It suddenly occurred to me the other day that of all the things I have written about our bodega over the last several years, there is one thing that I have never mentioned….. our baskets!

When it comes albariño at Bodegas Castro Martin we chose to store our wines in tank and bottle only as and when required – simply because the wine keeps better and stays fresher in tank. In an ideal world we would bottle each tank, label it at the time of bottling, and then simply sell it, but unfortunately life in the world of wine is never that simple.

As I have mentioned on previous occasions, as we increase the number of overseas markets that we sell to, so the range of different labelling requirements becomes more complicated. It’s not because we are inventing different brands for each market, but it’s simply that the legal label requirements vary so much from country to country. So, for example, if we are bottling a tank of our Castro Martin Family Estate wine, then the question is, how many cases do we label with the EU back label, how many with the U.S. back label, how many with the Australian back label, and so on. The simple answer is that we never know, and so there is only one solution….. to bottle at least a part of each tank without any labels at all. Of course this may sound slightly illegal, but as long as we keep copious bottling records and mark each batch very clearly, then this means that we can store the unlabelled bottles in large metal baskets until required. This wine without label is known as ‘clean skin’ stock. 

Each time we receive an order for a market that requires its own specific back label, then we simply select the appropriate baskets, take out the wine, and label it accordingly. Job done.

It suddenly occurred to me the other day that of all the things I have written about our bodega over the last several years, there is one thing that I have never mentioned….. our baskets!

When it comes albariño at Bodegas Castro Martin we chose to store our wines in tank and bottle only as and when required – simply because the wine keeps better and stays fresher in tank. In an ideal world we would bottle each tank, label it at the time of bottling, and then simply sell it, but unfortunately life in the world of wine is never that simple.

As I have mentioned on previous occasions, as we increase the number of overseas markets that we sell to, so the range of different labelling requirements becomes more complicated. It’s not because we are inventing different brands for each market, but it’s simply that the legal label requirements vary so much from country to country. So, for example, if we are bottling a tank of our Castro Martin Family Estate wine, then the question is, how many cases do we label with the EU back label, how many with the U.S. back label, how many with the Australian back label, and so on. The simple answer is that we never know, and so there is only one solution….. to bottle at least a part of each tank without any labels at all. Of course this may sound slightly illegal, but as long as we keep copious bottling records and mark each batch very clearly, then this means that we can store the unlabelled bottles in large metal baskets until required. This wine without label is known as ‘clean skin’ stock. 

Each time we receive an order for a market that requires its own specific back label, then we simply select the appropriate baskets, take out the wine, and label it accordingly. Job done.

With all the controversy surrounding Formula One at the moment, and the problems with Pirelli, I thought that now might be a good time to change the neumáticos in our bodega too! Well, strictly speaking, these are not tyres, but rather the large pneumatic ‘airbags’ that we have inside our presses. A membrane ‘blowout’ in our presses during harvest can be just as devastating for us as it was for Luis Hamilton or Felipe Massa in the British Grand Prix last week.

Thankfully this is not a job that we have to do every year, but just once every several years. Sometimes it takes the form of an emergency replacement during harvest when a membrane is damaged beyond repair, but on this occasion it is a pro-active change, as we decide that one of the current airbags has reached the end of its working life. The repairs that are made during harvest can sometimes be the result of debris or a foreign object that accidentally finds its way into the press in one of the collection cases. Perhaps the most common example would be a pair of secateurs carelessly discarded in the vineyard. Obviously this punctures the membrane and caused rapid deflation in exactly the same way as a piece of debris on the racetrack during a Grand Prix might cause a tyre to explode.

However, that is where the Grand Prix analogy ends. We don’t have four helmeted guys standing at the side of the press waiting to rip out the old membrane and change it in under 5 seconds. For this job someone spends the best part of half a day sweating, actually inside the press, removing and replacing the hundreds of nuts and bolts that secure the bag (see today’s photo). Nothing glamorous about this job, and I suspect that the pay is not quite as high as a Formula One team either……

The annual job of servicing our presses is one of the first signs that this year’s harvest is not that far away!

