La Cava

Ideal conditions for wine conservation:

Temperature: wine matures more rapidly at high temperatures than at low temperatures. The ideal temperature for preservation is between 11 and 20 degrees. The temperature should kept as constant as possible. The low temperatures (8 to 10 degrees) stop the aging process while temperatures that reach 25 degrees activate the reduction and aging.

Wine Darkness

Ultraviolet rays are harmful for the wine, they accelerate the aging process.

Wine Ventilation

Good circulation of air prevents confinement of fragrances and the development of mushrooms.

Wine Stability

Vibrations are not good for the wine. When wine is moved or transported it must be done carefully and slowly, especially if sediments rise up from the bottom.

Wine Humidity

The recommended percentage oscillates between the 60 and 70%. The lack of humidity causes oxidation by decreasing the atmospheric pressure. This phenomenon occurs because when there is less pressure outside that inside the bottle, part of the water that contains the wine evaporates through the cork and leaves space so that air can enter.

Position: wine should be kept in horizontal form in order to avoid having the cork dry and let air in/

Wine Service

The opening of the wine is a delicate, complicated, and slow task, which deserves respect.

In a restaurant, the responsibility for the wine service is the sommelier or sumiller. This person should choose the wines that will be kept in the wine cellar, to track the times of guard, to assess the chef on the adequate wines to use in the kitchen, to concoct the wine list - according to the type of kitchen that the chef is implementing and the wines that are found in optimum conditions of consumption, to guide the client in the selection of the wines that harmonize with the dishes and, finally, to serve the wine and other beverages at the correct temperature, in the corresponding glasses and with the art that it deserves.

Nose

This phase is very important since it is the introduction to test the wine. With the nose a person smells different fragrances. The primary fragrances come from the chemical composition of the different varieties of vines. The secondary fragrances given by the different enological practices (soakings, fermentation maloláctic, prolonged fermentation, second fermentations, fermentation in cask, chips, inner staves, etc). The tertiary fragrances that come from the breeding and guard of the wine (breeding, in barrels or casks; guard, in the bottle). Not all the wines have tertiary fragrances that also are called the bouquet of the wine. At the same time all these fragrances are complemented by fragrances that are formed for the influence of the land and/or climate.

Mouth

In this part, the mouth is used to analyze the taste, flavor, tactile sensation, equilibrium, persistence, and after-taste (pursuit flavor) of the wine. There are four tastes: sweet, salty, bitter, acidic/tart. Each one perceives taste is a different area of the tongue and every individual has his own unique sense of taste. The flavor is the conjunction of the nasal analysis and taste. The main tactile sensation is provided primarily by ‘los taninos' - a substance that is especially present in red wine. Other tactile sensations include the temperature and an ardent sensation from excess alcohol.
The equilibrium of a wine is achieved for harmony of the alcohol, taninos (structure) and acidity of a wine. The persistence is the oral memory of the wine after swallowed. The pursuit flavor is the description of this memory and its evolution.