D.O. Navarra Academy

Grapes and wine

The vineyard It is a plant capable of driving its roots to great depths, if the soil allows it. There it will search for certain nutrients and a stable water source that will allow it to withstand the rigors of summer. The orientation of the land and its slope also affect sunlight exposure and, therefore, the ripening of the grape.

The climatology It also has a decisive influence; every winegrower fears spring frosts, extreme drought, and late rains before the harvest, which hinder ripening and encourage disease... These factors give rise to the concept of the vintage.

Finally, the man It plays a role both in vineyard work (pruning, treatments, tilling, weeding, etc.) and in winemaking. Human intervention is essential, since even the finest grapes would turn into the worst vinegar if humans did not guide, direct, and control the transformations that take place during the fermentation and aging of wine. However, a wine’s 90% is fundamentally determined by the grapes from which it is made. In other words, the task of a good winemaker is to ensure that exceptional grapes produce an exceptional wine, but what they will never achieve is turning mediocre or ordinary grapes into a remarkable wine.

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Winemaking

Before beginning to describe the different types of wines and their production, it must be emphasized that, as already stated, quality grapes are necessary to produce a good wine. The reviled “powdered wine” (chemical wine) is hardly feasible: wine possesses more than 700 different components, and reproducing it in a laboratory is extremely costly. It is much more “economical” to make wine from grapes, since a kilo of them produces approximately the contents of a ¾-liter bottle; this argument should serve to convince the most recalcitrant. 

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Wine aging

The great red wines of the world, and most of the most notable whites, are aged in oak barrels before being bottled. After their time in them, the wines emerge enhanced, much more complex, and rich in nuances. The countries of the New World clearly favor the use of wood chips (from different origins and toast levels) to give their most commercial wines aging aromas. Costs, labor, facilities are reduced... but logically, the results are not the same as those obtained with the barrel.

Good aging consists of two phases: one in barrels and another in bottles; in the latter, the wine is polished, rounded out, and reaches its maximum potential. Thus, aging endows wines with greater complexity and balance. Factors such as the type of wood, time, and storage conditions influence the aromas and flavors that quality wines develop during this process.

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The tasting

Wine tasting is much simpler than it seems and, above all, it is natural or innate, since we learn it as children. Whenever we are about to eat a food, the first thing we do is look at it (and it has to appeal to us), then we smell it (a sense of alertness, to check that it doesn't smell bad or weird) and, finally, we put it in our mouths to taste it (where we decide whether we like it or not). Similarly, sight, smell, and taste work together to reveal the nuances of a wine. From color and aromas to flavor and persistence, tasting is a sensory experience that allows us to appreciate the richness and uniqueness of each wine.

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Wine consumption

To fully enjoy wine, it is essential to preserve and serve it properly. Temperature, glass and pairing all influence the experience. In addition, understanding the optimal moment of consumption allows you to enjoy each bottle at its maximum splendor.

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The five most frequently asked questions about wine

Why do some wines have sediment? What are sulfites? These and other common questions are answered in this section. From the difference between rosés and clarets to the meaning of organic wines, the most common doubts of people interested in the world of wine are clarified here. 

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