With all the controversy surrounding Formula One at the moment, and the problems with Pirelli, I thought that now might be a good time to change the neumáticos in our bodega too! Well, strictly speaking, these are not tyres, but rather the large pneumatic ‘airbags’ that we have inside our presses. A membrane ‘blowout’ in our presses during harvest can be just as devastating for us as it was for Luis Hamilton or Felipe Massa in the British Grand Prix last week.

Thankfully this is not a job that we have to do every year, but just once every several years. Sometimes it takes the form of an emergency replacement during harvest when a membrane is damaged beyond repair, but on this occasion it is a pro-active change, as we decide that one of the current airbags has reached the end of its working life. The repairs that are made during harvest can sometimes be the result of debris or a foreign object that accidentally finds its way into the press in one of the collection cases. Perhaps the most common example would be a pair of secateurs carelessly discarded in the vineyard. Obviously this punctures the membrane and caused rapid deflation in exactly the same way as a piece of debris on the racetrack during a Grand Prix might cause a tyre to explode.

However, that is where the Grand Prix analogy ends. We don’t have four helmeted guys standing at the side of the press waiting to rip out the old membrane and change it in under 5 seconds. For this job someone spends the best part of half a day sweating, actually inside the press, removing and replacing the hundreds of nuts and bolts that secure the bag (see today’s photo). Nothing glamorous about this job, and I suspect that the pay is not quite as high as a Formula One team either……

The annual job of servicing our presses is one of the first signs that this year’s harvest is not that far away!

En 1981, tras muchos años persiguiendo su sueño de “hacer algo mejor y diferente”, en la elaboración de nuestros vinos albariños, mi padre, D. Domingo Martín Morales, dio comienzo a la construcción de BODEGAS CASTRO MARTIN, la primera bodega con todas sus instalaciones y envases de elaboración y conservación del vino, fabricadas en “acero inoxidable”. Algo que hoy parece tan obvio en una bodega, en aquel momento no dejaba de ser una absoluta “locura” para los lugareños.  Y no sólo fue la primera bodega en nuestra Denominación de Origen Rías Baixas (aún sin fundar hasta el año 1988!!!, y que este año celebra también su 25º Aniversario), sino la primera en Galicia ¡!  Por supuesto, que había cientos de pequeñas bodegas familiares por toda la región, pero todas y cada una de ellas utilizaban diferentes depósitos de madera y algún que otro envase de poliéster o cemento … pero nada en acero inoxidable ¡!!

Así, la pionera visión de futuro de mi padre logró que llegáramos a tiempo a nuestra 1ª vendimia en 1982, vendimia que aún perdura en mi recuerdo como una de las mejores de todos estos años; hecho que quizás nos animó a seguir “por el camino del esfuerzo, superación e innovación constantes” en la elaboración de nuestros “queridos vinos” …

Hoy, mi padre no está, pero su legado sigue intacto, y, actualmente, su “sueño” llega a cuatro Continentes, viajando en 1ª Clase de British Airways, en Cruceros de Lujo – como el “Queen Mary 2”, o compitiendo en las pasadas Olimpiadas de Londres 2012, entre algunas de sus prestigiosas hazañas ¡!!!  …

Así que, es un honor para nosotros y  nos llena de enorme orgullo el poder presentar este año, nuestra Cosecha 2012, coincidiendo con nuestro 30ºAniversario …

Deseamos que lo celebren y lo disfruten con nosotros, y que en los tiempos que corren, nuestro albariño Casal Caeiro 2012, llene las expectativas, tanto las suyas como las nuestras, con Espíritu positivo y con la fuerza y la ilusión, que hace 30 años impulsó a nuestro Fundador a creer y trabajar en sus sueños … creyendo siempre que con esfuerzo y tesón, todo es posible y no hay nada inalcanzable …

Salud y Suerte para todos ustedes … y brindemos con nuestra nueva cosecha de albariño CASAL CAEIRO “Sobre Lías” 2012 – 30º Aniversario ¡!!!

