Penedo Borges - Finca Don Otaviano

The production of quality wines begins with the careful treatment that we give to the vineyard throughout each year, which includes the careful pruning done by our field staff under the technical supervision of an agricultural engineer and by our oenologist before harvest.

During harvest time, we perform a double quality check of the ripening process with regard to the level of sugar and acidity, and also apply sensorial analysis. The grapes are picked by hand and the harvested grape clusters destined for the boutique wine are stored in boxes of twenty kilos. This prevents unwanted precocious fermentation.

In the wine cellar after reception, classification, and weighing, the clusters are destemmed and the ripe grapes are selected manually and are forwarded for fermentation and maceration.

The obtained wine is analyzed and monitored with regard to its alcohol composition, total acidity and volatile acidity, residual sugar, polyphenol index, etc., and forwarded for ripening in barrels of French and North American oak.

The wood of the barrels allows a slow micro oxidation which is closely monitored by our oenologist. This process mildens the tannins, refines the taste and increases the complexity of flavors.

During the time in which the wine remains in wood barrels (which is never less than 12 months) the malolactic fermentation takes place and is periodically verified, during which the softness of the wine is mildened by diminishing the acidity.

During the bottling process, we take care to keep the wine’s contact with oxygen to a minimum. We consider that the bottling of our wines in Bordeaux bottles sealed with natural cork is not only a conservation system for the wine, but also a way to sensually enhance the wine.

After bottling in a mechanical isobaric system, the bottles are kept lying in a controlled environment with a constant temperature without excessive illumination and without trepidation for recovery of stability for a period of no less than 6 months.