In today’s article we return to the series of texts dedicated to the elaboration necessary to make a good wine. On this occasion, we will focus on the work of fertilizing.

The vines, like any other plant, need nutrients for their development and growth. These nutrients are obtained from the subsoil of the land where it is planted.

The transfer of these nutrients and minerals from the soil leads to a progressive impoverishment of the fertility and richness of the soil. This is why it will be necessary to restore and balance the wear and tear that occurs in a planted soil.

The best way to act is to know the richness of organic matter and minerals in our soil. To do this, we will proceed to perform a soil analysis. We will collect soil samples at different depths and in different areas of the plot following an established procedure. After this, a homogeneous mixture of the samples will be made and a sample will be sent to the laboratory, which will communicate the results.

Once the results are known, we will act by providing the soil with the deficiencies and in the necessary quantities to continue to keep our soil fertile and productive. In this way, we will carry out a personalized maintenance nutrition for each case, providing the necessary nutrients in different proportions.

To achieve this goal we can make a:

• Organic fertilization based on animal manure, straw or vegetable waste, compost, etc.
• Mineral fertilization by means of granulated or liquid preparations, providing various minerals and nutrients in the proportion corresponding to each element, depending on the required needs.

In this way, we will be able to maintain a balance between the absorption produced by the vine and our contributions, which will guarantee the maintenance of the richness and fertility of the soil for the correct growth of the vines and the quality of the grapes.

The entry HOW TO MAKE A GOOD WINE: FERTILIZING was published first in BODEGAS LOLI CASADO.

The year is coming to an end, but that does not mean that the work in the vineyard has finished. At Bodegas Loli Casado we like to take advantage of the cold winter to produce one of our most special wines: Polus Vendimia Tardía. Stay with us and we will tell you all the secrets that make this wine unique.

In September we leave a plot of our oldest vineyard, located in the area of “La Llana”, unharvested. In this way, during the months of October through December, the clusters begin a natural process of raisining. In addition to this, the snowfalls that we usually have in our area at the end of the year contribute to improve the raisining process due to the cold.

Between the end of December and the beginning of January, the grapes reach the desired sugar concentration point and the harvest begins. In this case, since there are so few grapes, the harvest does not last more than one morning.

Once we return to the winery, we will start gently pressing the clusters, and in this way we will obtain a very concentrated must, which will fill the atmosphere with aromas such as honey, raisins and nuts. From this point on, a slow fermentation of a semi-sweet wine of the Viura variety will begin, which will awaken our senses and which fits perfectly both with starters and as a dessert of a pleasant meal.

That said, here ends this article on the elaboration of Polus Late Harvest. If you enjoyed this article, we invite you to stop by our YouTube channel, where every Saturday we upload a video dealing with the same topic as here in greater depth. The video related to this article will be released this Saturday.

The entry HOW TO MAKE A GOOD WINE: LATE HARVEST was published first in BODEGAS LOLI CASADO.

Over the last few months we have been able to see several of the tasks that have to be carried out throughout the year in order to obtain quality grapes and, as a consequence, a good wine. In today’s article we will focus on the work of pruning, what it consists of, when it is done and what it is used for.

Pruning is the next task to be carried out once the harvest season is over. Therefore, this task is carried out between the months of November and February. The aim is to eliminate part of the shoots that will begin to sprout in spring, in order to leave the desired number of buds.

We will make two types of cuts on the vine shoots: the first type will be at the level of the vine or trunk, to completely eliminate the vine shoot, and in the other case, we will leave a small piece of vine shoot, leaving two buds, from which the new shoots will sprout, from which the bunches of grapes will come out.

It can be said that pruning is the main method to limit the production of the vineyard, and, in this way, also to facilitate an optimal development of the vine, thus obtaining better quality grapes. For each bud we can obtain about 1.5 bunches of Tempranillo grapes, and we usually leave about 6 thumbs (the pieces of vine shoot from which the other branches of the vine shoot will sprout) per vine, so that normally, a vine can give us about 15 bunches of grapes, although this may vary depending on the age of the vine and the grape variety.

That said, here ends this article that deals with another of the field work such as pruning, next week we will talk about what to do in the next bridge of the Immaculate Conception. If you enjoyed this article, we invite you to visit our YouTube channel, where we upload videos related to the world of the wine.

The entry HOW TO ELABORATE A GOOD WINE: PRUNING was published first in BODEGAS LOLI CASADO.

In today’s article is about another of the labors of the field, but in today’s case, related to the world of the olive tree. Today we will talk about olive harvesting.