En 1981, tras muchos años persiguiendo su sueño de “hacer algo mejor y diferente”, en la elaboración de nuestros vinos albariños, mi padre, D. Domingo Martín Morales, dio comienzo a la construcción de BODEGAS CASTRO MARTIN, la primera bodega con todas sus instalaciones y envases de elaboración y conservación del vino, fabricadas en “acero inoxidable”. Algo que hoy parece tan obvio en una bodega, en aquel momento no dejaba de ser una absoluta “locura” para los lugareños.  Y no sólo fue la primera bodega en nuestra Denominación de Origen Rías Baixas (aún sin fundar hasta el año 1988!!!, y que este año celebra también su 25º Aniversario), sino la primera en Galicia ¡!  Por supuesto, que había cientos de pequeñas bodegas familiares por toda la región, pero todas y cada una de ellas utilizaban diferentes depósitos de madera y algún que otro envase de poliéster o cemento … pero nada en acero inoxidable ¡!!

Así, la pionera visión de futuro de mi padre logró que llegáramos a tiempo a nuestra 1ª vendimia en 1982, vendimia que aún perdura en mi recuerdo como una de las mejores de todos estos años; hecho que quizás nos animó a seguir “por el camino del esfuerzo, superación e innovación constantes” en la elaboración de nuestros “queridos vinos” …

Hoy, mi padre no está, pero su legado sigue intacto, y, actualmente, su “sueño” llega a cuatro Continentes, viajando en 1ª Clase de British Airways, en Cruceros de Lujo – como el “Queen Mary 2”, o compitiendo en las pasadas Olimpiadas de Londres 2012, entre algunas de sus prestigiosas hazañas ¡!!!  …

Así que, es un honor para nosotros y  nos llena de enorme orgullo el poder presentar este año, nuestra Cosecha 2012, coincidiendo con nuestro 30ºAniversario …

Deseamos que lo celebren y lo disfruten con nosotros, y que en los tiempos que corren, nuestro albariño Casal Caeiro 2012, llene las expectativas, tanto las suyas como las nuestras, con Espíritu positivo y con la fuerza y la ilusión, que hace 30 años impulsó a nuestro Fundador a creer y trabajar en sus sueños … creyendo siempre que con esfuerzo y tesón, todo es posible y no hay nada inalcanzable …

Salud y Suerte para todos ustedes … y brindemos con nuestra nueva cosecha de albariño CASAL CAEIRO “Sobre Lías” 2012 – 30º Aniversario ¡!!!

When the 9/11 memorial was originally opened in New York on the tenth anniversary of the atrocity, I was fortunate enough to acquire an entry ticket on only the second day of opening to the public. At that time it was heavily subscribed and I was very fortunate to get in…. it was a moving experience.

The main features of the memorial are of course, the two huge pools surrounded by waterfalls built on the actual footprints of the twin towers. They are the largest man-made waterfalls in North America. The pools are surrounded by bronze panels that include the names of everyone that died not only in the attack of 2001, but also in the attack of 1993. 

In the memorial garden itself there are more than 400 white oak trees planted to convey ‘a spirit of hope and renewal’. The white oaks were picked specifically because of the durability (in a city environment) and their dramatic leaf colours – green in spring and summer, changing to shades of pink, gold and brown during the autumn.

Now comes the confession part of the story…..

During my visit in September 2011 I filled my pocket with a few acorns which had dropped from the young oak trees, and upon arriving back in Spain, planted then in my garden. Last summer I had six or seven small trees growing on my terrace, and only a week or two ago I transplanted them to a new location at the back of the bodega – immediately adjacent to Domingo Martin’s favourite pine tree. The hope is that in a few years we will have one or two sturdy white oak trees of our own, grown virtually from the ashes of the 9/11 memorial itself….

When the 9/11 memorial was originally opened in New York on the tenth anniversary of the atrocity, I was fortunate enough to acquire an entry ticket on only the second day of opening to the public. At that time it was heavily subscribed and I was very fortunate to get in…. it was a moving experience.

The main features of the memorial are of course, the two huge pools surrounded by waterfalls built on the actual footprints of the twin towers. They are the largest man-made waterfalls in North America. The pools are surrounded by bronze panels that include the names of everyone that died not only in the attack of 2001, but also in the attack of 1993. 

