2014 – The aftermath

October 2nd, 2014 | Bodega

BagazoAlthough we breath a big sigh of relief once the picking has finished, this is of course, only the first part of the process, but I’m not going to stand, hands on hip, and boldly declare “mission accomplished” like one famous politician that we all know and love (or not)! There are now two very big, and equally important jobs that follow: cleaning and winemaking.

I have to be honest and say that I know that cleaning is not one of the most popular jobs, but it’s just one of those things that has to be done – roll your sleeves up and get on with it. As I have described many times before, it’s all about the must – the thick, sticky grape juice gets everywhere, and when it does, then boy does it stick. The worst of all is when it appears in an exposed place where it can be ‘baked on’ by the sun; then it simply dries like a coat of varnish. Take for example, the pathways and loading area in front of the Bodega. In today’s photo you can see the containers of ‘bagazo’ (skins and stalks left after pressing) lined up waiting to be collected by the distillery, to be made into aguardiente (grappa or eau-de-vie). It doesn’t matter how careful you are, they always leave a trail of juice and skins behind when you move them. The big problem is that the front of our Bodega faces due south, and so this trail becomes baked on to the terracotta pavement. It can only be removed with pressure washing machines.

Meanwhile, in the cellar, the first step of the winemaking process has already begun, as we seed the very first tanks with yeast. In another week or two we will actually have wine – but still a very long way from being finished. More on that as we go along.

BagazoAlthough we breath a big sigh of relief once the picking has finished, this is of course, only the first part of the process, but I’m not going to stand, hands on hip, and boldly declare “mission accomplished” like one famous politician that we all know and love (or not)! There are now two very big, and equally important jobs that follow: cleaning and winemaking.

I have to be honest and say that I know that cleaning is not one of the most popular jobs, but it’s just one of those things that has to be done – roll your sleeves up and get on with it. As I have described many times before, it’s all about the must – the thick, sticky grape juice gets everywhere, and when it does, then boy does it stick. The worst of all is when it appears in an exposed place where it can be ‘baked on’ by the sun; then it simply dries like a coat of varnish. Take for example, the pathways and loading area in front of the Bodega. In today’s photo you can see the containers of ‘bagazo’ (skins and stalks left after pressing) lined up waiting to be collected by the distillery, to be made into aguardiente (grappa or eau-de-vie). It doesn’t matter how careful you are, they always leave a trail of juice and skins behind when you move them. The big problem is that the front of our Bodega faces due south, and so this trail becomes baked on to the terracotta pavement. It can only be removed with pressure washing machines.

Meanwhile, in the cellar, the first step of the winemaking process has already begun, as we seed the very first tanks with yeast. In another week or two we will actually have wine – but still a very long way from being finished. More on that as we go along.

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