I’ve always found it a little bit odd and perhaps even mildly amusing that Munich’s “Oktoberfest” is actually celebrated in September, with only the final few days actually falling in the month of October. Now more than 200 years old, it was originally a royal wedding celebration, held in the middle of October, on a site of some 42 hectares on the south west outskirts of Munich. It has evolved over the years to become a huge fair, spread over nearly three weeks, complete with opening parade, brewery horse teams and bands, carnival side shows and enormous beer tents. It was apparently moved forward into September to take advantage of marginally longer days and better weather.

Anyway, believe it or not. we now have a couple of Oktoberfests of our own, here in Galicia. Held in Negreira and Pontevedra respectively, they were held this weekend….. at the beginning of November. It occurred to me that, if these new local beer festivals are not tied to any particular tradition, then why didn’t the organisers create something new and original, and simply call them Novemberfest!

Actually, the tradition that we really need next is Albariñofest – to be held at any time of year (or perhaps even all year ’round).

I’ve always found it a little bit odd and perhaps even mildly amusing that Munich’s “Oktoberfest” is actually celebrated in September, with only the final few days actually falling in the month of October. Now more than 200 years old, it was originally a royal wedding celebration, held in the middle of October, on a site of some 42 hectares on the south west outskirts of Munich. It has evolved over the years to become a huge fair, spread over nearly three weeks, complete with opening parade, brewery horse teams and bands, carnival side shows and enormous beer tents. It was apparently moved forward into September to take advantage of marginally longer days and better weather.

Anyway, believe it or not. we now have a couple of Oktoberfests of our own, here in Galicia. Held in Negreira and Pontevedra respectively, they were held this weekend….. at the beginning of November. It occurred to me that, if these new local beer festivals are not tied to any particular tradition, then why didn’t the organisers create something new and original, and simply call them Novemberfest!

Actually, the tradition that we really need next is Albariñofest – to be held at any time of year (or perhaps even all year ’round).

Today’s photo is actually a little premature, but as today is Halloween I couldn’t resist a little joke at Angela’s expense….. The (horror) mask that Angela is wearing is actually a vital piece of safety equipment that we wear each time we are handling sulphur dioxide. The end of the fermentation is the time of year that we add by far the biggest dose of sulphur to our wine. Whilst all the sugar has been consumed and transformed into alcohol, the raw wine is still a bit unstable at this moment. In order to stop any unwanted reactions completely, and to prevent any potential secondary fermentations, we add sulphur to each tank simply to ensure that everything remains completely under control. It serves as an antibiotic and antioxidant protecting our wine from spoilage by bacteria and oxidation.

The pure sulphur dioxide that we use is potentially deadly – even when we use it in a diluted form we still wear a mask – it is quite toxic and can be pretty nasty stuff, but at least when we use it in our wine it’s presence is measured in parts per million. SO2 is already present in our atmosphere, released naturally for example, by volcanoes. Both here, and in our wine making, the quantities in evidence are miniscule. 

Anyway, the end of our fermentations are still probably about a week away, but I thought that being Halloween this photo might scare a few people…. it does me! 

Today’s photo is actually a little premature, but as today is Halloween I couldn’t resist a little joke at Angela’s expense….. The (horror) mask that Angela is wearing is actually a vital piece of safety equipment that we wear each time we are handling sulphur dioxide. The end of the fermentation is the time of year that we add by far the biggest dose of sulphur to our wine. Whilst all the sugar has been consumed and transformed into alcohol, the raw wine is still a bit unstable at this moment. In order to stop any unwanted reactions completely, and to prevent any potential secondary fermentations, we add sulphur to each tank simply to ensure that everything remains completely under control. It serves as an antibiotic and antioxidant protecting our wine from spoilage by bacteria and oxidation.

The pure sulphur dioxide that we use is potentially deadly – even when we use it in a diluted form we still wear a mask – it is quite toxic and can be pretty nasty stuff, but at least when we use it in our wine it’s presence is measured in parts per million. SO2 is already present in our atmosphere, released naturally for example, by volcanoes. Both here, and in our wine making, the quantities in evidence are miniscule. 

Anyway, the end of our fermentations are still probably about a week away, but I thought that being Halloween this photo might scare a few people…. it does me! 

