In our production process there are two unique principles in which the obtaining of the grape and the wine production are based :

1. The highest quality of the grape.
2. The highest hygiene in the winery

Grape Selection.

Three selection processes are carried out :

1. Selection of the grape to harvest.


2. Selection of the grape haverst time.
3. Selection in grape harvest.
   

Selection of the grape to harvest .

From the whole vineyard area, just a tenth part is aimed to the own wine production. The rest is sold to other wineries.

So the selection process is based in the harvest of the grapes that each season show a better condition to produce the best wine .

Starting from the elemental primary selection as they are the plant's health and vegetative situation , the selection of the grape follows the following parameters:

1. Sensorial analyses following the method endorsed by the ICV institute (Cooperative Institute for Wine – France

2. Chemical analyses of samples carried out by the INTAEX (Agroalimentary Technologic Institute of Extremadura – Located in Badajoz ).

3. PH and Baume degree analyses by the vine grower himself .
   

Sensorial Analysis ICV.

This analysis consists of carrying out 20 direct observations by the vine grower from each grape in the grape harvest time. These observations are divided as follows into the four parts of the grape:

1. On the grape (2 tactile observations).

2. On the pulp (5 gustatory observations). .

3. On the skin (7 gustatory and 1 visual observations).

4. On the seeds (4 gustatory and 1 visual observations).

By means of these observations it is determined which varieties are the most adequate to produce wine in every season and the sectors and areas from each sector that are the most appropriate, but in limitations resulting from the chemical analyses

Chemical Analysis.

Every year from the moment the grape in general reaches at least 9 degrees in sugar content, they are carried out three or four chemical analyses (the fourth one is an eventual one after the grape harvest and is aimed to observe the later evolution and determine whether it had been better to wait) on grape samples from every sector, taken from three different areas on each of them. These selected samples, collected in the early morning and kept refrigerated in a portable refrigerator are immediately taken to the INTAEX for the already mentioned analysis to be done. The results are usually available the next day.

Below you can read an example from the year 2.006 of the 3C sector, Cabernet Sauvignon, from which wine of that variety was produced.

	CABERNET
	S3C
	01/08/06	10/08/06	21/08/06
50 Grapes Weight		38,86	46,29
Brix Degree	17,9	21,4	22,86
Baume Degree	9,91	11,85	12,66
Density	1.075
Ph	3,17	3,39	3,53
Total Acidity (g TH2/L) PH	8,88	7,82	7,72
Total Acidity (g TH2/L) PH 8,2	10,34	8,78	8,13
Yield (Lt/100kg grape)	38,59	38,3	53,7
Malic Acid	2,16	0,9	1,27
Tartaric Acid	10,052	9,256	7,403
Total IPT	43,4	63,32	51,36
Extractable IPT	39,4	39,18	33,25
Total Antocians (mg/l)	730,6	1.380,6	1.291,4
Extractable Antocians (mg/l)	531,8	687,7	637,2
Cellular Ripeness	27,2	50,2	50,7
Seed Ripeness	38,84	29,8	23,3

PH analysis and direct degree on the vineyard .

According to the results of the two kinds of analyses described, it is determined which grapes can be suitable for the wine production . Those analyses are expensive and require investing much time in the first instance (ICV) and time, high cost and workers for the sample recollection in the latter. So they cannot be carried out in as short time intervals as we would like to.

From this first selection the winegrower himself provided with a portable equipment consisting of PH-meter and a refractometer, starts the continuous collecting of probable acidity and gradation data on the selected areas with a double aim: specify exactly the area to harvest and the most appropriate grape harvest time. o

Conclusions.

Throughout the years this monitoring has made possible establishing areas in which grapes usually offer the best characteristics for wine production . It is never an exact science, though, because the results vary every year. Even so we can talk about areas and grapes more selected than others making easier progressively the selection process

Selection in grape harvest.

It consists of short harvests due to the low amount of grapes produced . This is why it is not possible to hire men because the short working time makes them unavailable. Nevertheless, there are always women who carry out sporadic tasks in that time. The current policy of winegrowers who prefer quantity to quality is either hiring men because they collect much more grapes than women, or use machinery .
The disadvantage of hiring women regarding the price rising of the grape harvest has really positive aspects and in the case of this winery, make them essential.

1. Available anytime and with not number limitation.
2. Feminine selection of grape clusters, picking just the good ones.
3. Cleaner grape harvests.
4. Better grapes. The grape harvest is carried out with pruning scissors.
5. They are more careful with the grapes.

T he grape harvest is carried out by w omen teams coming from the neighbour towns Olivenza and Alconchel. The team manager Carmen Jara, from Olivenza, is a strong, capable and resolute woman who in direct coordination with the winegrower manages the harvest workers tasks in a splendid way .

Even the lower resistance to physical work is made up for the shorter harvesting timetable . Provided the usual climate conditions in the harvest time (August in this region), the shifts are short starting in the dawn in order to avoid high temperatures and allowing the grape get to the winery fresh. Five hours a day from 06:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. with a half an hour break. .

The grapes are placed in plain bottomed boxes and are never filled with more than 15 kg. each.
Finally, the grapes are taken in tows to the winery , placed less than 500 metres far from the vineyard central point.

Conclusions.

Every described process have as main aim obtaining maximum quality grapes in order to produce quality wine . All the more since in this case in which the winegrower could not produce a quality wine using low quality grapes, a miracle I cannot understand but which some oenologists have personally assured me .