There is a lot of talk about types of wine, wine pairing, tastings... But there is an important, cultural - and fun! - that is often left in the background: the ritual of wine tasting. grape harvest and everything that goes into the process of turning grapes into wineWhat is this key ritual like? What are the best-kept secrets about wine? secrets best kept secrets about the treading of the grapes?
Here we tell you about this experience that awakens all the senses and gives rise to great festivities throughout much of Spain.
The harvest
You could say that the grape harvest is the culmination of a whole year of hard work, like the ending of a novel. After having spent a long time taking care of the vines, pampering them, fertilising the soil, pruning, watering... the moment comes to transform the fruit into wine, and for that you have to picking the grapesthat is to say: harvesting, something that has been done for centuries. Even Egyptian inscriptions depict the process of harvesting grapes.
It is just at the end of summer, when autumn is beginning to appear on the horizon, between September and Octoberthe time when the grape harvest takes place. In fact, there are many wine-growing villages, where at this time of the year, the grapes are prepared for harvest. great celebrations to celebrate the harvest. Above all, because in the old days it was an event, an important date in the calendar because of the rewards it entailed. Because the peasants would go to the grape harvest with their The ox carts were pulled by oxen and they would spend about two weeks far from home. They left loaded with food and everything they needed to survive during those long days, and that is why they were received with such joy on their return.
Stomping grapes: a tradition
But once the grapes have been harvested, they have to be transformed into wine. It's a long process that begins with a romantic and curious touch: the treading grape treading. A tradition that each region makes its own and moulds according to their tastes and needs, although the main elements are common. Nowadays this process is usually carried out in a mechanised way, but the traditional way is not dead yet.
As an example of these differences between the various types of grape treading is the case with La Rioja y Cataluña. In the first, it was customary to wait for the grapes had already partially fermented The grapes were crushed so that their volume would decrease and it would be easier to extract the must by crushing the fruit. deposited in a vessel called a lagarIt is also used to press olives to obtain oil or to crush apples to obtain cider. At Cataluña, the bunches of grapes were instead trodden on a half-open planks so that the liquid would be filtered there.
The keys
What tends to be common in most of the Spanish geography are the strategic parts, such as pressing from the centre to the endsin order to achieve a more efficient extraction of the must and of higher qualityThe most common in the majority of Spanish regions are the strategic parts, such as , as this favours contact with the yeasts, which are responsible for fermentation.
Although they have points in common, there are two clearly differentiated versions: stepping barefoot -more traditional- or do it with rubber boots more practical.
But there is more. The The rhythm with which the feet move on the clusters also affectsthat's why in many villages they realised that it could playing music that this aspect could be improved. From there it became a real festival.
So there you have a few hints about the main characteristics of the grape harvest and the grape treading, but if you still have doubts or if you have the itch and you want to know more about the grape harvest and the grape treading, we can help you with experience it in first personat Vivanco we celebrate from the 1st of October to the 4th of November “The Grape Harvest Festival”, an experience for everyone who wants to know the magic of the grape harvest in La Rioja. If you want to discover all the activities that we have prepared, here you can consult them all.
What better place to learn a tradition with centuries of history and enjoy a great cultural and sensory experience? We are waiting for you!
