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The Regulating Council was created on Jun
the 30th, 1958.
Its aim is to control the production, elaboration and trading of
the wines of Navarra.
It represents grape growers, winemakers, the people of the wine
trade sector, and the administration wine sector.
Its mission is to control vineyard production, winemaking processes,
the quality of the wines and the trade of wine. It is also in charge
of fostering good practices and of promoting Navarra wines.
To obtain the Appellation of Origin, the wine
has to go through various analyses and tasting controls that are
made throughout the different phases of the production, the elaboration
and the conservation of the wine.
In a first place, the Regulating Council sets
up the limits of the areas and plots of land that are going to be
allowed to have the Appellation of Origin Navarra. Then it establish
the distinct varieties of vines that can be cultivated, the growing
techniques, the grapes quality standard, the transport conditions,
the sanitary aspects of facilities and vinification methods.
The Regulating Council also controls the techniques
used in the elaboration of wine. It takes away the qualification
of Origin to the wines that do not answer to the hygienic and analytics
conditions, it velum for the cleaning of cellars and for the process
of fermentation and conservation of wines, until they get on the
market.
Those rigorous practices guarantee the quality of Navarra wines.
As long as they succeed the chemical analysis
and as they are accepted through tasting, they will be qualified
and will belong to the Appellation of Origin.
The application of all those controls, which
are indeed very strict, have been accepted by cellars because they
understood that those controls were the bases for a quality product
which would arrive on the market well backed.
This guarantee appears on the back of the
bottles and defines the type and the category of the wine. It accredit
that the wine has passed all the controls.
There are four types of back labels:
- Generic back label: used for wines
that have not been aged in oak. It is both for young wines and for
wines, which have been aged in casks made with materials other
than oak.
- Crianza back label: This denotes
wines, which have been age for no less than two calendar years.
The red wines must have been aged for at least a year in an oak
cask with a maximum capacity of 350 litres. For rosés and whites,
this may not be less than six months.
- Reserva back label: This
label is limited to wines selected for their quality and characteristics.
Those wines have acquired notable organoleptic qualities through
the ageing process.
- Red wines: Ageing in oak casks and the
bottle for at least 36 months of which a minimum of 12 months must
have been spent in the cask.
- Rosé and White wines: Ageing in oak casks and in the
bottle for at least 24 months of which a minimum of 6 months must
have been spend in the cask.
- Gran Reserva back label:
This is limited to wines from vintages chosen for their outstanding
qualities which have acquired exceptional organoleptic qualities
through out its long ageing process.
- Red wines: Ageing in oak casks for at least 24 months followed
by a minimum of 36 months in the bottle.
- Rosé and white wines: Ageing in oak casks and the bottle
for at least 48 months of which a minimum of 6 months must have
been spent in the cask.
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