Internship at a Spanish Winery - Bodega Comenge

Dec 1st

2010-01-28T09:33:00.000-08:00

Time definitely flies when you are having fun because these four months felt like 4 days. I've learned that making good wine is not easy. Life at a winery is very very hard work and the companies must wait years before they can sell their product in the market and start to get a return on their investment.

I would like to thank the Comenge family for allowing me to come and learn from their winery. Alvaro and Jaime were so generous and could not have treated me any better.

Also Rafa spent countless hours with me showing and explaining - sometimes over and over - all aspects of making wine. From canopy management, grape growing, harvesting, making, tasting, barrels and everything else in between. I also spent countless hours working with Emilio, Rafa's assistant. Also thank you to the girls in the office - Faviola, Elinor and Stella. They made my life so much easier.

This picture is Emilio, me and Rafa on my last day.

Thank you all !!! It has truly been a dram come true for me. Last stop - graduation and then job search....

Cork Forrest

2010-01-28T08:55:00.001-08:00

After the wines had fermented, life at the bodega retuned a little bit to normal. I spent most of my time working on my thesis but I did have a chance to go to Portugal for a conference. One of the cool side trips was a visit to a cork forrest and manufacturing facility.

This picture is the forrest. Corks are made from the bark, not the tree. I learned that the trees must be at least 50 years old before companies are able to use the bark for corks. Then, they can only be harvested every 9 years. You can see the bark removed from the trees.

The other picture is of me at the manufacturing facility. This facility had tons and tons of bark stacked around their property. It was really impressive.

Fermentation

2010-01-28T08:27:00.000-08:00

After the grapes go into the deposits, then Rafa starts the fermentation process. Yeast is added and converts the natural sugars in the grapes into alcohol and carbon dioxide. The must expands and heats up as the sugars are converting and it is necessary to monitor the density and the temperature throughout the process. As it converts, the density lowers. If the temperature gets too hot, it will kill the yeast strains and fermentation will not finish. A couple of the vats did get too hot but before it ruined itself, Rafa ran the juice through a cooling mechanism. It was very interesting and fun to taste from the deposits while they were converting.

This first picture is the top of one deposit that was filled a little too full, it expanded too much and pushed the top up.

The other picture is of me trying some of the must from one of the deposits.

Fermentation is started in a smaller vat and then later added to the bigger ones, I stood on top of the deposit and took a picture of the smaller vat fermenting. I think the colors are cool and you can see the juice bubbling.

Harvest Time

2010-01-28T07:57:00.000-08:00

I became very lazy and stopped updating my blog... but I wasn't that lazy, its just that when the harvest started, so did our 14 hour minimum workdays. Harvest lasted a little less than two weeks. It starts by pulling out and putting together the sorting tables, setting up the de-stem machines and the pumps to move the grapes up into the deposits. Comenge harvests by hand and the grapes are put in plastic bins that stack on top of each other in order to prevent the grapes from breaking while they are being transported. Once the grapes start arriving, they dont stop until the end of the day.

There is a triple selection of grapes that are used for Comenge wines. the first is in the field, the second is on a sorting table where any leaves, bugs and un-ripe clusters are removed. After the clusters move through the de-stemming machine, the individual little stems are removed so that only grapes are getting into the deposits. At the end of the day when all of the workers have gone home, then all of the equipment must be cleaned thoroughly to prevent any bacteria from growing and creating off odors and flavors.

The video that is attached shows some of the action after the grapes arrive.

Back to the grapes!

2009-09-18T01:20:00.000-07:00

When I arrived back at the Bodega on Wednesday morning, Janina and I went straight out into the field to collect grapes from each parcel and measure sugar content, acid, ph etc. We are also finishing measuring all of the plants and inserting the data into spreadsheets. There is more labeling of bottles and stacking on pallets happening now, and this morning, we tested all of the equipment needed for the harvest to make sure everything is working... and everything is working.

We analyzed the sugar content outside and stomped on the grapes this time to get the juice. Well, Janina stomped on them. I was going to take a picture of me doing it with bare feet but it was very cold that morning. The boots fit her better than me so she gets the privilege.

The grapes are maturing quite nicely, I'm happy to report.

