Post Harvest – Into the kitchen
September 20th, 2015 | Bodega
Under normal circumstances our harvest would be divided into two distinct and separate phases – out in the vineyards collecting the fruit, and then moving inside to convert our fruit into delicious albariño. This year however, has been a little different, mainly thanks to our fleeting brush with hurricane Henri.
Whilst we picked for only five days, the time lapse between our first day and the last actually extended to a period of nine days, with two breaks in between. The result being that the first grape must was ready for fermentation even before the last grapes had entered our door. I guess that, depending on the size of the property, or perhaps the number of different grape varieties involved, this might be common practice for many bodegas, but in the case of Castro Martin there is usually very little, or no overlap between the two different phases. Often it is more or less like a cascade effect, meaning that once we start seeding our first tanks we continue, without a break, until the last one is completed. This year our ‘cascade’ will not be quite as regular – more of a stop, start affair.
In my opinion winemaking is by far the most interesting part of the year – we have our raw material that will ultimately determine the quality, but our winemaking will certainly dictate the style of albariño that we make. I liken it to cooking, when the chef shows his skill and creativity using the ‘ingredients’ that nature has provided, making a ‘dish’ using his or her own interpretation. Thankfully, not all albariños taste the same!Under normal circumstances our harvest would be divided into two distinct and separate phases – out in the vineyards collecting the fruit, and then moving inside to convert our fruit into delicious albariño. This year however, has been a little different, mainly thanks to our fleeting brush with hurricane Henri.
Whilst we picked for only five days, the time lapse between our first day and the last actually extended to a period of nine days, with two breaks in between. The result being that the first grape must was ready for fermentation even before the last grapes had entered our door. I guess that, depending on the size of the property, or perhaps the number of different grape varieties involved, this might be common practice for many bodegas, but in the case of Castro Martin there is usually very little, or no overlap between the two different phases. Often it is more or less like a cascade effect, meaning that once we start seeding our first tanks we continue, without a break, until the last one is completed. This year our ‘cascade’ will not be quite as regular – more of a stop, start affair.
In my opinion winemaking is by far the most interesting part of the year – we have our raw material that will ultimately determine the quality, but our winemaking will certainly dictate the style of albariño that we make. I liken it to cooking, when the chef shows his skill and creativity using the ‘ingredients’ that nature has provided, making a ‘dish’ using his or her own interpretation. Thankfully, not all albariños taste the same!