughout the year. But … What does it really mean to prune?

It deals with a meticulous job that consists of cutting the ramifications of the strain to prevent it from growing in an uncontrolled way. The period to do it goes from mid-November to the end of February (depending on the area and the vine-grower). This is the best period because it is when the vine goes into winter recess, that is, it minimizes its activity.

The objective of pruning is to leave an optimal number of buds to obtain a good quality of grapes in the future harvest.

The plant of the vine is not as we are used to seeing it in the vineyards. It is really a long-branched shrub that grows by clinging to other trees and distributes its fruits in a completely random way. Therefore, pruning is essential to control the plant, but also to shape it we regulate the production and ensure a good harvest.

In short, pruning is one of the most important operations for the subsequent obtaining of good grapes, and a good balance of sugars and acidity in ripening and will define many aspects of the next harvest.

Meanwhile we are traveling to Russia, to promote our entire range of Lacrima Baccus, we also decided to focus on Poland, to find an importer.

So, we loaded the batteries for our final stretch, and almost at the end of a year full of surprises, novelties, illusions and maybe disappointments, we boarded the plane for another adventure.

Our export team, after a team meeting about the evaluation of this proposal, decided to take into consideration the participation of Fair Enoexpo in Krakow, in its 16th edition, through Prodeca regarding the dates 7th, 8th and 9th of November .

As the times of the fair were very marked, we did not have time to visit the city, that, although we know very well, it leaves us breathless every time.

The first day we realized that the influx of the public was good, with a large participation of end customers, bloggers, journalists, sommeliers, wine-enthusiasts and restaurants. A tasting of Summum was carried out through Acció, together with the other wines from the Prodeca stands, addressed to the public and, in part, to a prominent Polish sommelier.

The second day was developed in the same way, around many wine lovers and wine enthusiasts, we were grateful and proud to share our products with people who truly appreciated the cava, our land and our heritage.

Only the third day we realized the high influx of visitors, including importers, some more than others interested in samples of our varied range.

Our reflection is undoubtedly related to a very personal, almost sentimental aspect. If we think about when our adventure began a few years ago and where we have arrived, we are satisfied with the work that we are developing little by little.

Despite the results, the fair has not been a goal, but an important starting point for our winery, which wants to challenge itself more and more. The demonstration of our actions is evidently shown by all those who receive them in the first person every day, and they are shared by our customers, our distributors … and all of you.

It is time to visit Russia, more specifically Perm which is located on the slopes of the Urals and is considered the last city in Europe. While the whole world is sure that Europe ends in Perm, its inhabitants are convinced of the opposite: Europe is just beginning here. A mixture of ethnics and different somatic traits, contrasted traditions. Perm, place of refuge of Tsar Michail Romanov, an inspiration for Pasternak in his Doctor Zhivago where Perm hides behind the name of the city Jurjatin and also place of the Soviet gulags, is unique in its style and history. Čechov defined Perm very boring and too hot in summer, we defined it as fascinating, almost addictive and in the middle of two contrasting Europe. Perm was a very important industrial center in the past. According to local legend, the inhabitants of the Russian city of Perm had salty ears. Being an industrial capital near some of the largest metal and salt mines, it was said that the workers had taken to Perm so many bags of salt behind them that a salty layer had stuck to their skin. However, for some years the city has been striving to get rid of this image of industrial capital of Russia to obtain a new recognition: to be the capital of culture. But we ask ourselves, can a powerful industrial city, full of factories and forests, become the brilliant capital of literature, music and contemporary art? The inhabitants of Perm are sure of their strengths and their cultural heritage, so they use all their skills to achieve this goal. They proudly exhibit their wooden gods or bronze medallions in « animal style », claiming their indigenous ancestry. We also toured the city with an illustrious guide, the collaborator of the University of Perm, Alexander Shchepetkov, a wise geographer and a lover of Soviet architecture and literature, an art enthusiast in all its manifestations, a a multifaceted man, so brilliant that we were completely spellbound by his stories, so much that we do not want to end this wonderful journey together. We discover the city until its secrets and more recondite anecdotes, wanting to get lost in so much culture and mystery.

Natalya Troyanova, Manager of Semya supermarket chains, gave us a unique opportunity, the possibility of knowing the city and its origins, and after this inexplicable journey, Natalya took us to visit Semya’s largest supermarkets, in different parts of Perm. We were speechless when we noticed that every 400 meters there was a Semya supermarket, almost all open 24 hours. We were also impressed to see that this so young Manager, directed a special affection and helped us impeccably in our visits and master class with an innate sweetness and passion for her extraordinary job. The role of Manager Galina Aristova was the most fundamental. She was like the director of a concert that takes place in a wonderful theater, she marked the times and the duration of our explanations, due to our busy schedule. A determined, pragmatic woman who did not stay calm until she heard the last word of our presentation, only at that moment she relaxed and breathed a sigh of relief.

Our presence was important for the formation of the team of store managers about the cava culture, its origin, its elaboration process our regulatory regulations and our classifications, in comparison from the point of view of elaborating other products like the Schaumweine of Germany and the Prosecco. Russians are always curious, always well informed and previously ready for all situations. Russia is a country where culture is a central component in the lives of people, you only need to see the amount of theaters and museums frequented by schools with very young children.

We carried out our presentations using our audiovisual materials, our power point presentations and …a lot of fun and empathy with the audience of participants. Semya is a reference, We would almost say a lifestyle. People walk through the streets with ecological bags of straws, as if they feel represented by the philosophy of this enterprise. The sales team works with many promotions, taking care of the range of products up to the last detail.

As regards the promotion of wines and cavas, they dispose of an online list. The sommelier and expert Evgenij Sazonov together with Yulia Shipiguzova deals with the most important decision: to choose wines. The option of having the online letter is not at all banal. Consumers are between 23 and 50 years old and very often use their mobile phones and computers, so they prefer to rely on technology, avoiding paper abuse and having less impact on the environment and avoiding the incentive to alcohol consumption at all times. The most successful cava for the clients, according to a market study, turn out to be our semi dry Lacrima Baccus (women adore the sweet aromas), Heretat de Lacrima Baccus and Summum brut and in all the stores, they are ALWAYS on the front line, with a good visibility, reason of pride for our winery. Following our program, we visited, with much encouragement in the heart and little in the body, due to the -8 degrees, two restaurants of high standard of the city which are called Chin chin and Gastroport, two MUST of the city. The attendees to our presentations left the restaurants with very good feelings and, above all, with happy memories of our visit. This trip in a city perhaps forgotten by tourists, has opened our eyes about the different facets of Russia, about its inhabitants, great lovers of bubbles and about its expansive and warm behavior, the opposite of the typical Russian climate, very cold and penetrating. We cannot wait so long, we would like to come back very soon and describe more.