Have you ever stopped to think about how wine is made? What processes are followed, what ingredients are used? Well, you are in luck because in this article we tell you how we make our DEMUERTE wines. A story that, like all good stories, we will tell in instalments to give you time to enjoy it.
How is wine made? Part 1
As if it were a magic trick, today and here we are going to reveal many of our secrets when it comes to making wine. A text in which we will also explain how we make our DEMUERTE red wines so that they have that special personality that characterises them.
Many of you ask us about the way we make our wines, presumably to contextualise why they have received so much recognition, both nationally and internationally, as winners in different competitions in the sector. Well, the first thing we should point out is that part of our success is due to our location. That is, the fact that our DEMUERTE red wines are made in Yecla (Murcia), an area that allows us to use the essential ingredient of our wines: the magnificent Monastrell grape.
How we make DEMUERTE wine
The main steps in the way we make our DEMUERTE wines are as follows:
- Destemming
The elaboration of such a high quality red wine as DEMUERTE begins with the immediate reception of the grapes. The grapes are received from the manual harvest at the Barahonda winery in the town of Yecla, as we mentioned earlier. Once received, it undergoes the first step, crucial in its development, which is destemming. A process in which the stalk and any plant parts of the grape are removed. This process, which can be mechanical, manual or a combination of both, is essential to avoid defects in the resulting wine. We use a sorting table to ensure that only the best grapes enter the winery, thus guaranteeing quality from the start.
- Crushing
Once destemmed, the grapes are crushed using a machine that transforms the berries into a liquid paste made up of the must and skins. This mixture is transferred to tanks where fermentation and maceration begin. It is vital that the temperature does not exceed 35ºC so as not to stop fermentation. At Barahonda, we also use refrigerated tanks to maintain a constant temperature of around 20ºC, thus ensuring that we have an ideal environment for the process.
- Tumultuous fermentation and maceration
During tumultuous fermentation, the gas released pushes the grape skins upwards, forming a layer known as the ‘cap’. To optimise the extraction of polyphenols (anthocyanins and tannins), pumping-over is carried out using pumps or mechanical means that break the cap and facilitate contact between the skins and the must. After a period of 14 to 21 days of maceration, the ‘devatting’ is carried out, transferring the liquid to another tank to complete the fermentation. The tumultuous fermentation lasts between 6 and 10 days, while the slow fermentation, which follows, lasts between 10 and 15 days, depending on the temperature.
- Pressing
Once maceration is complete, after bleeding, the wine is transferred to the press. Mechanical pressure is used to extract the wine from the skins. The residue from the pressing, known as ‘marc’, is sent to distilleries for distillation, ensuring that the grapes are fully utilised.
- Racking
The wine undergoes several rackings. This is a process in which the wine is transferred from one tank to another, allowing the solids to accumulate at the bottom and the wine to clear. This cleaning process is favoured by the low temperatures of winter. Periodic racking avoids possible contamination, ensuring that the wine reaches an ideal state of purity before ageing.
- Ageing and bottling
Once cleaned, the wine is transferred to new French oak barrels for ageing. The length of ageing varies according to the type of wine: DEMUERTE ONE is aged for 6 months, DEMUERTE CLASSIC 9 months, DEMUERTE GOLD 12 months, DEMUERTE DELUXE 18 months, DEMUERTE ORGANIC 18 months, and DEMUERTE BLACK 20 months. After ageing, the wine is clarified without animal components to obtain the Vegan certificate. It is then gently filtered and bottled. Finally, the bottled wine is stored in crates for 6 months to a year before release, ensuring that each bottle of DEMUERTE reaches the consumer at its best.
With these meticulous and careful steps, we manage to produce the extraordinary DEMUERTE wines, offering a unique experience to wine lovers.