Whilst our wines are quietly fermenting in tank (they have already reached the point where they can now be called wine, rather than must), our workload is slowly returning to something that at least resembles normality. Of course we are still obliged to monitor densities around the clock, including weekends, which entails a constant shuttle back and forth. Fortunately it is not a difficult chore, just a little time consuming, and so Angela and I make it slightly more bearable by alternating the shifts! 

In the meantime there was something locally that caught my eye, but possibly for the wrong reason….. Occasionally I visit a website that lists all the Fiestas held here in Galicia, and believe me there are quite literally hundreds throughout the year (as I have mentioned before the Spanish do not need any excuse to party!). Anyway, one particular festival that stood out for me was the 8th Annual ‘Festa da Zorza’ in the village of Maceda. The reason I noticed this one in particular was simply because of their publicity photo. They say that we eat with our eyes, in which case the plate of Zorza used in this picture might easily serve to put you off!  

Zorza is actually a spicey shredded pork, or perhaps pulled pork as it might be known in the US or UK. The problem is that in this picture it actually looks more like the contents of a tin of cat food (albeit I think that even many cat foods are made to look more appetising these days). This comment is not really meant to be disrespectful in any way, as I’m sure that the pork will taste delicious (indeed pulled pork is one of my favourite dishes), but I just wish they had tried to make it look a little more attractive on the plate. Food is often notoriously difficult to photograph, and very unfortunately, this example only serves to prove the point.

Whilst our wines are quietly fermenting in tank (they have already reached the point where they can now be called wine, rather than must), our workload is slowly returning to something that at least resembles normality. Of course we are still obliged to monitor densities around the clock, including weekends, which entails a constant shuttle back and forth. Fortunately it is not a difficult chore, just a little time consuming, and so Angela and I make it slightly more bearable by alternating the shifts! 

In the meantime there was something locally that caught my eye, but possibly for the wrong reason….. Occasionally I visit a website that lists all the Fiestas held here in Galicia, and believe me there are quite literally hundreds throughout the year (as I have mentioned before the Spanish do not need any excuse to party!). Anyway, one particular festival that stood out for me was the 8th Annual ‘Festa da Zorza’ in the village of Maceda. The reason I noticed this one in particular was simply because of their publicity photo. They say that we eat with our eyes, in which case the plate of Zorza used in this picture might easily serve to put you off!  

Zorza is actually a spicey shredded pork, or perhaps pulled pork as it might be known in the US or UK. The problem is that in this picture it actually looks more like the contents of a tin of cat food (albeit I think that even many cat foods are made to look more appetising these days). This comment is not really meant to be disrespectful in any way, as I’m sure that the pork will taste delicious (indeed pulled pork is one of my favourite dishes), but I just wish they had tried to make it look a little more attractive on the plate. Food is often notoriously difficult to photograph, and very unfortunately, this example only serves to prove the point.

We are lucky that our 2013 fruit is now safely in the cellar, as the weather has taken a decided turn for the worse…. in the last few days it has become very unsettled and stormy! Don’t forget that our tiny denomination is situated more or less on the corner of Spain where the Atlantic Ocean meets the Bay of Biscay – a notorious area for stormy weather, and on these occasions we find ourselves quite exposed to the elements.

Many of our vineyard locations are bordered by trees, that form a beautiful, rural backdrop during the summer months, but maybe not quite so beautiful when the very same trees fall on top of our vines! It goes without saying that persistent heavy rain eventually undermines the ground that supports the tree, which, combined with strong winds straight off the ocean, will eventually bring down even the most well established specimen. Unfortunately this is exactly what happened in our El Pazo vineyard this week. Of course we have to be thankful that no one was hurt, and remember that whilst being very inconvenient, the broken posts and wires of the pergola can be replaced.

Just another item to add to the list of jobs for the winter months.

We are lucky that our 2013 fruit is now safely in the cellar, as the weather has taken a decided turn for the worse…. in the last few days it has become very unsettled and stormy! Don’t forget that our tiny denomination is situated more or less on the corner of Spain where the Atlantic Ocean meets the Bay of Biscay – a notorious area for stormy weather, and on these occasions we find ourselves quite exposed to the elements.

