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Elaboration process
The 50 hectares of vineyards on which Can Bonastre wines grow are cared for with the greatest devotion and attention to obtain fruits of the highest quality. For this, Can Bonastre applies the preservation cultivation, based on which oats are planted between the rows of stocks to favour humidity absorption and to reduce the soil and subsoil erosion.
Once the grapes are collected and stored in the wine resort, during August and September, the elaboration process of wines starts looking for excellence in every stage. The result are high range wines with surprising aromas and flavours.
Once the grapes are collected and stored in the wine resort, during August and September, the elaboration process of wines starts looking for excellence in every stage. The result are high range wines with surprising aromas and flavours.
How are our wines elaborated?
Grape varieties
White: Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Macabeo, Xarello, Garnacha White and Riesling.
Red: Pinot Noir, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Garnacha Red, Tempranillo, Cabernet Franc and Syrah.
During the elaboration process, in Can Bonastre the traditional methods of grape harvest intertwine in perfect symbiosis with the technological progress of our times. One of the priorities of the wine resort is to optimise the production trying to respect the environment as much as possible, so the preservation cultivation technique is used, which favours the humidity absorption and reduces the soil and subsoil erosion.
Grape reception
Thanks to the proximity of the vineyards to the wine resort grapes get there in the best conditions. After the grape harvest they are transported in small stainless steel trailers to the wine resort. From the trailers they are taken to the reception hopper where they go to the stripping stage.
Stripping - smashing
After the reception of the grapes, the stripping machine separates the branches from the grapes through a spin with the objective of avoiding vegetal flavours in the wine. Later on, they are mildly smashed to obtain the flower must which, together with the first smashing action, will be used to the elaboration of our wines.
17º C conservation temperature and 80-85% de relative humity.Barrels of 300 L.
Barrel room
Elaboration of white wine
Once the bunches are collected, the grapes are separated from the bunches and undergo a mild smashing to obtain the must. The must ferments for 2 or 3 weeks, depending on the wine, at a temperature between 17 and 20º C.
In the fermentation, the yeast transform sugars into alcohol and once the process ends they precipitate to the bottom of the tank, so the clean whine is in the upper part.
Presses
Pneumatic: to obtain white must and the bleeding and smashing of red wine. It avoids the loss of aromas.
Grape processing - cooling equipments
When they go in, they are cooled to a temperature of 12º C with the objective of delaying the start of fermentation and being able to extract the skin’s aromas as much as possible.
By means of cooling equipments, wine is kept at a temperature between -3 and -4º C to precipitate tartar salts that are generated during the cooling period. A final screening eliminates all types of particles in suspension.
Afterwards, some wines are taken to the barrels, where there is another fermentation process. During these 5 or 6 months, wine acquires flavours and aromas that are typical of the aging like dried fruits, coffee, cocoa, vanillas, spices and toasted.
Elaboration of red wine
Once the bunches are collected, grapes are separated from the bunches and they are introduced into soaking tanks where the wine’s colour is extracted. In the fermentation process, skins float over the surface of the tank, so the must is moved up from the bottom to the upper part of the tank in order to mix up all the contents (2 or 3 times a day).
Once the process is finished, the solid part of the tanks is removed to perform a smashing.
We then obtain two types of wine:
- bleeding wine: obtained directly from the maceration tank.
- pressed wine: obtained when smashing the skin.
The wine obtained is destined, depending on its qualities, to bottling if it is young wine or to aging in barrels, where we will obtain aging wines.
Elaboration room
What is aging in barrels?
It is a process with two objectives:
a. Transference of aromatic components from wood to wine.
b. Passing of small amounts of oxygen through the wood pores that will favour the wine’s round-up.
Time in the barrels
It is determined by the tastings of our oenologist team conducts once a month. This aging period goes from 4 to 6 months for white wine and up to 10-15 months for red wines.
Fermentation of white wine in barrels
In the case of some white wines, most of the fermentation is done in the barrel to achieve more structured, oily and elegant wines with wood nuances that harmonise their taste in mouth. Afterwards, aging is usually shorter to avoid too madeirised sensations and loss of freshness of wine.
Depending on the aromatic harmony intended, we use barrels of:
- American oak
- Central European from Hungary
- French from Allier woods
Wine rack room
Once the aging in barrels finishes, wines are bottled and a natural cork of the highest quality is used. During its stay in bottle, wine rests in a horizontal position placed in metallic cages.
The wine that evolves well in wood aging, it is fine tuned and rounded up in the bottle, it is polished in the mouth and its aroma is enriched thanks to the substances produced in the bottle’s reducing atmosphere (without oxygen), acquiring a greater complexity and elegance
The bottle cemetery
The bottle cemetery is a room where we keep a sample of each year of wines. With constant humidity and temperature we guarantee an optimum preservation of wine. The bottles placed in niches will be kept as witness of our work.