A trip to Holland

2009-09-18T00:41:00.001-07:00

The Bodega flew me to Holland to represent them at a wine fair. I flew to Amsterdam and then took a train to the city of Houten. That is where the fair was and that is where the importer for Comenge is located. Its a city of about 50,000 people. I was not able to do anything that a tourist would do because my hotel was located in a 'tech center' kind of place and the fair was all day long. This was more like a trade show in that all of the exhibitors are importers of wines and spirits for Holland. All of the attendees were restaurant, bar and wine shop owners. These events are fun because you can walk around and taste all different kinds of alcohols. They are just tastes, so everyone is not walking around drunk. I tasted an Organic Vodka, several different styles of Sparkling Wines, Several different styles of Sherry, some wines from Brazil and wines from Austria. The Austrian wines were interesting because there was a guy from the winery in the same booth with me. I was able to taste the wines with him and there were some new grapes for me that I had never tried; Gruner Veltner and Zweigelt. He had 8 different wines and I tried them all. The best was a trockenberenauslese. This is a very-sweet desert wine that is made from grapes called Welschriesling. They are picked after a mold called Botrytis starts to form. Sometimes people call them 'late-harvest' wines. Delicious!!!

The first picture is the name of the wine fair - Drankenpakket.

The next is the booth of the importer - Van Dort Wijnspecialist.

The third picture is me standing outside of the exhibition hall.

Laboratory Fun!

2009-09-11T00:55:00.000-07:00

Harvest is just a few short weeks away. Janina and I have driven out to all of the parcels, pulled individual grapes off of the vines and have taken them to the laboratory for analysis. We first count 200 grapes and weigh them, then we take 20 of those grapes and squeeze out the seeds to look at their color. We count the number of seeds, separate those that are all green, green and brown and all brown. Green indicates non maturity and brown indicates maturity. Right now, most are somewhere in the middle. Then we crush the rest of the grapes with our hands and analyze the juice. We take the temperature, sugar level, acid and ph measurements. The wine maker uses all of this information to determine exactly when to start the harvest in each individual parcel. Its important information. We will be doing this several more times before I get to enjoy the back-breaking fun of harvest.

Sticky hands are the norm.

A filtration Method

2009-09-11T00:38:00.000-07:00

The winery has been blending wines from all of the barrels from the 2007 harvest and preparing them to be put in bottles so that they can 'rest' for at least one more year. I thought the filtering process was interesting. They use a specific type of dirt to filter the wine and this first picture is of the machine, up right and filtering the wine. The wine is pressure forced through the dirt and into very small holes in plates inside the stainless steel part on the left. Then it goes through another tube and collects into a stainless steel vat. The wines are filtered three more times before they are bottled but I thought this one was the most interesting. The second picture is how the plates are cleaned. The top pulls off to expose the plates. The wine on the ground is just run-off, it is not being pumped through. The third picture shows a bit of the dirt scraped away. For those that have attended my wine seminar - this is not 'terrior'.

More work and some Ham!

2009-09-03T13:10:00.000-07:00

This week is probably not one that would be interesting to someone that is not currently in or is not trying to enter the wine business. We have spent two solid days with the labeling machine and hand stacking cases on pallets. We also have been mixing all of the wines from the 2007 harvest in the 20,000L tanks and we will putting them into bottles next week so that they can start to "rest." They are mixed together so that all of the bottles will taste the same. .

I am starting to learn the more “colorful” side of the Spanish language by spending time with the workers in the bodega.

This picture is of the tanks that we are using to mix the wines.

The ham here tastes incredible. When you go into many tiendas that serve or sell food, they will have these legs hanging up that they shave off very thin slices of meat. The other picture is the final result of that shaving... My mouth salivates when I see that plate of ham... or is it from seeing 20,000 L of wine?

We've Finished Counting the Clusters

2009-08-30T11:45:00.000-07:00

Janina and I finished counting clusters in all of the parcels that Rafael wants us to count. I've added up the numbers and we counted 15,174 grape clusters!!!!!.... Quince Mil Ciento Setenta y Quatro.

We went down every fifth row and every 8th vine.

I hope I did not miss one.

Time to Label some Bottles!

2009-08-30T11:40:00.001-07:00

I spent a couple of hours this morning running bottles through the labeling machine, I then placed each bottle in a case, taped it up and stacked them on a pallet. We only did 630 bottles!!