Many of our vineyard locations are bordered by trees, that form a beautiful, rural backdrop during the summer months, but maybe not quite so beautiful when the very same trees fall on top of our vines! It goes without saying that persistent heavy rain eventually undermines the ground that supports the tree, which, combined with strong winds straight off the ocean, will eventually bring down even the most well established specimen. Unfortunately this is exactly what happened in our El Pazo vineyard this week. Of course we have to be thankful that no one was hurt, and remember that whilst being very inconvenient, the broken posts and wires of the pergola can be replaced.

Just another item to add to the list of jobs for the winter months.

There is a website in the United States called Gayot (guy-OH) which is dedicated to the ‘Good Life’, posting reviews of hotels, restaurants, food and wine – it apparently gets 320,000 hits per month. I have to be honest and say that until very recently I had never heard of it! The reason that I have heard of it now is simply because they have rated our 2012 Castro Martin ‘Family Estate Selection’ as one of their Top Ten Seafood Wines – not only the only albariño in the top ten, but actually the only Spanish white in this category.

They said:  “The vineyards from which this Albariño was produced are on average 50 years old, lending the grapes intense, complex flavors. Having aged “on the lees” for five to six months, the wine also picked up yeasty aromas and flavors. A fine Albariño featuring white fruit aromas, it reveals peach, pear and lemon flavors with a generous minerality on the palate. Fresh white fish, oysters or sashimi would make excellent pairings.”

Naturally, we are quite happy with this recommendation.

There is a website in the United States called Gayot (guy-OH) which is dedicated to the ‘Good Life’, posting reviews of hotels, restaurants, food and wine – it apparently gets 320,000 hits per month. I have to be honest and say that until very recently I had never heard of it! The reason that I have heard of it now is simply because they have rated our 2012 Castro Martin ‘Family Estate Selection’ as one of their Top Ten Seafood Wines – not only the only albariño in the top ten, but actually the only Spanish white in this category.

They said:  “The vineyards from which this Albariño was produced are on average 50 years old, lending the grapes intense, complex flavors. Having aged “on the lees” for five to six months, the wine also picked up yeasty aromas and flavors. A fine Albariño featuring white fruit aromas, it reveals peach, pear and lemon flavors with a generous minerality on the palate. Fresh white fish, oysters or sashimi would make excellent pairings.”

Naturally, we are quite happy with this recommendation.

Today we have been working flat out on the wine making, but in the days before our 2013 harvest, whilst we were waiting for a suitable break in the horrible, wet weather, Angela and I decided to hold a private tasting…. and what an interesting tasting it proved to be! Each time we bottle a tank of our albariño we are obliged to send several sample bottles to our denomination office for tasting and analysis – once approved we get our tirilla (the small Rias Baixas sticker on the back of every bottle). At the same time we also send our own independent sample to our local, accredited laboratory, in order that we have two separate analyses to compare. Finally, during the bottling itself we also take random samples that we mark carefully and keep for reference (and also in case of any future problem). By the time all these samples have been taken it’s a wonder that there’s any wine left in the tank for our customers!

The range of these ‘reference’ samples that we keep extends back for several years and so, now and again, it’s really interesting to pull out a few and taste them to find out how they have evolved. This latest tasting was for wines bottled during 2011 – a selection of 2009 and 2010 vintages.

The first thing that I have to tell you, hand on heart, is that there was not one oxidised bottle. One or two were starting to show their age, and there were certainly a few secondary aromas developing, but every bottle was still quite drinkable. Not bad for wines bottled up to three years ago. Please remember that wines stored in tank will always keep much better and remain much fresher than those in bottle, singularly the most important reason that we only bottle tanks as and when they are required. (In tank there is virtually no oxygen present as our wines are stored under nitrogen). Specially selected, older ‘vendimia’ wines sold by a few other bodegas in our region are made this way – stored in tank for several years, and then only bottled just before being released into the market (in a similar way to RD champagne). Of course it would be fairly simple for us to make selected wines such as this, but then I remind myself that our production is already complicated enough when I think of the legal label requirements of our different export markets.

In tasting older albariños there are several new words that can appear in the tasting vocabulary – of course this, like all wine tasting, is purely subjective. For example, looking at my notes from this latest tasting you will find words such as honey, toffee, caramel, sour cream, ripe apple, vegetal, mature fruit – but without one mention of oxidation. Please don’t forget, it was Robert Joseph who once wrote about our albariño “would not disappoint Burgundy drinkers”, and if you taste a more mature example you might begin to understand exactly what he meant by this.