In the memorial garden itself there are more than 400 white oak trees planted to convey ‘a spirit of hope and renewal’. The white oaks were picked specifically because of the durability (in a city environment) and their dramatic leaf colours – green in spring and summer, changing to shades of pink, gold and brown during the autumn.

Now comes the confession part of the story…..

During my visit in September 2011 I filled my pocket with a few acorns which had dropped from the young oak trees, and upon arriving back in Spain, planted then in my garden. Last summer I had six or seven small trees growing on my terrace, and only a week or two ago I transplanted them to a new location at the back of the bodega – immediately adjacent to Domingo Martin’s favourite pine tree. The hope is that in a few years we will have one or two sturdy white oak trees of our own, grown virtually from the ashes of the 9/11 memorial itself….

2013 turns out to be a year of anniversaries – it is the 25th anniversary of our own denomination, Rias Baixas, created in 1988, but more importantly Bodegas Castro Martin is celebrating its own special date. The bodega that we use today was built in 1981, so nothing significant there, however our first vintage was produced in 1982, which is actually much more relevant…. Although the grapes of our most recent vintage were picked in 2012, and will carry that vintage on the label, the wine itself (after its period of lees ageing) is not actually released until now – the spring of 2013.

Of course this means that we now in the process of preparing the wine of our 30th vintage, or to be more accurate the 30th vintage of Casal Caeiro (other labels were not created until much later). By way of a reminder to our customers we have modified the current label, which for the next 12 months will carry a new motif to highlight this special anniversary.

You may have noticed that our bodega is actually several years older than the denomination itself, and if you have read our website you will know that this is purely due to the foresight of our founder, Domingo Martin. Angela’s father was one of the very first to invest financially in the local wine industry, thereby proving his belief and commitment to the future of the albariño grape variety. We are very proud to be counted as one of the founding bodegas of the D.O. Rias Baixas and hope that you will join in our celebration by cracking open one of our 30th anniversary bottles.

2013 turns out to be a year of anniversaries – it is the 25th anniversary of our own denomination, Rias Baixas, created in 1988, but more importantly Bodegas Castro Martin is celebrating its own special date. The bodega that we use today was built in 1981, so nothing significant there, however our first vintage was produced in 1982, which is actually much more relevant…. Although the grapes of our most recent vintage were picked in 2012, and will carry that vintage on the label, the wine itself (after its period of lees ageing) is not actually released until now – the spring of 2013.

Of course this means that we now in the process of preparing the wine of our 30th vintage, or to be more accurate the 30th vintage of Casal Caeiro (other labels were not created until much later). By way of a reminder to our customers we have modified the current label, which for the next 12 months will carry a new motif to highlight this special anniversary.

You may have noticed that our bodega is actually several years older than the denomination itself, and if you have read our website you will know that this is purely due to the foresight of our founder, Domingo Martin. Angela’s father was one of the very first to invest financially in the local wine industry, thereby proving his belief and commitment to the future of the albariño grape variety. We are very proud to be counted as one of the founding bodegas of the D.O. Rias Baixas and hope that you will join in our celebration by cracking open one of our 30th anniversary bottles.

The skies outside our Bodega are leaden with rain, the temperature hovering between 8 and 12°C (45-55°F), with hardly any variation between day and night. The damp, cold weather penetrates through to the bone – the worst possible weather to be out in the vineyards pruning. At this time of year there is not a lot of activity in the bodega itself, apart from  in the office where Luisa is busy with our year-end accounts! The only other development worthy of note is the continued maturation of the 2012 wines as they sit quietly on their lees, waiting to be racked in the spring. (We do, of course, have to make regular tastings to ensure that all is well, and that no ‘off flavours’ are developing).

All the ‘action’ is really outdoors, the unenviable job of pruning our 11 hectares. I say unenviable simply because the weather is so awful at the moment – perhaps the typical Galician winter, but pretty grim nonetheless. There has been a lot of rain so far this winter, and the ground is completely sodden, some vineyards (not ours) are actually under water as there is simply nowhere for the water to escape. There have been very few sunny days, in fact, it has been quite rare to see the sun at all and so there is really nothing to warm things up.

