Visit a barrel factory

For their own wines

Visit the best wine cellars and one of the few barrel factories in Spain with our Private Wine Tour of La Rioja and Ribera del Duero. Discover first-hand how wood enhances the taste of wine and learn the difference between aging in French and American oak barrels. Let us take you through renowned family wineries, immerse you in the exciting world of wine and its ancient art through an unforgettable wine tour.

Making it goes much further than just joining a few planks or wood to make a container in which the wine will rest, we are talking about the luxurious receptacle where the wines will be made and “aged” with care in a detailed process: From the vine itself, the choice of the grapes and their production and ageing. The development of a wine is nothing more than a concatenation of careful details. And it is precisely in the process of aging in the barrel and then in the bottle where the wine reaches its full maturity. We are referring to the barrel, the place where the oenologists take care and monitor the wine and its gestation with exhaustive and constant tastings. In these tasting sessions, the wine’s aging is completed and the ideal moment and proportions are sought to create the perfect coupage*.

In the world of wine, no detail is accidental. Nor is it in the barrels. Their boards, pressed together without the use of any adhesive, are heated with a double function. On the one hand, their flexibility is increased. On the other hand, it seeks to give a toasted touch to the wood that enhances but never overpowers the taste of the wine.

They are normally made of French or American oak (although there are also barrels of Romanian and other origins). You may wonder about the difference between the two. You will discover every peculiarity sharing with us this experience or Private Tour of Rioja or Ribera del Duero Wineries, but if you wish to come with some previous information, we will tell you that one of the keys is in the porosity. French oak, more porous, leaves more wood taste in the wines and, France is, in fact, our main importing place since there are only three barrel factories in Spain… Yes, only 3 and inside one of the wineries you can visit in this wine experience, there is one of them.

Barrels have an average life of 3 and 5 years, then the wood loses its flavor and stops giving the desired touch to the wine. But its life does not end here, afterwards, this noble object that even forms part of the decoration of homes and catering establishments, is used in the manufacture of other distillates such as port and whisky, which also have a touch of the barrel although more subtle.

You will learn what the different barrels bring on our wine day or private tour of La Rioja or Ribera del Duero and you will understand how in wine every detail counts. Every touch adds up and every gesture towards these wines will be reflected in your Gourmet & Wine Tour experience in Spain. Are you coming to this private tour in La Rioja or Ribera del Duero?

*Coupage: Term that comes from the French that refers to the perfect blend of different varieties of grapes or barrels.

info@madrid-experience.com – 0034 915 417 099