Today we have been working flat out on the wine making, but in the days before our 2013 harvest, whilst we were waiting for a suitable break in the horrible, wet weather, Angela and I decided to hold a private tasting…. and what an interesting tasting it proved to be! Each time we bottle a tank of our albariño we are obliged to send several sample bottles to our denomination office for tasting and analysis – once approved we get our tirilla (the small Rias Baixas sticker on the back of every bottle). At the same time we also send our own independent sample to our local, accredited laboratory, in order that we have two separate analyses to compare. Finally, during the bottling itself we also take random samples that we mark carefully and keep for reference (and also in case of any future problem). By the time all these samples have been taken it’s a wonder that there’s any wine left in the tank for our customers!

The range of these ‘reference’ samples that we keep extends back for several years and so, now and again, it’s really interesting to pull out a few and taste them to find out how they have evolved. This latest tasting was for wines bottled during 2011 – a selection of 2009 and 2010 vintages.

The first thing that I have to tell you, hand on heart, is that there was not one oxidised bottle. One or two were starting to show their age, and there were certainly a few secondary aromas developing, but every bottle was still quite drinkable. Not bad for wines bottled up to three years ago. Please remember that wines stored in tank will always keep much better and remain much fresher than those in bottle, singularly the most important reason that we only bottle tanks as and when they are required. (In tank there is virtually no oxygen present as our wines are stored under nitrogen). Specially selected, older ‘vendimia’ wines sold by a few other bodegas in our region are made this way – stored in tank for several years, and then only bottled just before being released into the market (in a similar way to RD champagne). Of course it would be fairly simple for us to make selected wines such as this, but then I remind myself that our production is already complicated enough when I think of the legal label requirements of our different export markets.

In tasting older albariños there are several new words that can appear in the tasting vocabulary – of course this, like all wine tasting, is purely subjective. For example, looking at my notes from this latest tasting you will find words such as honey, toffee, caramel, sour cream, ripe apple, vegetal, mature fruit – but without one mention of oxidation. Please don’t forget, it was Robert Joseph who once wrote about our albariño “would not disappoint Burgundy drinkers”, and if you taste a more mature example you might begin to understand exactly what he meant by this.

In the world of wine we rely on our noses much more than the vast majority of other industries, and as I think I have said before, the more we use our sense of smell, the more sensitive it becomes. During the wine making process we witness a whole range of different aromas many of which are unique to grapes, wine and the fermentation process.

Naturally, the first real smell emerges as we start to press the grapes. It’s probably a bit obvious to say but the scent that dominates is an intense fruit, which at this very early stage does not vary to much from year to year – the factor which perhaps varies the most according to the vintage is the floral, perfumed element. I am please to say that the 2013 grapes were both fruity and floral, so all we have to do now is capture that in the bottle!

I think one of our favourite smells, which is always a very ‘homely, welcoming’ aroma when we open the cellar door in the morning is the yeast. It’s sometimes more like opening the door of a bakery than a wine cellar. They say that if you’re ever trying to sell your home, there are three things that you can do to improve your chances when people come to view – light a fire (assuming that you have a fire place!), brew some fresh coffee (even if you don’t like coffee), or bake some bread. Yeast is such a great smell, but in wine making it should never really be allowed to dominate the nose of your finished product. Anyway, I digress a little….

Unfortunately this wonderful yeasty smell only lasts for a few days during the seeding of the tanks, and even more unfortunately, it is replaced by something far more sinister – the silent killer – carbon dioxide. Of course this is not a smell at all,which is what it makes it so dangerous. Once the fermentation kicks in, we have to make sure that our ventilators are working at full power to remove this dangerous gas, one of the by-products of wine making (together with the alcohol). If you forget for even a second and try to put your head near an open tank to see what is happening, it will, quite literally, take your breath away, but not in a good way.

In the world of wine we rely on our noses much more than the vast majority of other industries, and as I think I have said before, the more we use our sense of smell, the more sensitive it becomes. During the wine making process we witness a whole range of different aromas many of which are unique to grapes, wine and the fermentation process.

