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High quality wines of Madrid origin, Tagonius wines. The ideology of Tagonius is based on the elaboration of high quality wines. For this, in their warehouses they control the entire process of elaboration, from the harvest phase in the field to the bottling in their facilities. This whole process is done with a lot of meticulously and with some controls that make them different from the rest of the wineries and of course the result is the excellence of their wines.
High quality wines of origin Madrid.- First Part
A winery with history
The history of Bodegas Tagonius (from Latin, Tajuña) dates back to the mid-19th century, but there is evidence that in these lands, near the river Tajuña, wine was harvested since Roman times.
The name of this winery makes a special nod to the first wines that were harvested throughout the southeast of Madrid.
Madrid’s link with the wine industry dates back to the 13th century. But it will not be until the fifteenth century when Madrid wines begin to have some prestige. Especially those harvested in the areas of Getafe, Pinto, Parla and Fuencarral, where the most valuable wines were produced.
In the time of Felipe IV the most prestigious wines were the “precious wines” of San Martín, those of Cadalso and Pelayos.
The beginnings of the territory
At the beginning of the 20th century we could already find more than 60,000 hectares of vineyards on Madrid land, but wine production was especially affected by a phylloxera plague.
Their recovery would not occur until the fifties, the year in which the first cooperatives arise.
However, at the same time, the industrial estates and the conversion of villages into dormitory cities ended the vineyards in the areas of Valdemoro, Pinto, Getafe, Móstoles, Torrejón, Alcobendas or Alcalá de Henares.
From here, the wines of Madrid pass anonymity. There is a need to renew the sector and invest to rejuvenate the vineyards, recover the grape varieties and update the elaboration criteria.
It will not be until the creation of the recognition of the Specific Denomination of Wines of Madrid in the eighties when there is a real boost of the wine industry in Madrid.
Reds and Whites
Four varieties of red grapes are worked in their vineyards: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah and Tempranillo. As for whites, their Malvar and Moscatel vineyards often stand out.
The grape clusters are fully destemmed upon entry into the cellar, passing the must-paste to ferment in stainless steel tanks at a maximum temperature of 27º.
The winemaking process is characterized by both pre-fermentation and post-fermentation macerations.
They control the temperature from before fermentation. Grapes remain at 8º to slow down the entire process and extract the most interesting qualities of the grapes.
The maceration of its wines lasts around 25 days, while the fermentation is 14 days.
The work of the barrels.
Once the process is done and the wine is clean, it is introduced into the barrels specially chosen to accentuate and enrich the characteristics, smells and flavors, for at least 8 months.
The quality of their wines is conceived according to their profiles and their aromatic complexity.
As a sign of identity, the barrels are adapted to their grapes. Each year the winery’s winemaker intends to anticipate the harvest and advances which wooden profiles are necessary to complement the harvested grapes.
They usually work two types of wood, generally medium-plus toast, from renowned cooperage shops: 80% of French oak barrels and 20% of American oak.
In its breeding room, Bordeaux Barrels and Jerez Boots stand out.
Finally and to finish this process, it is time to define its excellent wines. In the so-called assembly in which the winemaker mixes the different variants of wine, collection of Tagonius .
Vineyards with their own identity and High quality wines of Madrid origin.
The different plots are located 45 kilometers southeast of Madrid, specifically in the town of Tielmes de Tajuña.
They are lands of great fertility, bathed by the Vega of the Tajuña river, tributary of the Tagus. This area is characterized by being the cradle of the wines that were consumed in the royal court in the 17th and 18th centuries.
Bodegas Tagonius has 32 hectares of vineyards owned and a selection of plots 100% managed by the current owners of these wineries in Madrid.
Precisely throughout this area, more than 50% of the total wine produced in the Denomination of Origin of Madrid is produced.
Grapes from the Tagonius winery
In the case of this winery company, all the grapes that are worked in the winery are within the D.O. Madrid.
In their lands, carefully studied and cataloged by their winemaker, four grape varieties are mainly grown: Tempranillo, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah.
The work of planting is always carried out under the premise of precision viticulture with the aim of making the most of the grapes.
Its winemaker and his team take into account the quality of the earth and the grape variety, capable of withstanding very cold winters and hot summers.
All these factors, added to the thorough process of manual collection and selection, make their wines have a unique and characteristic flavor that determine the DNA of this Tagonius Winery.
By Ángel Marqués Ávila. Journalist