Dobidan: A sparkling afternoon

After we had hiked up Peña de Bernal, we continued our adventure to Freixenet Mexico. I used to be a champagne lover and got my husband hooked as well, until we one day woke up and realized we prefer Cava. Not only because of the price but the taste as well. So when my hubby came with the news that he will take me to Finca Sala Vivé, Freixenet here in Querétaro, I was as exited as a child in a toy store.

We decided to go on a guided tour around the premises to hear about the history and the making of with a nice little tasting at the end. It was all in Spanish and I was happy to understand about 50% of what was said. I had done a similar tour at Veuve Clicquot, France with a tour in French and there I understood a good 70%, so I thought it gave me a nice average. I appreciate the product already on a high enough level that any more information would probably just increase the consumption to an unnecessary level. I told my husband however to stay sharp in case I needed some facts for later.

Freixenet as known today, is a product of two wine families uniting in marriage in 1914 in the area of Barcelona, Spain. The wife's name being Dolores Sala Vivé. Her husband and older son died in the Civil War and so she and her three daughters took over the company. They made Cava a huge success internationally. Her younger son took over when she retired. He improved further the methods of production and started to expand the production in other countries like here in Mexico in 1978. Climate wise Querétaro made an ideal spot but it was a bit of a rough start due to an economical crisis in the country. Today Finca Sala Vivé, Freixenet is going strong and happy to celebrate their upcoming 40th anniversary this Fall.

It's still winter here, extremely easy to forget it when the temperature goes up to 28°c but it's winter none the less. So that's why the tour outside wasn't very colorful. If we go back in May the grapevines will be full of small, small flowers and after that the fruit will start growing and in August the harvest begins. Mexicans are not big wine drinkers, they prefer tequila and beer, so 70% of the production is exported.

The cellar is 25 meters deep and here the different wines rest peacefully in different temperatures.

In the barrels their red and white wines are getting ready and as for their sparkling wine, well it's all about turning the bottle until you have the right amount of alcohol and bubbles. They use the traditional method, meaning that the second fermentation goes on in the bottle. The bubbles and alcohol are in other words not added but patiently produced naturally while changing the position of the bottle.

This room is opened only for the special few, either family or people who have rented the space for a special occasion. The guide told us it has seen birthdays, marriage proposals and even divorces. I found the last one a bit surprising but I guess if you have to announce bad news, why not sparkle it up and make the bad news a bit bubbly???

For us their was no birthday, no marriage proposal or any talk of divorce for that matter. We were happily and calmly walking hand in hand, listening to the guide and getting excited about the upcoming tasting.

The tasting was splendid, as it confirmed that our taste fit our wallet size. All in all, we really enjoyed our sunny afternoon at the beautiful premises of Finca Sala Vivé.