This is not the best picture of me.

I've Reached a New Low - August 25

2009-08-30T11:22:00.000-07:00

I just paid 0.79 Euros for a bottle of wine. There is a wine, cheese and ham shop across from my apartment. They will fill up a liter of wine for 1 euro from what looks like a gas hose connected to a huge barrel. You can buy as much as you want, 3 liters, 5 liters…. Before the fiesta, I observed lots and lots of people “filling up”.

The verdict: its not un-drinkable.

Still counting grape clusters….

A little info about Comenge Wine

2009-08-27T11:39:00.000-07:00

Here is the label from the Bodega where I am working. The 2004 harvest was very, very good and the wine has won several awards. It has scored above 90 by many "important" critics and it truly tastes great. The 2005, in my opinion, is also very nice.

Some of what makes this wine so good is that there is a triple-selection of the Tempranillo grapes before fermentation begins. The first takes place when the grapes are picked off of the vine. The second is on a sorting table, where any unripe or not-evenly ripe grape clusters that were missed in the field, are removed. After going through the machine that removes the stems, the individual grapes are sorted once again and any remaining stems, leaves, broken grapes or undesirables are picked out. This is an expensive process but worth it.

The grapes will then go through a machine that splits the skin and they go into a stainless steel tank that holds 20,000 Liters. The juice that comes from all of that weight (called "Free-Run") is removed and placed in another tank where they will begin fermentation.

Comenge has a patent on three specific yeast strains that they use for fermentation. Those yeasts come from their own parcels and are cultivated with help from the University of Madrid. Many wineries will use generic yeast for their fermentation. Once fermentation begins, then the juice is put back in with the skins and pulp in the stainless steel tanks to obtain its color and richness.

Only free-run juice is used in Comenge and this is the best juice for making wine. They do not use any juice that comes from pressing the grapes. This free-run juice is then put in mostly French Oak barrels - considered by many to be the best - but also in some American Oak- for a minimum of 1 year. At Rafael's discretion (the winemaker), after at least a year, the wine is then put in bottles where they will rest in a temperature controlled room for at least another year. Then they are ready to be released and sold in the market.

There are also many other laborious steps that are taken but this is probably enough info... for now. Once the harvest begins, in early October, I will get some pictures posted of the grapes in action. You should look for a bottle the next time you go to a wine shop. If they don't have it, ask for it. The importer is Folio Wine Group.

Bodega Comenge also makes a Reserva wine called Don Miguele Comenge but it is not sold in the U.S. Market yet. It is aged for a minimum of 3 years. They only make in years when the weather fully cooperates and the grapes come from one specific parcel. Its pricey but well worth it. Approx. $35. It has not been produced for two years now but this year, the weather has been great! I counted those clusters today... MMMMM. Juicy. I ate a few of them while I was counting.

SIAT Antique Car Show and More Tasting- August 22

2009-08-27T11:11:00.000-07:00

There was a SIAT antique car show in Curiel del Duero, the small village where the winery is located. Comenge was one of the sponsors of this event. The car owners took a “3 hour tour” and finished up at Bodega Comenge for lunch. Janina and I toured two bodegas: Vina Pedrosa and Emina.

Counting Clusters

2009-08-26T02:44:00.000-07:00

Janina and I have been going out at 7:30 each morning to count grape clusters. We count every 5th row and every 8th vine. The reason is so that the wine maker can get an average about how each parcel of vines is doing and how much production he can expect. There is a production maximum. If the vines are producing too much, then some of the smaller clusters will be cut off so that only the best grapes are used. Our data is put in a spreadsheet and analized. Some of the hills are steep and yes, I'm too tall to be bending over that far. However, it is interesting to get down into the vines and really inspect them... and to pick off a grape or two along the way for a nice snack!

This photo is just one page of one parcel. the big number is the total number of grapes on the vine and the smaller numbers are the size of the clusters - small, med or large.

Another gets run over

2009-08-25T11:28:00.000-07:00

Here is another video that is a good example of the general public "playing with the bulls". One guy loses his footing towards the end and gets stepped on a few times. These bulls are not as big but the horns are just as sharp. "You mess with the bull, you get the horns" - quote from Breakfast Club.