In our region, olive harvesting begins the first week of November, which is the moment when the olives begin to change color, to a more saturated green or even reddish tones, without ever waiting until they turn black. We do this because it is at this point when the olive reaches the peak of its aromas, texture and colors, which will be reflected in the final oil.

As we do in the grape harvest, in our case, the olive harvest is also manual. This will be done using the traditional method of the region, known as milking, which is based on hanging a basket on the front of the torso of the farmer and dropping the olives into it.

Subsequently, we will take the olives to the mill, where in a matter of 20 minutes they will become oil definitively, by means of the centrifugal method, where a mill will crush the olive, it will pass to the emulsifier, which will beat the mass, and, finally, it will pass to the centrifuge that will separate the stone, the oil and the water.

This is how we obtain our extra virgin olive oil of the Arróniz variety, characterized by its slight spiciness and bitterness, intense color and a tomato or fresh herb aroma.

That said, here ends this article on olive harvesting, next week we will talk about some macroeconomic data and curiosities of the wine world. If you enjoyed this article, we invite you to stop by our YouTube channel, where every Saturday we upload a video dealing with the same topic as here in greater depth. The video related to this article will be released this Saturday.

The entry OLIVE TREE CARE: OLIVE HARVESTING was published first in BODEGAS LOLI CASADO.

Last week we learned how the grape harvest was carried out until a few decades ago, and in today’s article we will focus on explaining how the grape harvest is carried out today in Rioja Alavesa.

That said, to begin with, it is worth noting that we could consider the moment when tractors began to be introduced into the life of the average farmer as a turning point in the evolution of the grape harvest. Although this vehicle has been around for more than 100 years, it was not until relatively recently that it began to be used in this region (around 1970-1980).

This vehicle brought great changes, from the adaptation of the vineyards, widening the space between the lines to allow the passage of the tractor, to the acquisition and planting of more vineyards, since now a single farmer could treat more land with the same hours.

In addition to this, transport from the vineyard to the winery began to be done in trailers, initially made of wood covered by a tarpaulin, and later in stainless steel, which can now easily carry more than 3,000 kg of grapes.

Along with this, the utensils or tools of the past are replaced by more modern ones, which will do the job in a more optimal way. The chestnut basket will be replaced by rubber baskets, which do not allow the must to escape, the corquete is replaced by the scissors, and, as we have seen in the previous paragraphs, the comportones and the cattle are replaced by tractors and trailers.

Finally, it is worth mentioning that changes are also made in the winemaking process, since in this case, it is currently common to pass the grapes through the destemmer as they arrive at the winery, in order to separate the stems from the grapes, and then take the grapes to the tank, where they will undergo alcoholic fermentation. In addition, nowadays we can make use of some yeasts to ensure that the fermentation will take place and thus preserve the quality of the grape in its entirety in our final wines. Once the fermentation is finished, we will obtain a single wine, unlike what was obtained in the past, and it will be up to the winemaker to decide whether to take it to crianza, reserva, young wine, or perhaps to sell it in bulk.

That said, here ends this introductory article to the history of wine, next week we will talk about sustainability, providing the example of our precious hut. If you enjoyed this article, we invite you to stop by our YouTube channel, where every Saturday we upload a video dealing with the same topic as here in greater depth. The video related to this article will be released this Saturday.

The entry HOW TO ELABORATE A GOOD WINE: THE MODERN HARVEST was published first in BODEGAS LOLI CASADO.

The end of September is approaching and with it, as every year, we are close to the beginning of the grape harvest season. Therefore, in today’s article, we want to tell you a little more about how the traditional grape harvest was carried out 30 or 50 years ago, and next week we will be able to compare it with the current harvest.

Having said that, the three main differences that we can find in the traditional grape harvest with respect to the current one is the use of three tools: the corquete, the chestnut basket and the comportón. At that time, the corquete was used, a small sickle with which we separated the bunches of grapes and then filled the chestnut basket with them. After this, these baskets were transported to the beginning of the renque and were then tipped into the comportones, baskets that could hold up to 80 kg of grapes. After filling these comportones, donkeys or mule-drawn carts transported these baskets to the winery.

As far as winemaking is concerned, from the outside of the winery, through a window that communicated with the lake, the comportón was poured. The lake is a square hole dug in the ground, usually 2 meters wide and 3 meters deep, which used to hold between 14,000 and 16,000 kg of grapes. Once the lake was completely filled with grapes transported by the comportones, the alcoholic fermentation began, which would transform the must into wine for a week or 10 days.

In addition to this, it is worth mentioning that the harvest used to be a few days or even a few weeks later, around the beginning of October. And, adding this delay in the harvest with the fact of using older tools, it was possible to finish the harvest some years at the beginning of November, with a little snowfall.

