Making the wine
Each step from vineyard to bottle, with the recorded dates.
Step by step
4 steps in the making of Dues Terres. Open a step to see why it was taken and what it gives the wine.
Step 1: Two vineyards
Garnatxa 18 September, Merlot 21 September 2025declared
100 L Vilobí Merlot and 100 L Verdú Garnatxa, 50:50measured
Why, and what it gives the wine
Why
Dry-farmed clay near the Penedès coast gives the Merlot its flesh; inland limestone at Verdú gives the Garnatxa its lift.
In the glass
Merlot gives dark plum and soft tannin; Garnatxa adds herbs and glycerol.
Merlot and Garnatxa followed as two separate source parcels. Step 2: Cooled and set to pH 3.25 before blending
Fermented 20 September – 1 October 2025measured
Both lots cooled below 8 °C and set to pH 3.25; one 40 mg/L SO₂ addition at blendingcalculated
Why, and what it gives the wine
Why
At pH 3.25 more of the sulphur is in its active form, so one small dose protects the wine.
In the glass
The Merlot’s 1.45 g/L of volatile acidity comes down to a calculated 0.96 g/L in the blend.
Cooled and blended under a single controlled SO2 addition. Step 3: Nine months in a neutral barrel
Aged in a used, neutral 225 L oak barreltarget
Why, and what it gives the wine
Why
The wood lets in a little oxygen, about 20 mg/L a year, which binds colour and tannin together.
In the glass
Tannins soften while the fruit stays in front.
Aged in a used, neutral oak barrel. Step 4: Barrel topped up every week
Release December 2026declared
Barrel kept full by weekly topping; volatile acidity and taste checked throughouttarget
Why, and what it gives the wine
Why
A full barrel leaves the wine no air to meet, which keeps film yeasts and acetic bacteria away.
In the glass
A clean, savoury red with a silky texture.
Weekly topping and continuous sensory tracking before release.
Fermentation trace · Garnatxa
Started at 18 °C and rose to 25 °C as fermentation established. Density fell from 1084 to 1010 g/L over eleven days.
Cellar CONTROL DE FERMENTACIÓ sheet, 20 September to 1 October 2025. The 21 September density was a recording error and is left out.