It is the first step in winemaking, and obviously the grapes must be at the optimal point of ripeness and with the appropriate amount of sugars for fermentation. For this reason, the Carlón vine varieties are separated into different estates, to optimize the harvest process. This process also involves a great deal of maintenance work on the crop, doing all the necessary pruning, spurring or pruning and removing grapes to maximize quality and aerate the fruit, and applying the necessary pesticides (in our case completely organic, with sulfur). From the field the grapes are taken to the winery, where their processing begins.
This process is when we obtain the juice from the grapes and leave it in contact with the skins, which are what give the wine all its properties (smells, colors, nuances...), since the fruit itself is only water and sugar. In this process, you must be very careful not to step on the grape seeds, as they can make the wine bitter.
Now is when the yeasts come into play to convert the sugar into alcohol through the fermentation process. In the past it was a very expensive process, since the temperature of the wine must be calculated very well, since if the temperature rises above 30 ºC the yeasts die and the result is a sweet wine. In the fermentation process of Carlón wine, only natural yeasts present in the soil are used, which remain attached to the fruit by a waxy substance called pruina.
Usually, after maceration, wineries filter the wine so that no solid residue remains. We do not filter, but rather go directly to the bottling process. Quality is always rewarded over quantity.