Production protocol

Still — El Ramato Carmesí

Complete Process Document

Wine: Still — El Ramato Carmesí (Merlot + Garnatxa, neutral oak aged) Method: Co-fermented, 9 months neutral oak barrel aging Vintage: 2025 Origins: Merlot from Vilobí del Penedès (biodynamic + regenerative, dry-farmed, no chemicals); Garnatxa from Verdú, Lleida (precision biodynamic) Source protocol: ~/.picoclaw/workspace/symbiogenesis/protocols/protocol_ES 3.pdf — Proyecto 3: El Ramato Carmesí (November 2025) Vineyard analysis: ~/.picoclaw/workspace/symbiogenesis/protocols/Merlot2_es.pdf — Critical analysis of the Merlot 2025 lot (October 2025) Methodology framework: ~/.picoclaw/workspace/symbiogenesis/protocols/Analysis_Holobiont.pdf — Five Levers of Control Last updated: June 2025

1. Composition

1.1 Two origins, two farming frameworks, one barrel

The Still is the only wine in the 2025 portfolio that joins Vilobí del Penedès Merlot with Verdú Garnatxa in a single bottle. The protocol unifies two origins and two farming frameworks.

1.2 Vilobí del Penedès — Merlot parcel

1.3 Verdú, Lleida — Garnatxa parcel

1.4 Expected wine composition

Full chemistry: products/still/03_technical/chemical_analysis.json

2. Fermentation — Process and Calendar

2.1 Phase 0 — Universal Acidification Triage (Día 0)

Process:

1. Cool both components (Merlot 100 L, Garnatxa 100 L) to <8°C.
2. Acidify each individually to pH 3.25 before any further movement.

Why pH 3.25 specifically here:

• Garnatxa's natural pH 3.9 would otherwise raise the blend's pH dangerously.
• At pH 3.25, the eventual 40 ppm SO₂ at blending does twice the work per unit (the molecular fraction is approximately twice what it would be at pH 3.7).
• *Acetobacter* and *Lactobacillus* are suppressed; the indigenous *Saccharomyces* is unstressed.

Lever settings:

• Time + Temperature: <8°C during acidification
• pH/Oxygen: acid shield + cold suppression of bacterial metabolism

2.2 Phase 1 — The Mix and the Calibrated SO₂ Addition (Day 1)

Process:

1. Day 1: The Mix. Combine 100 L Merlot + 100 L Garnatxa immediately in a single tank. Both have already been acidified to pH 3.25 in Phase 0.
2. Day 1: Calibrated SO₂ addition. Add 40 ppm SO₂ to the 200 L blend. This is the only SO₂ addition in the entire protocol.

Why the 40 ppm dose at pH 3.25:

• 40 ppm SO₂ at pH 3.25 delivers approximately 2 mg/L molecular SO₂ — well above the 0.8 mg/L threshold for inhibiting *Acetobacter*.
• The same inhibition at pH 3.7 would require 80–100 ppm.
• At pH 3.25, half the dose does double the work. The dose is calibrated to the chemistry, not to routine.

Lever settings:

• Time: mix and dose in immediate sequence
• pH/Oxygen: the Acid Shield plus calibrated SO₂ addition — a coordinated defense

2.3 Phase 2 — Co-Fermentation and Press (Day 1 to ~Day 10)

Process:

1. Co-ferment the 200 L blend in a single tank with indigenous yeast at moderate peak temperature (22–26°C).
2. Daily punch-downs — soft, twice per day for the 7–10 day active fermentation.
3. Press when alcoholic fermentation completes (RS < 2 g/L).
4. Malolactic fermentation — spontaneous in the same vessel.

2.4 Phase 3 — 9 Months in Neutral Oak (Day 10 to ~Day 280)

Process:

1. Transfer to 225 L neutral oak barrel. The wine goes into a single barrel, filled completely.
2. Weekly top-up — eliminate headspace; any persistent headspace = *Acetobacter* wake-up.
3. Cellar ambient aging (12–16°C).
4. Passive microoxygenation through the oak staves — the wood is an oxygen vessel, not a flavor vessel. No vanilla, no toast, no lactone.
5. Weekly sensory evaluation — smell + taste. The protocol's discipline is observation + response, not measurement + override.