Please enjoy this video with a Crianza from the Ribera del Duero. Crianza means that the wine was aged in oak barrels for at least one year and rests in the bottle for at least one year.

Final day of the Fiesta -August 18

2009-08-25T09:37:00.001-07:00

Today Rafa took Janina and I toured two wineries that are well known in the Ribera del Duero region. Abadia Retuerta and Real Sitio. Real Sitio had barrels made from all over the world. I’m used to hearing about French and American Oak but I never knew that you could buy barrels from Russia or Hungary. These barrels were made especially for Real Sitio. We also stopped at several different parcels along the way to take a look at the different trellis systems and canopy management techniques. This is probably not that interesting to someone that is not into wines but I loved it. Rafa speaks very clearly so I'm able to understand about 80 percent of what he says. This evening was the final day for the fiesta. This is competition where guys will get a bull to charge at them and then arch their back inches from the bull or jump over... or do flips while jumping over... No bulls harmed today..... well, except for the first bull. when he was let into the arena, he charged too hard into the fence and knocked himself out. They had to get him out of the ring and send in another. This is a pretty good video of one part of the event....

More Fiesta !August 17

2009-08-25T03:45:00.000-07:00

The grocery store has been closed since Friday and there is no food in the house. Janina is a vegitarian and she has been eating cheese on bread and I’m eating ham on bread- dry bread- from the bars. Rafa, the winemaker, drove us around Rebera del Duero to see some of the other winerys. There were several that were closed but it was very interesting to see more of Ribera del Duero. That evening the bull fights took place on horseback. The outfits worn by the matadores and their support people were really cool. I'm told they are traditional Portuguese. It was very interesting to watch the event, still brutal but interesting. They do shave the tip of the bull horns so that he is not able to stick the horse. This time there were 4 bulls to take out. When we normally had exited the arena, we made a wide left turn to parade ( I mean run and push aside drunk people) down the street. This time the horses used for the bull fight were lined up with their backside towards the street. Now when we exited we had to make a tighter left turn and I had to run behind those horses and not get stepped on by my horse. They were moving around with all of the noise and commotion and I had visions on me getting kicked by one of those while we were running behind them. We were successful. During the third bull fight, I went into the stands to watch. When the final sword went into the bulls spine I walked down to the outside of the arean to head to where our horses were. As I was walking, the crownd started to move away from the fence as if the bull was about to jump over. When I looked over, one of the matador's helpers came flying over the fence. Apparenty that bull was not ready to go down and threw this guy. By the time the 4^th fight was over, Alvaro and myself were pretty exhausted. I had a few beers outside the arena and went home for the night.

More Fiesta - August 16

2009-08-24T04:17:00.000-07:00

Another dangerous aspect of the Penafiel Fiesta is the daily running of the bulls.. Janina and I went to watch this. It was a very quick event and I was humored by several old men that ran very far in front. There are about 10 bulls that run from thier holding cage to the arena. There are barricades that you can stand behind if you choose to do so. We did.. Next, we went to the arena and watched the young men "play" with the bulls. Again, they were inside and outside of the ring. I don’t know if these guys are practicing the be matadors or if they just do it to please the crowd but some of them are very good. One guy lost his footing and went down. The bull was able to get down and made a pass with his horns but the guy did not get stuck. Thank god. He was stepped on a few times and was pretty bruised up. There were two more bull fights that night and we were dressed and ready to go with the horses at 5:30. We were able to pull them out of the arena without incident. Its really harder than it looks because the ground is soft and hard to run in. There are also holes where the bulls have been running, you could easily twist your ankle running in there. Later that evening I went to a party inside one of the many bodegas that is located underground. The food was great, the beer was cold and I was able to understand about 40% of what is said. One guy made us all listen to Michael Jackson songs and one in particular that was slow. It really brought the party to a screeching halt. Pretty funny.

One picture is of Alvaro and me in the middle of the "bull removal process". The other picture is a good example of one bull outside of the ring and -way in the back is another bull inside of the ring and plenty of people milling around. I am safely behind the barricade taking this picture. This particular Bodega is built into the side of the mountain. The Chimney to the left is used for ventilation. This video is an example of what happens when there is a bull inside and outside of the arena. This guy walked away in pretty good shape but I saw a guy get his leg gouged and multiple tramples. I apologize in advance for not holding the camera still but I was trying to watch at the same time!

