s soon as the grapes get out of the vineyard under the roof of the winery, the next stage of production takes place – obtaining must (mash). At present, most winemakers carry out this operation by mechanized grinding and fermentation in stainless steel tanks, but some still retain the traditional methods of pedaling grapes in stone tubs – lagares.
Pedaling grapes in lagares (source: eatsdrinksandsleeps.com)
Lagares is a shallow, spacious granite tub where harvested grapes are poured. Men and women then enter this bath and tread the grapes barefoot. This creates a mash that sometimes reaches their knees when pedaling. All this takes place to the sounds of folk music and this production operation becomes an interesting ceremony.
The first phase of pedaling grapes is called Corte. In it, the men and women in the lagara hold each other’s shoulders in a row, and at the same time they slowly move forward and backward in the same rhythm. The aim is to gently separate the must from the skins and shards. This takes about 2 hours and after this operation the berries are crushed, but not the oven.
Freedom! Freedom! By summoning the foreman, the second phase begins, during which everyone moves freely along the lagares to the rhythms of the accordion or keys. The aim of this move is the need to immerse the skins below the surface of the must. This achieves a more pronounced color and it is up to the producer what color the wine wants to get. This activity lasts about 3 hours and then the women and men leave the lagares. After a few hours, they return and dip the hat off the surface again. They also use wooden tools called macaco (monkeys) for this work. This method of processing is strenuous and time-consuming and is currently used only for part of the production and for promotional purposes.
