Conceptos


	To preserve wine under the best conditions is one of the basic factors for the final aging wine to keep all its characteristics. The conditions are:a perfectly clean cellar, a permanent temperature between 14 and 16 degrees Celsius (a variation of two degrees), correct ventilation, very little light (red wines are very sensitive to it), no smells, no vibrations, a permanent humidity of 75% to stop corks from drying out.


	The wine, called Vitis Vinifera, is one of the fourteen genres from the botanical family called Vitaceas, and the only one we can produce wine with. The Vitis Vinifera stocks grow between 35 ⁰C south latitude and 35 ⁰C north latitude. In 1867, a terrible plague extended over Europe: the Phylloxera, a parasite that lives in the roots and on the leaves of vines and sucks the sap. Another genre of Vitis was brought from America to combat the plague. It was not a wine-producing vine, but still it was resistant to the Phylloxera. The Vitis Vinifera was grafted onto the American Vitis root, which is the vine that has survived to the present date.


	Oxidation: where oxygen actively takes part. The process takes part in wooden barrels (American or French oak) through the pores of the wood. There is an exchange between the liquid inside and the air, which eventually will mean the wine becomes lighter in color because any solid part settles on the bottom of the barrel. For instance, the previous burning of the barrels plays a very important role in the process. Reduction: this process happens when in contact with the air and it takes place in the bottle. There the wine components, tannins and color particles develop and give the wine its shelflife, depending on the conditions of conservation.