Naturally, the first real smell emerges as we start to press the grapes. It’s probably a bit obvious to say but the scent that dominates is an intense fruit, which at this very early stage does not vary to much from year to year – the factor which perhaps varies the most according to the vintage is the floral, perfumed element. I am please to say that the 2013 grapes were both fruity and floral, so all we have to do now is capture that in the bottle!

I think one of our favourite smells, which is always a very ‘homely, welcoming’ aroma when we open the cellar door in the morning is the yeast. It’s sometimes more like opening the door of a bakery than a wine cellar. They say that if you’re ever trying to sell your home, there are three things that you can do to improve your chances when people come to view – light a fire (assuming that you have a fire place!), brew some fresh coffee (even if you don’t like coffee), or bake some bread. Yeast is such a great smell, but in wine making it should never really be allowed to dominate the nose of your finished product. Anyway, I digress a little….

Unfortunately this wonderful yeasty smell only lasts for a few days during the seeding of the tanks, and even more unfortunately, it is replaced by something far more sinister – the silent killer – carbon dioxide. Of course this is not a smell at all,which is what it makes it so dangerous. Once the fermentation kicks in, we have to make sure that our ventilators are working at full power to remove this dangerous gas, one of the by-products of wine making (together with the alcohol). If you forget for even a second and try to put your head near an open tank to see what is happening, it will, quite literally, take your breath away, but not in a good way.

Now that most of the seeding of the tanks is done, we have to carefully monitor the progress of the new wine. The way that we do this during fermentation is by measuring the density or specific gravity. The principle is quite simple – as the grape must starts to ferment the amount of sugar in the solution decreases and the amount of ethanol increases – ethanol solution is less dense than sugar solution, so all we have to do is monitor the change using a hydrometer. Two or three times a day (seven days a week) we take a sample of fermenting juice from each tank in a graduated cylinder (see photo). We then allow the hydrometer to float in the liquid and take a reading from the scale etched onto the stem of the instrument. This reading tells us the amount of sugar still remaining, and from this we can calculate the progress of the fermentation process.

There are two main factors that will dictate how quickly the fermentation advances – the strain of yeast used, and of course, the temperature. Some yeasts are very vigorous and will work well in a wide variety of temperatures, whilst others are much more delicate and will only survive during slightly warmer fermentations. As you may well already know, the simple rule is – the warmer the temperature the shorter the fermentation, which is why we are always obsessed by strict temperature control. Here at Castro Martin we prefer a long, slow controlled fermentation, that takes roughly 3 to 4 weeks to complete. Patience is a virtue, and, good things come to those who wait, to coin a couple of well-worn phrases…..

Now that most of the seeding of the tanks is done, we have to carefully monitor the progress of the new wine. The way that we do this during fermentation is by measuring the density or specific gravity. The principle is quite simple – as the grape must starts to ferment the amount of sugar in the solution decreases and the amount of ethanol increases – ethanol solution is less dense than sugar solution, so all we have to do is monitor the change using a hydrometer. Two or three times a day (seven days a week) we take a sample of fermenting juice from each tank in a graduated cylinder (see photo). We then allow the hydrometer to float in the liquid and take a reading from the scale etched onto the stem of the instrument. This reading tells us the amount of sugar still remaining, and from this we can calculate the progress of the fermentation process.

There are two main factors that will dictate how quickly the fermentation advances – the strain of yeast used, and of course, the temperature. Some yeasts are very vigorous and will work well in a wide variety of temperatures, whilst others are much more delicate and will only survive during slightly warmer fermentations. As you may well already know, the simple rule is – the warmer the temperature the shorter the fermentation, which is why we are always obsessed by strict temperature control. Here at Castro Martin we prefer a long, slow controlled fermentation, that takes roughly 3 to 4 weeks to complete. Patience is a virtue, and, good things come to those who wait, to coin a couple of well-worn phrases…..

