WINERY
Our Iberian and Roman ancestors, who inhabited these lands for centuries before us, already cultivated grapes and made wines. They were the origin of the tradition and culture of growing grapes and making wine in our land.
Today, at Bodegas Ontalba, the tradition, passion and efforts of generations of agriculturalists are combined with new concepts in grape cultivation, harvesting, selecting, and the production and ageing of the wine. We offer our clients excellent wines, which are both current and different.
Our wineries have an average grape production of around 15 million kilos.
We sell our wines under the Jumilla Designation of Origin. We have low rates of production and an excellent quality.
The grape harvest
The grape harvest takes place when the grapes have reached optimum maturity, and it is carried out manually or with machines. Apart from a few exceptions, the grape harvest takes place from the beginning of September to mid-October. A first selection is made and damaged bunches are removed. The climate and soil are fundamental for creating quality wines, but the wine making process is no less important.
Selection
The grapes are unloaded into a “receiving hopper”, a kind of funnel-shaped inverted pyramid which deposits the grapes onto a “conveyor belt” that takes them directly to the crusher. Prior to this, the fruit is analysed to determine its cleanliness and its sugar and acid content. The crusher presses the grape just enough to avoid the pips and the stalks or stems (the structural support of the bunch) breaking and contaminating the grape juice. The resulting paste is removed to the presses via the “centrifugal pump” without coming into contact with air, to prevent the start of fermentation. For red wines, before proceeding to the pressing, the paste needs to have the stems removed. From this point, the process takes on different paths depending on whether the wine is white, red or rose.
Selection
The grapes are unloaded into a “receiving hopper”, a kind of funnel-shaped inverted pyramid which deposits the grapes onto a “conveyor belt” that takes them directly to the crusher. Prior to this, the fruit is analysed to determine its cleanliness and its sugar and acid content. The crusher presses the grape just enough to avoid the pips and the stalks or stems (the structural support of the bunch) breaking and contaminating the grape juice. The resulting paste is removed to the presses via the “centrifugal pump” without coming into contact with air, to prevent the start of fermentation. For red wines, before proceeding to the pressing, the paste needs to have the stems removed. From this point, the process takes on different paths depending on whether the wine is white, red or rose.
Cultivation
The purpose of our vineyards and their cultivation is to obtain wines which respect all the varieties of notes that emerge from the grapes. We produce wines that express themselves in the nose or in the mouthfeel, with the character of our soils and the distinctiveness of the traditional cultivation methods used on our vineyards. The type of grape cultivation used in our area is carried out in two ways:
Cultivation
The purpose of our vineyards and their cultivation is to obtain wines which respect all the varieties of notes that emerge from the grapes. We produce wines that express themselves in the nose or in the mouthfeel, with the character of our soils and the distinctiveness of the traditional cultivation methods used on our vineyards. The type of grape cultivation used in our area is carried out in two ways:
Trellis cultivation: For vineyards known to be between 10 and 20 years old. These young vineyards are controlled by the wine grower to reduce the level of production. This control of growth increases the quality of the grape and of the wines obtained from it.
Bush or goblet cultivation: In this type of cultivation grapevines of between 30 and 80 years old are found. This is the most traditional cultivation method of the region, providing a reduced and controlled yield. This type of cultivation increases the quality of the grapes and, as a consequence, gives us high quality wines.
The average production figures are between 2000 and 5000 kilos per hectare. These figures reflect the care and control which we have over our vineyards in order to obtain good fruit and quality wines.
Fermentation
The alcohol fermentation takes place in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks, with a long pre-ferment and post-ferment maceration to obtain all the colour, structure, aroma and potential of the grape. Through the maceration, pumping over and stirring, we extract wines of high colour intensity.
Ageing
In our ageing room the wine is aged in bottles and in barrels. This is the place where the wine rests in French oak barrels for between 6 and 14 months, which is an ideal ageing time for our Patre and Selección wines, as the perfect conditions of temperature and humidity, along with the silence and absence of light, are maintained in our ageing room throughout the whole year. A gentle filtration maintains all the properties of the bottled wine.
Ageing
In our ageing room the wine is aged in bottles and in barrels. This is the place where the wine rests in French oak barrels for between 6 and 14 months, which is an ideal ageing time for our Patre and Selección wines, as the perfect conditions of temperature and humidity, along with the silence and absence of light, are maintained in our ageing room throughout the whole year. A gentle filtration maintains all the properties of the bottled wine.
Wine cellar
The bottles await their journey to market in a wine cellar where they rest from three months to a year, always lying horizontally so that the cork remains moistened by the wine at all times.
Wine Rack
The bottles await their journey to market in a wine cellar where they rest from three months to a year, always lying horizontally so that the cork remains moistened by the wine at all times.