Dancing on the grapes

Our vineyard is young and not very big. We planted it ourselves in the early spring of 2013.

In well-cultivated land, with good care (proper watering for at least the first two years) the grapes will be harvested as early as the third summer. Our grapes did not get the best start conditions and have little developmental delay. But every year they get better and better. Last year, for the first time, we started to think, that we have enough to be picked with a bucket. Unfortunately, wild boar got this catch (without asking permission, of course). This year we putted all around the vineyard an electric shepherd and harvested the grapes ourselves.

We have two varieties of red grapes (Garnacha Tintorero and Tempranillo) – and one variety of white grapes (Macabeo).

Of course, red becomes a wine or a brandy. There are more options with white: wine, cava, brandy, mistela. This year we made mistela, which is a liqueur from grape juice and strong grape alcohol (96% natural alcohol). After stirring the juice and alcohol in the pot for a few days, we will put this golden liquid in the barrel for a while.

This is not the first time we are making wine, but it is the first time we have made it with our own grapes.

Grapes picked, pressing began.

To make it more fun, we danced on the grapes accompanied by a shaman drum.

 

When it was done, we separated the juice from the white grapes for mistela and poured the rest into the grape press.

 

Usually the juices of different varieties are pressed and fermented separately and finally mixed together to form the desired mixture for vine. Our quantity was so small this year that everything went together.

 

We prepared the juice for fermentation and by that day, the grape-related activities were over and it was time to start eating paella.