Fiesta time! August 15

2009-08-24T03:33:00.000-07:00

I started my day by going to the Arena to watch the bulls. The bull fight is not until 6:30 but the people from Penafiel can "play" for a while with the bulls. It is very dangerous. Sometimes ther is just one bull inside the ring and sometimes another one outside. I was told later in the afternoon that a person died that morning from being gorged by a bull that jumped over the fence.. I’m so glad that I did not see that happen but I do have the video which I will get posted soon. The guys that are in the ring are putting their lives at risk for the entertainment of the crowd. What seems to get the crowd going is that you let the bull charge at you and just as you get out of the way - literally inches - you stop and arch your back and let the bull charge past you. Don't fall, because your going to get trampled. At 5:30, I was dressed in white pants, shirt and red wrap (traditional outfit)I was picked up by Rafa and Alvaro and we went to get the horses. Reynaldo they guy that takes care of the horses, had them ready and we walked through the streets into the arena. The crowd loved the horses. It was packed inside and I wondered how the horses were going to react with so much noise and commotion. They did great and did not seem bothered at all. When it was time to start the bull fight, we entered the ring with the matador and the other helpers to greet the president of the fiesta who was in the stands. I'm looking at the thousands of people from the inside of the ring my thoughts were; this is incredible, how did I get to be standing here? then my thoughts turned to - God I hope I don't fall when we run in and out with the horses. Afterwards we took the horses outside and waited for the bull fight to end. The first matador was not that good and at one point the bull caught him and slung him around. He was very lucky not to have been hurt. He did his dance with the bull and it was very artistic. At one point he put down his cape and went to his knees and was staring the bull in the face – approx 1 meter away. Amazing. He did have some problems when it came time to kill this bull. It took him several attempts to stick the sword into the spine. My gag reflex kicked in when I saw a brief fountain of blood come from the bulls neck. When the bull finally went down, we ran the horses back into the ring -first to the middle and then to the side where the bull was. Reynaldo tied him to the back of the horses, we ran back into the middle again and then outside of the ring, through the gate and down the street about 50 meters - dragging the bull. They crowds were thick and we literally had to push people out of the way. Quote from Alvaro on how to deal with the crowds: “don’t be too educated, push them out of the way.” All the while people were taking pictures and applauding – tons of drunk people. After we stopped the bull was unhooked and we took the horses back to wait for the next round. This next time the matador did a much better job and he was able to kill the bull on the first try. Again we ran back into the ring with the horses, Tyson and Foreman. This time one of the hourses took a shit right on the bull while we were hooking him up. What a way to leave the earth, killed for the entertainment of the crowd and then shit on by the horse that drags you out. The crowd really seemed to get a kick out of that and the applause level increased. We hooked up the bull and drug him to the center of the ring, out the gate and down the street. This time was a little more difficult and the dead bull hit a parked truck while we were pulling him and then one of the horses slipped on the blood of the previous bull. Everything worked out ok, again more photos and then we were finished for the day. Another intern arrived and her name is Janina and she is from Germany. She is my new room mate.

The first picture is when the bull is outside of the ring. You have to pay attention and as you can see, you have to get out of the way when they are coming around. The second picture is of the matador facing down the bull.

August 14

2009-08-24T03:07:00.000-07:00

I read a book about canopy management and went out into the field w/ Rafa to look at his trellis system and the way that he prunes the vines. He showed me how many shoots per branch and how far they are spaced apart. In one part of the field, there is more sand in the ground. The vines in this area were much smaller and did not produce very big bunches of grapes. We talked about managing a Bodega and the direction of my career. I was concerned because he has a very technical and scientific background and is the general manager here. He explained that many times, bodega managers will come from the market side of the business so I should not have a problem finding work after my internship is over. Lucky for me, I still have 3.5 more months to go here. We looked at a video from a Barrel company in France on how they make them. Very interesting.

This Photo is of a healthy Tempranillo cluster. Tempranillo is the dominant grape here in Rebera del Duero wine region. Most all of the grapes are the same shade of purple, even on the inside of the cluster. It looks tasty, doesn't it?