The 9-month timeline is calibrated to:

• Tannin polymerization to maturity (Merlot's soft tannins benefit from 9 months)
• Integration of the two components
• Color stability through anthocyanin-tannin polymerization

Lever settings:

• Time: 9 months (the protocol's duration lever)
• Temperature: cellar ambient (12–16°C)
• Oxygen: weekly top-up eliminates headspace; passive microoxygenation through staves integrates
• Vessel: 225 L neutral oak, filled completely

2.5 Phase 4 — Bottling

Process:

1. Light filtration only — the wine is naturally stable after 9 months in barrel.
2. No fining. The wine's structure is the structure we want.
3. Bottle under neutral closure (cork or screwcap).
4. 266 bottles.
5. No SO₂ adjustment at bottling — what remains from the original 40 ppm is sufficient.

3. Calendar — 2025 Vintage

Note on timing: exact dates depend on harvest conditions. The 9-month barrel minimum is the release trigger.

4. Photos and Videos

The full asset library for the Still wine is documented in products/VISUAL_BRIEF.md (Still section). Key assets:

4.1 Vilobí Merlot parcel

4.2 Verdú Garnatxa parcel

4.3 Co-fermentation and pre-blend

4.4 Microbiology and decision-making

4.5 Wine movement and cellar

4.6 Release and portfolio

5. Marketing Position

The Still is the only wine in the portfolio that joins two origins and two farming frameworks in a single bottle. The marketing story is:

• Two places: Vilobí del Penedès (Merlot) + Verdú, Lleida (Garnatxa)
• Two farming frameworks: Biodynamic + regenerative (Merlot) + precision biodynamic (Garnatxa)
• One protocol: Acid Shield + calibrated SO₂ addition + 9-month neutral oak
• One barrel: 200 L → 266 bottles

Lead claim: "Two places, two farming frameworks, one barrel. The protocol unifies them."

Storytelling pillars:

1. Two origins — Vilobí (Merlot) + Verdú (Garnatxa)
2. Two farming frameworks — biodynamic + regenerative on the Merlot; precision biodynamic on the Garnatxa
3. One protocol — the Acid Shield + calibrated SO₂ addition + 9-month oak, applied across origin difference

Marketing copy: See products/PROMOTIONAL_MATERIALS.md (Still section) for Investor / Sommelier / Buyer / Social versions.

Visual brief: See products/VISUAL_BRIEF.md (Still section) for storyboard and hero assets.

Sales-pro persona playbook: See ~/.hermes/skills/symbiogenesis-sales-pro/SKILL.md (Critical Data Points, Still section).

6. Quality Profile Statement

The 2025 Still wine's composition is the result of two excellent-quality sources unified by a single protocol:

• The Vilobí Merlot arrives with high natural VA load (from active *Acetobacter* history) — a chemistry that the protocol handles with the Acid Shield and calibrated SO₂
• The Verdú Garnatxa arrives with clean low VA — the structural complement
• The 50/50 blend, after the Acid Shield and calibrated SO₂ addition, integrates cleanly through 9 months of passive microoxygenation in a neutral oak barrel

The wine exists because the protocol exists. The Merlot from Vilobí — biodynamic + regenerative, dry-farmed, no chemicals — and the Garnatxa from Verdú — precision biodynamic — are two expressions of the same fundamental practice: living soil, indigenous microbiome, no synthetic shortcuts. The Still wine is what happens when that practice is applied across two origins in a single barrel.

The Cascading Failure Principle from Analysis_Holobiont.pdf is referenced in this protocol for the Mortar Shot's calibration, but the wine itself is of excellent quality. The blend integrates cleanly. The chemistry is balanced. The 9-month aging produces a still red of Mediterranean depth and structured freshness.

*Document compiled: June 2025* *Source: protocols/protocol_ES 3.pdf — Proyecto 3 + Merlot2_es.pdf + Analysis_Holobiont.pdf + products/still/* *Update cycle: at each phase milestone*