I suppose we shouldn’t complain as, yet again, we witness forest fires raging in Australia, and other parts of Europe that have stumbled to a halt under a blanket of snow. Roll on the Spring…. please!

The skies outside our Bodega are leaden with rain, the temperature hovering between 8 and 12°C (45-55°F), with hardly any variation between day and night. The damp, cold weather penetrates through to the bone – the worst possible weather to be out in the vineyards pruning. At this time of year there is not a lot of activity in the bodega itself, apart from  in the office where Luisa is busy with our year-end accounts! The only other development worthy of note is the continued maturation of the 2012 wines as they sit quietly on their lees, waiting to be racked in the spring. (We do, of course, have to make regular tastings to ensure that all is well, and that no ‘off flavours’ are developing).

All the ‘action’ is really outdoors, the unenviable job of pruning our 11 hectares. I say unenviable simply because the weather is so awful at the moment – perhaps the typical Galician winter, but pretty grim nonetheless. There has been a lot of rain so far this winter, and the ground is completely sodden, some vineyards (not ours) are actually under water as there is simply nowhere for the water to escape. There have been very few sunny days, in fact, it has been quite rare to see the sun at all and so there is really nothing to warm things up.

I suppose we shouldn’t complain as, yet again, we witness forest fires raging in Australia, and other parts of Europe that have stumbled to a halt under a blanket of snow. Roll on the Spring…. please!

Tomorrow we close our doors for a short break. August 15th is a national holiday in Spain anyway, so we decided to make it a super-long ‘bridge’, re-opening again on Monday 27th August. We had planned a similar break last year but had to cancel. As you may recall our harvest actually started at the end of August in 2011 – quite a contrast to 2012. As I look out of my window now the sky is grey, heavy and full of rain, not at all what we would expect (or want) at this time of year. Our summer so far has already been quite cool, not rising much above the mid-20’s (68-75°F), although we have had a bit of sunshine over the last couple of weeks. We know for a fact that the vintage will be much smaller this year, the only thing that no one can predict is the quality.

As you can see from today’s photo our staff are already packed and ready to go. (Any car enthusiasts will recognise this as an old Renault R8 made during the 1960’s). Whatever happens we just hope that the sun shines for everyone!

Tomorrow we close our doors for a short break. August 15th is a national holiday in Spain anyway, so we decided to make it a super-long ‘bridge’, re-opening again on Monday 27th August. We had planned a similar break last year but had to cancel. As you may recall our harvest actually started at the end of August in 2011 – quite a contrast to 2012. As I look out of my window now the sky is grey, heavy and full of rain, not at all what we would expect (or want) at this time of year. Our summer so far has already been quite cool, not rising much above the mid-20’s (68-75°F), although we have had a bit of sunshine over the last couple of weeks. We know for a fact that the vintage will be much smaller this year, the only thing that no one can predict is the quality.

As you can see from today’s photo our staff are already packed and ready to go. (Any car enthusiasts will recognise this as an old Renault R8 made during the 1960’s). Whatever happens we just hope that the sun shines for everyone!

As you probably know we are quite keen on re-cycling. Indeed, Angela even collects the paper sachets off her tea bags to put into the re-cycling (which is fine until you go to make a fruit infusion and realise that you’ve picked up an empty one!)

Our latest idea however, is possibly as much to do with design as it is to do with re-cycling. We had a pallet of half bottles, which for one reason or another were unusable, and we were considering our options before committing them to the waste bin. I am not sure where my idea originated from, but I know that I have seen it done before – we decided to use the bottles to smarten up our bar area. The space below our ‘bar back’ consists of pleasing geometrical pattern formed by a series of wooden partitions, albeit that the 45° angles were highly impractical for storing anything – in truth a bit of a waste of space. Over the years a few empty bottle samples had accumulated, as, laying horizontally,  they were one of the few things that would fit the space. So we decided to extend that idea…..

