The temperatures of the wines, the vineyards and the winery of Pazo Baión

From viticulture to tasting, the temperatures of the wines play an essential role in elaborating and enjoying wines

In this hot start of autumn, temperatures have been the protagonists of the news and social gatherings. Although we do not pay too much attention to them, temperatures are fundamental in our daily lives. Not only because they determine what we wear and impact our well-being but also because they affect thousands of issues, especially in areas such as agriculture, viticulture and gastronomy. The temperatures of the wines are one of the essential elements of these processes. And we are not just talking about serving temperatures.

The temperatures of the wines include the vineyard’s climate throughout the different stages of the vine’s life cycle, the exhaustive control of temperatures during the winemaking processes, such as alcoholic fermentation, and the serving temperature.

Do you want to know why the temperatures of Pazo Baión wines are so essential to achieving Albariños full of life and with an extraordinary personality and structure? We invite you to read on.

Vineyard temperatures

The most notorious differential value of Pazo Baión wines concerning the rest of Rías Baixas is that they are made solely and exclusively with grapes from the vineyards that make up the property. No grapes cross the entrance to the estate to help the winemakers make Pazo Baión, Gran a Gran and Vides de Fontán. This means that all the raw material is sourced from the nine plots of this vineyard.

Pazo Baión’s viticulture team continuously monitors the temperature of the vineyards. This work is essential to care for the vines and ensure the grapes reach their optimum ripeness. Thanks to their work, we know that the average annual temperature of the Pazo Baión vineyards is 14.6º. This figure rises to 15.8º Celsius during the active period of the vines. This data allows us to observe that the temperatures at Pazo Baión are pleasant, thanks to the sea’s proximity and the terrain’s characteristics.

However, an essential aspect to consider regarding vineyard temperatures is the significant difference between plots. Why? On our property, there is a difference of 120 meters in altitude between the lowest and highest plots. This causes the average temperature difference between them to reach 0.6º. This also produces a difference in the ripening of the grapes of about ten days, which affects the harvest and is essential to determine which grapes are used to make each of our three wines.

For example, the grapes from the highest plots are the perfect raw material for making Vides de Fontán; this harvest is carried out during the coolest hours of the day.

Furthermore, we must emphasize that the low winter temperatures are of enormous importance for the well-being of the vines because they allow them to rest and regenerate to produce a new vintage of the highest quality and to remain healthy.

The temperatures of the winemaking processes carried out in the winery

Once the grapes are harvested and arrive at the winery, the degrees Celsius become even more critical. Why? The various methods to which the grapes are subjected until the wine is bottled must be carried out at ideally studied temperatures. In the case of Pazo Baión, we can highlight some of the temperatures of the wines during the winemaking process:

• For the musts to be transformed into wines, they must undergo alcoholic fermentation. This process in Pazo Baión is carried out at a controlled temperature between 15º and 17º.
• While they are stored on the vine before stabilization and bottling, the temperatures of Pazo Baión wines are constantly monitored to prevent them from exceeding 18º, which could affect their freshness and aromatic potential.
• Before being put on the market, the wines are cleaned with organic fining agents and stabilized against possible precipitation of tartaric salts, for which a cold treatment is carried out at a temperature close to the freezing point of the wine. The temperatures of the wines during this phase, which lasts a couple of weeks, are between -3º and -4º.

In the past, controlling the temperatures of the wines during their stay in the cellars was a more complex task. However, technical advances and the development of intelligent devices allow winemakers to monitor the temperatures of the wines from the time they are mere musts until they are bottled to be enjoyed by lovers of these unique creations.

In this way, the knowledge inherited from past generations over the centuries is complemented by the technology available today, which allows Pazo Baión’s winemaking team to take care of every single process down to the last millimeter to produce authentic works of craftsmanship.

Serving temperatures for Pazo Baión, Gran a Gran and Vides de Fontán

When discussing the temperatures of the wines, we should focus on the optimum degrees Celsius at which they should be enjoyed. In the popular imagination, red wines are consumed at a higher temperature than white wines, which are associated with the idea of being served very cold. In general terms, this is true. However, the temperatures of the wines differ from one wine to another. Therefore, there is no ideal serving temperature for red or white wines such as Albariño. As we have already pointed out on other occasions, each wine is a world of its own due to the complexity of these elaborations.

Regarding Pazo Baión wines, we find three Rías Baixas wines recommended to be served cold, with a temperature of around 10º.

The temperatures of the Pazo Baión and Vides de Fontán can move between 10º and 12º. In the case of Gran a Gran, experts consider that its optimum temperature ranges from 8º to 10º. These figures are lower than the 15º Celsius that most red wines should be around and are ideal for intensely aromatic wines with a lot of acidity.

Likewise, we should not only consider the temperatures of the wines but also how they are reached. The professionals at Pazo Baión recommend that refrigeration be progressive and avoid a sudden temperature change that could alter the characteristics and qualities of the unique Albariño wines.

How can the ideal temperatures be achieved to enjoy the wines in all their splendor? Managing the time to avoid the wine does not arrive when it will taste either too cold or too hot. Therefore, if you want to buy our albariños and enjoy them at home, we recommend not using your refrigerator to cool them but a bucket with ice. The process will be much faster, and you will be able to control it easily, achieving, in addition, progressive cooling.

In short, managing the temperatures of the wines is paramount not only at the peak of the tasting but also throughout the year, both in the vineyards and the winery. Pazo Baión’s viticulture and enology teams have extensive experience in monitoring and controlling temperature and an innovative technological infrastructure to achieve this and produce Albariños with five centuries of history that contain the best of this prestigious variety.