| After
the new wine, called “vinho claro” - clear wine, is fortified
with wine alcohol to control fermentation and to retain the natural sweetness
of the grapes it is ready for its boiling in large coated vats, generally
holding 30 or 40 thousand litres of wine. These vats are fitted with
serpentines of stainless steel to evenly radiate the heat throughout the
wine. Then the wine is poured into the huge unheated chambers. The heat
is applied very slowly - at a rate of about 5 degrees Celsius
per day. This is continued throughout the rest of the month to
eventually achieve a temperature of about 40 to 50 degrees Celsius.
|
If
the wine is heated too quickly it develops prematurely and acquires a burnt
taste or flavour. The heating process continues at this bubbling pace for
another 3 months and careful observation and control is maintained, including
governmental verification. One practice is the official waxing and sealing
of the heating gauges to 55 degrees Celsius - the maximum temperature permissible
to broil the wine. At the end of the process, the heat is gradually reduced
until the wine reaches room temperature before it is fined and placed
in oak casks for quiet and restful maturing.