The whole of this under bar space is now filled with empty half bottles (as opposed to half empty bottles), and with lighting behind, they now form an attractive backdrop for visitors using our tasting area. See today’s photo to understand my poor attempt at a verbal description.

As you probably know we are quite keen on re-cycling. Indeed, Angela even collects the paper sachets off her tea bags to put into the re-cycling (which is fine until you go to make a fruit infusion and realise that you’ve picked up an empty one!)

Our latest idea however, is possibly as much to do with design as it is to do with re-cycling. We had a pallet of half bottles, which for one reason or another were unusable, and we were considering our options before committing them to the waste bin. I am not sure where my idea originated from, but I know that I have seen it done before – we decided to use the bottles to smarten up our bar area. The space below our ‘bar back’ consists of pleasing geometrical pattern formed by a series of wooden partitions, albeit that the 45° angles were highly impractical for storing anything – in truth a bit of a waste of space. Over the years a few empty bottle samples had accumulated, as, laying horizontally,  they were one of the few things that would fit the space. So we decided to extend that idea…..

The whole of this under bar space is now filled with empty half bottles (as opposed to half empty bottles), and with lighting behind, they now form an attractive backdrop for visitors using our tasting area. See today’s photo to understand my poor attempt at a verbal description.

This year is the 30th anniversary of our current Bodega, built in 1981, but with the first vintage being produced in 1982. So are we going to have a big party to celebrate? Probably not. Instead we will do something a bit more subtle, but just as exciting (for us at least).

Plans are well under way to do something new, and an announcement will be made in a few weeks time. Watch this space, as they say!

This year is the 30th anniversary of our current Bodega, built in 1981, but with the first vintage being produced in 1982. So are we going to have a big party to celebrate? Probably not. Instead we will do something a bit more subtle, but just as exciting (for us at least).

Plans are well under way to do something new, and an announcement will be made in a few weeks time. Watch this space, as they say!

Anyone who has visited our Bodega will know that on the first floor we have a large function room and tasting bar. There is a capacity to seat about 50 people around half a dozen refractory style tables – all very nice, except there is one small but significant technical problem….. we have no kitchen! Quite honestly this has always puzzled me a bit, especially as so much of our bodega was so thoughtfully designed.

Behind our tasting bar we have a small fridge and a simple microwave, and as such our lunches in the office have always been limited to sandwiches, salads or anything that can be re-heated in the microwave. Not a very inspiring menu choice….. until now.

Over the last couple of weeks, our super-handyman Fran has built us a kitchen. Using a small loo (bathroom, restroom, cloakroom or toilet – depending on where you come from) and an area of adjacent corridor we now have a small, but beautifully hand-built kitchen, complete with oven, hotplates and most importantly a kettle for making tea! This doesn’t mean that we are now going to start catering for weddings in our function room, but it does at least that we will have a much better choice of snacks and meals at lunch time. No doubt I will still be responsible for all the cooking, as I am at home. (It’s just as well that Angela doesn’t read this blog).

Anyone who has visited our Bodega will know that on the first floor we have a large function room and tasting bar. There is a capacity to seat about 50 people around half a dozen refractory style tables – all very nice, except there is one small but significant technical problem….. we have no kitchen! Quite honestly this has always puzzled me a bit, especially as so much of our bodega was so thoughtfully designed.

Behind our tasting bar we have a small fridge and a simple microwave, and as such our lunches in the office have always been limited to sandwiches, salads or anything that can be re-heated in the microwave. Not a very inspiring menu choice….. until now.

Over the last couple of weeks, our super-handyman Fran has built us a kitchen. Using a small loo (bathroom, restroom, cloakroom or toilet – depending on where you come from) and an area of adjacent corridor we now have a small, but beautifully hand-built kitchen, complete with oven, hotplates and most importantly a kettle for making tea! This doesn’t mean that we are now going to start catering for weddings in our function room, but it does at least that we will have a much better choice of snacks and meals at lunch time. No doubt I will still be responsible for all the cooking, as I am at home. (It’s just as well that Angela doesn’t read this blog).