Concept | Production
PRODUCTION
Our production process is entirely driven by gravity
WINEMAKING
The winery is located below the vineyards, using the most modern winemaking technologies. The harvested grapes are previously selected by terroir and by variety, taking only a few minutes to reach the cellar, to begin maceration for 24 hours at low temperature.
The vinically thought-out architecture of this 3-storey building allows the descent of the red grapes to the trunking tanks previously cooled by gravity, without pressure or pumping, where a robot passes that performs a soft and slow step.
The previously destemmed white must flows smoothly into a pneumatic press with total absence of oxygen, making any possibility of oxidation unfeasible.
After the introduction of selected yeasts for each type of wine and grape variety, fermentation begins and the extractions are carried out smoothly over a long period that allows extracting all the components of the grapes, essential to the structure, longevity and complexity of the wines.
Different equipment, open and closed vats are proposed. All have a temperature control system and respect the oldest wine traditions. Favoring the winemaking of small quantities, these equipments multiply the means of selecting the stage in new French oak barrels and fine-tune the precision of each batch, coming from a parcel or from a parcel fragment.
Submission to terroir and respect for the grape are the keywords in this true watchmaking work that we are proud to present to consumers.
AGEING
Temperature and hygrometry are for Herdade do Freixo, indispensable conditions for the appropriate stage of our wines. The location of the cellar stage in barrels, in the deepest part of the cellar, enhances the maintenance of a temperature between 15º and 18º C and an average humidity of 85% with reduced use of artificial acclimatization, determining the ideal conditions for good evolution of wine.
The rest of the wine in 225 liter barrels, previously studied by variety and the respective evolution in each type of wood, allows a harmonious marriage with the different types of wood, giving “more subtle, complex aromas and round and elegant tannins” in wines aged in French woods and “more potent woody aromas and more rustic tannins” in wines that evolved in American wood. The Stage Time factor will determine the density, intensity and organoleptic characteristics, which will allow the winemaker to select the final, homogeneous blend, where the wine will express its history and personality throughout its years of life.
Herdade do Freixo presents the result of a careful adjustment of the affinity of each variety with the oak, in order to enrich and make known the flavors and aromas of nature.
BOTTLING
In the bottling line, Herdade do Freixo's commitment to preserving the essence, motivated the investment in a line with cutting-edge technology, which uses a rotating turret to pre-evacuate the air from the bottles, with injection of inert gas before bottling. This operation prevents the absorption of oxygen during the filling phase, preserving the organoleptic and sensory characteristics of the wines.
On the other hand, the line with self-leveling valves allows that there is no need to create a depression in the filling bell and thus filling with precise, repetitive and natural levels can be carried out. Also, an absence of the wine return cannulas prevents any microbiological contamination and facilitates the washing and steam sterilization operations in the entire circuit in contact with the wine.