OK, so at this point in the wine making the must doesn’t really taste like albariño, but my point is simply that the yeast makes a lot of foam when we mix it with the juice ready for seeding. Preparing yeast to make wine is not a secret process – first we hydrate it using warm water (usually around body temperature 38°C or 100°F), and then, over an extended period, we add grape juice from the tank to ‘equalise’ the temperature between the yeast mixture and the juice in tank. For example, if the tank temperature is 15°C and then we add the yeast at 38°C the shock of the sudden change in temperature would simply kill most, if not all, of the yeast. The method therefore is to reduce the temperature of the yeast solution in increments – 5 degrees at a time. We do this by adding juice from the tank, waiting for the yeast to ‘acclimatise’, and then adding more juice – it’s quite a long process. Once the yeast solution is within a few degrees of the tank temperature we can finally add the mixture and start to make some wine!

Of course the other part of the equation is the strain of yeast that we actually chose for seeding. These days there are so many new and different yeasts, all claiming to enhance your wine in different ways. When the salesman arrives with his catalogue of yeasts he more or less asks “what flavour do you want?”. In these circumstances our answer is always the same – we want the flavour of albariño please! In other words we normally chose a fairly neutral yeast in order that the character of our grape variety shines through (otherwise there would be little point!) Having said that, there are some new strains of yeast that claim to enhance this varietal character, and in this case we always make one or two tanks using these to see if they really do match the claims of their manufacturers. In recent years we haven’t found one…. but we always keep and open mind.

OK, so at this point in the wine making the must doesn’t really taste like albariño, but my point is simply that the yeast makes a lot of foam when we mix it with the juice ready for seeding. Preparing yeast to make wine is not a secret process – first we hydrate it using warm water (usually around body temperature 38°C or 100°F), and then, over an extended period, we add grape juice from the tank to ‘equalise’ the temperature between the yeast mixture and the juice in tank. For example, if the tank temperature is 15°C and then we add the yeast at 38°C the shock of the sudden change in temperature would simply kill most, if not all, of the yeast. The method therefore is to reduce the temperature of the yeast solution in increments – 5 degrees at a time. We do this by adding juice from the tank, waiting for the yeast to ‘acclimatise’, and then adding more juice – it’s quite a long process. Once the yeast solution is within a few degrees of the tank temperature we can finally add the mixture and start to make some wine!

Of course the other part of the equation is the strain of yeast that we actually chose for seeding. These days there are so many new and different yeasts, all claiming to enhance your wine in different ways. When the salesman arrives with his catalogue of yeasts he more or less asks “what flavour do you want?”. In these circumstances our answer is always the same – we want the flavour of albariño please! In other words we normally chose a fairly neutral yeast in order that the character of our grape variety shines through (otherwise there would be little point!) Having said that, there are some new strains of yeast that claim to enhance this varietal character, and in this case we always make one or two tanks using these to see if they really do match the claims of their manufacturers. In recent years we haven’t found one…. but we always keep and open mind.

With our grape must now racked into clean tanks, it’s almost the moment to start the fermentations. The problem is that as it stands, all the tanks are different – filled to different levels, with differing sugar levels and acidities etc. Of course some will remain unchanged – for example, the musts from our Estate vineyards that are used to make our Castro Martin wine, will not be blended in any way. The rest will be moved around to bring all the differing elements closer together in an attempt to give us slightly more uniformity. At this moment in time this seemingly simple job is, logistically, actually quite difficult as we do’t have too much space to work with, and so what follows is like a huge game of chess, but with grape juice.

Once all the movements are completed, and the temperatures correct for fermentation, we can start the seeding. We don’t seed all the tanks at once, as this would create problems further down the line, so by controlling the temperatures we add the yeast to only a handful of tanks per day. Slow, controlled and systematic, that is the key….

With our grape must now racked into clean tanks, it’s almost the moment to start the fermentations. The problem is that as it stands, all the tanks are different – filled to different levels, with differing sugar levels and acidities etc. Of course some will remain unchanged – for example, the musts from our Estate vineyards that are used to make our Castro Martin wine, will not be blended in any way. The rest will be moved around to bring all the differing elements closer together in an attempt to give us slightly more uniformity. At this moment in time this seemingly simple job is, logistically, actually quite difficult as we do’t have too much space to work with, and so what follows is like a huge game of chess, but with grape juice.

Once all the movements are completed, and the temperatures correct for fermentation, we can start the seeding. We don’t seed all the tanks at once, as this would create problems further down the line, so by controlling the temperatures we add the yeast to only a handful of tanks per day. Slow, controlled and systematic, that is the key….