winemaking

The first vintages that were harvested at Remírez de Ganuza gave Fernando the idea that it was essential to make the grape selection when they arrived at the winery.

Since there was no standardised system to carry out this process, he devised a selection table based on a butcher’s selection table. This is how one of the first manual grape selection processes in a winery in Spain was born. During each harvest, a team of people manually selects all the grapes that we are going to use to make our wines; something that is now considered a standard practice across premium wineries.

All the bunches, upon arriving at the winery from the field, rest for 24 hours at a controlled temperature – between 4 and 6Cº – before entering the selection table.

One of the most notable innovations in our production process is the separation of the Tempranillo bunches into two parts. The shoulders, with perfect phenolic ripeness, are used for wines with more ageing and aging potential, while the tips are used for wines made via carbonic maceration.

One of the stylistic hallmarks of Remírez de Ganuza has been, from the beginning, the use of new French oak barrels for the ageing of our wines. In our search for the most suitable woods for our grapes, we have discovered and work with different barrel producers from across France. In addition, we have incorporated other containers for some of our wines, such as amphorae, to preserve the freshness of younger wines such as Iraila; our Grenache based wine.

No bottle of Remírez de Ganuza goes on the market without having spent a long time in the cellar, as time is key to the development of the characteristics and style we are known for.

The Trasnocho technique arose from many attempts to master the process of extraction after the free-run juice is removed. In 2001, we patented a method without oxidation or friction. Without removing or squeezing the skins, we introduce a large “balloon” into the upper part of the tank that we fill with water. The gentle weight of the water, without exerting any more pressure, causes the must to fall. Every year we produced around 9,000 bottles of Trasnocho, inspired by the Rioja tradition of letting the wine that had been crushed during the day drain gently, drop by drop throughout the night without pressure. Trasnocho is a wine with great structure, round and tasty, with black fruits and spices.