August 12

2009-08-24T02:32:00.000-07:00

Started the day again with Fabiola by going to the bread shop, meat market and vegetable market. Rafa met me and took me into the area where the tanks are located and introduced me to two other guys that work here. They were about clean a stainless steel vat and change out some barrels. I'm sure they were glad to see me because Rafa had me clean out the barrel. I'm learning more about sulfites as we go because they are using it to clean out the vat. One use of sulfites is that they clean areas where wine has been or will go. It kills any kind of bacteria that could possibly contaminate. We then drained some wine that was in the barrel and put it in the tank that I just cleaned. Then we took that barrel and drained out the sediment and put it on a cleaning machine. These barrels were not going to be re-used. When clean, we used a solid piece of sulfite, lit it with a match and let the smoke fill the inside.. Again, this is a way to get rid on bacteria that might be left behind. We took the wine that we removed from the 3 barrels and went around to all of other barrels and topped them off. Rafa explained to me that there are 9 tourists coming tommorrw and they are going to have a picnic. We drove around to the other parcels of vines to scout out the perfect place. We found it under some pine trees that overlook 2 parcels of vines and the castle in Penafiel in the far background. Beautiful.

This picture is of the castle in Penafiel.

August 11

2009-08-24T01:58:00.000-07:00

I started the day by going with Fabiola, the office manager, to the bread store, meat market and vegetable market to buy food for the lunch for the people from Boston. Comenge has a big kitchen and a big area for private parties. We met up with Nicole, from Folio and the people from Boston at the horse stalls. The Bostonians went horseback and the rest of us rode in the buggy through the town of Curiel del Duero. Curiel is a medieval town that surrounds a castle. Going horseback through there is really like stepping back in time. Its very quiet and all you hear are the hooves of the trotting horses. We toured through the vineyards and retuned to the Bodega. It is a beautiful way to go through the vines. Rafael, the wine maker and general manager, met us and gave a tour of the Bodega and joined us for lunch. He said that this year the weather has been great and that so far, it looks like they will be making Don Miguel. This wine is only made in good years and only comes from one of Comenge's parcels. Rafa, short for Rafael, has not made Don Miguel for two years. Our lunch was great. Roated lamb, salad, great bread, some kind of prawn appetizer but most importantly, a vertical tasting of 04, 05 and 06 Comenge wines. Very tasty! When lunch was finished, I spent time with Rafa talking about sulfites and listening to him explain a little more about the operations in the Bodega. All in Spanish but for some reason, I'm able to understand about 70% of what he is saying and can pretty much fill in the rest. What a relief.

This is a picture of the Bodega. Its fairly new. The company was started in 1999 and their first bottling was in 01 but the first release in the commercial market was in 02.

First Weekend - August 10

2009-08-24T01:29:00.000-07:00

I retuned my rental car in Vallidolid last friday and took the bus back. I always enjoy going to bus stations because there are always so many weird people walking around. This time was not any different. I actually felt pretty isolated when I arrived back in Penafiel.. There is only me, for now, in a 4 bedroom apartment, I cant get the tv to change channels and I'm having a really hard time understanding people when they talk. I went to the Bodega around 5pm with Vabiola to meet Alvaro, the owner. He is a very nice guy, laid back and speaks perfect english. Finally my brain can relax for a couple of hours. There was a dinner for two people that work for a distributor is Boston. They had the most new placements for Comenge and won a trip out here. It is also my first opportunity to meet Nicole from Folio Wine Group - the US importers of Comenge and also the company that hooked me up with this internship. We had an incredible 5 course meal and drank Don Miguele, the top end wine from Comenge. What a great beginning to the week. The view from the winery is incredible. It sits on top of a hill and on one side you can see the castle in Penafiel and on the other side, you can see the castle in Cureil del Duero. The Bodega also has a nice sized garden behind it that I have permission to pick from. There are also horses that tourists can ride or be pulled in a cart through the vineyards. I also can collect fresh eggs from the hens. Alvaro told me about Penafiel's fiesta that is taking place next weekend and he asked if I would like to help him to pull the bulls out of the ring after the matador is finished... Of course I would like to help.

This picture is the castle in Curiel del Duero, it is also a hotel