Once the 7-10 day period mentioned above had elapsed, the grapes were crushed. The aim was to break all the berries that were not broken during the winemaking process, in order to obtain the greatest amount of must. These lakes were connected to rooms that had been excavated underneath them, and the wine would move to them. In these rooms we would find the vats, where the wine would finish fermenting.

In this way we could obtain 3 types of wine: the tear wine (the wine that had come out during the first week, prior to crushing), the heart wine (the wine obtained during crushing) and the pressed wine (a wine whose grapes had been crushed two consecutive days and whose skin paste had been pressed).

Once the wine had finished its fermentation, it was settled, racked and then came the muleteer, who would be the buyer of the wine from the vats.
Finally, it should be noted that at that time, only the larger wineries could afford to make aged wines, since the small farmer did not have the necessary tools to do so.
That said, here ends this introductory article to the traditional grape harvesting system, next week we will talk about how we harvest nowadays. If you enjoyed this article, we invite you to stop by our YouTube channel, where every Saturday we upload a video dealing with the same topic as here in greater depth. The video related to this article will be released this Saturday.

The entry HOW TO ELABORATE A GOOD WINE: TRADITIONAL HARVEST was published first in BODEGAS LOLI CASADO.

In today’s article we will discuss how we determine at Bodegas Loli Casado when the grapes have reached their optimum point of harvest, and the monitoring that must be done prior to the harvest through a visual and sensorial control of the grapes.

During the month of September we have to start thinking about the beginning of the grape harvest. In our area it is usual to start harvesting the white grapes towards the end of September and the reds at the beginning of October. Therefore, it is necessary to visit our vineyards more frequently during the ninth month of the year, walk among the vines, feel the clusters, see the freshness of the leaves… in short, to understand at what stage the ripening process is at and how it can evolve.

As the month progresses, the frequency of the tours will increase. At first it will be weekly, then every 3-4 days, and when harvest time approaches, it will be every two days. We will walk through each plot of the vineyard observing every detail of interest.

To decide when to harvest, grapes from different parts of the cluster -shoulders, tips- will be picked randomly at various points along the plot.

Once the grains have been harvested, we will evaluate the two maturities that occur in the grain:

-Glycometric maturation or accumulation of sugars in the must. For this, once we squeeze part of the berries, we will take a few drops of the must obtained and put it in the sight glass of a refractometer. The reading on the scale will indicate the probable degree that the must of this grape would have if it were fermented at that moment.

-The phenological or skin maturation of the bean will be determined with a sensitive method in the mouth. To do this, we will take 3 or 4 of the grains without looking at the rest of them. We will make a visual examination of the color of the bean, the elasticity and recovery of its shape after exerting a slight pressure with our fingers. Then we will put them in the mouth and exerting pressure between the tongue and the roof of the mouth, we will remove the seeds. Without swallowing anything, take the seeds to one cheek, the skins to the other and pass the must over the tongue and the roof of the palate, perceiving sweet, sour, bitter, greenish sensations. …. We will chew the skins a certain number of times, and after passing it over the tongue, gums and palate, we will perceive astringent sensations to a greater or lesser extent. Finally, we will observe the color, texture and elasticity of the seeds. The interpretation of these data and sensations will give us information about the ripening of the skin.

Once both processes have been carried out, one more scientific so to speak, more objective, and the second, more based on sensations and more subjective, we will have enough data to understand the state of the grapes and we will be ready to determine when we should start with the harvest.

That said, this is the end of this article. Next week we will continue talking about the history of wine; what happened after its emergence and expansion. If you enjoyed this article, we invite you to stop by our YouTube channel, where every Saturday we upload a video dealing with the same topic as here in greater depth.

The entry HOW TO ELABORATE A GOOD WINE: SEPTEMBER – VISUAL AND SENSORIAL CONTROL OF THE GRAPE was published first in BODEGAS LOLI CASADO.

Have you ever heard of “green pruning”? If you do not know this term, stay with us and we will explain how we do it in Bodegas Loli Casado.

Green pruning is another of the tasks we must perform in the vineyard to ensure optimal development and quality of our wines. In this case, this work is carried out during the month of August, and consists of cutting and throwing away the bunches of grapes brought in excess by the vines, if necessary.

One hectare of vineyard is authorized to produce 6,500 kg of grapes in our region. There are years in which, due to its nature, it can produce more than this amount, or because, at the winery’s discretion, in order to keep the vines balanced and achieve better grape quality, we decided to prune the vines in green.

The moment to carry it out is coinciding with the beginning of veraison. During this period, several changes occur in the cluster. The skin changes color progressively from green to red and black, and inside the berry, the acids that are found inside the berry change to sugars. Simultaneously, the berry acquires its final size.

