Real de Asúa

Wine made from grapes grown on the Carromaza estate in Villalba, a municipality in Rioja Alta situated 600 m above sea level. The estate has a cold and windy Atlantic climate with a risk of frost. However, the slopes of the Sierra de Cantabria mountains offer protection. The head-trained, south-facing vines are cultivated in sandy soil with an annual rainfall of around 700 mm.

The grapes are hand-harvested in 20 kg boxes in mid-October and transported to the winery located just 5 km away.   The grapes undergo a double selection process, first in the vineyard and again on arrival at the winery. The whole grapes are cold macerated and semi-crushed by the next day. The grapes then pass by gravity and fill a small 5-year old French wooden vat. We use indigenous yeast and carry out remontage and pigeage. After alcoholic fermentation, the wine undergoes heat maceration for a few days. The date the wine is run off depends on sample tastings. The fermentation temperature ranges from 28-29°C.

After being run off, malolactic fermentation takes place in new French oak barrels. After the malolactic process, at the start of December, the wine is transferred into barrels (new and single-wine barrels).