It is at this time that the clusters demand more nutrients from the vine. By eliminating the excess clusters (between 1 and 6 approximately), the remaining clusters benefit from and distribute for ripening all that the vine is capable of producing.

The operation is carried out by cutting with scissors and throwing to the ground, the clusters that are more hidden, at the top of the vine shoot… Thus, the remaining clusters will have an exceptional quality and we will obtain great wines.

That said, here ends this article focused on green pruning. Next week we will talk about sustainability, what it means to us and how we do our bit to support the ecosystem. If you enjoyed this article, we invite you to stop by our YouTube channel, where every Saturday we upload a video addressing the same topic as here in greater depth.

The entry HOW TO ELABORATE A GOOD WINE: AUGUST – GREEN PRUNING was published first in BODEGAS LOLI CASADO.

We all love a good wine; enjoy its flavors, aromas, in company or alone… But what is behind it? In this series of articles entitled “How to make a good wine” we will explain all the actions we carry out throughout the year to produce our best wines.

In today’s article we will talk about the tasks we have been doing this last month and in which we are still working. Almost all the work done in our vineyards is carried out manually except for a few.

Having said that, the first task to mention is manual blunt. Trimming is based on cutting the ends of the shoots, which are the branches of the vines, to interrupt and limit their growth. Depending on the type of vineyard (trained or bush vines), the way to perform this task will vary.

In trellised vineyards, a work is done which is the continuation of another work done in the month of June. This consists of putting the growing shoots between the wires so that they grow vertically. In this way, once the vine shoot exceeds the height of the upper wire, the tips are cut off with a pair of scissors. With this work we make sure to leave a sufficient leaf surface for the good development of the vine and to favor the aeration of the plant while allowing the tractor to pass through, thus avoiding damage to the shoots.

In goblet vines, the purpose of blunting is to generate less opposition to the force of the wind that can pull shoots off the vine, to improve aeration of the center of the vine and to allow the tractor to circulate so as not to damage the vine shoot.

The second main task we have been carrying out has been manual leaf removal. This task is based on removing the leaves (normally one by one) that cover the cluster so that it has a greater exposure to the sun and wind and, in addition, the phytosanitary treatments can reach it better.

Finally, the third task we have carried out has been the application of phytosanitary treatments. As we know, the two main diseases that can affect the vineyard, and consequently the wine, are downy mildew and powdery mildew. Both diseases are caused by fungi and are continuously present in the environment surrounding the vines and on the woody parts. For this reason, treatments are applied only when conditions of humidity and temperature are favorable for the development of the fungus or when it is foreseen that they may develop.

If you enjoyed this article, we invite you to stop by our YouTube channel, where every Saturday we upload a video addressing the same topic as here in greater depth. The video related to this article will be released on Saturday, July 31. Also, if you prefer the podcast format, on our Spotify account you can find the audio of the video every Sunday, starting this August 1, 2021.

The entry HOW TO ELABORATE A GOOD WINE: JULY TASKS was published first in BODEGAS LOLI CASADO.

A LONG AWAITED HARVEST

The elaboration of Polus Late Harvest begins at the end of September, when the harvest starts. At this time we choose a plot from our oldest vineyard with low production vines and small clusters. These grapes will not be harvested and will remain on their shoots.

THE SWEETNESS THAT COMES FROM RAISINIZATION

From this point on, the process of raisinization of the grapes begins. The vine begins its winter rest: the leaves wither and fall, the sap stops circulating and the vine shoot lignifies and hardens. The berries lose water and sugars accumulate. This process is aided by the gentle winds and warm autumn sun.

DRIED OUT BY THE COLD

In addition, if, as this year, we have the help of snow, it will help us to dry out the grapes of the clusters by cold.

A LATE HARVEST

When we verify that the concentration of sugars is sufficient to have a final wine of around 14º and enough residual sugar to make it a sweet wine, we proceed to the harvest. On this occasion, the chosen day was January 20th.

AND ONCE IN THE WINERY, TIME FOR THE PRESS

On arrival at the winery, the grapes are pressed slowly so that the dense must comes out well, impregnating the atmosphere with aromas of raisins, figs, honey and illusion.

WE INTRODUCE YOU: POLUS LATE HARVEST 2020

The must will begin a slow alcoholic fermentation until it completes its objective. After racking and cleaning, we will have a very aromatic wine, with a touch of freshness and acidity and sweet, without being cloying, thus ending the elaboration of Polus Late Harvest 2020.

The entry POLUS LATE HARVEST ELABORATION was published first in BODEGAS LOLI CASADO.