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| The Grandma & Claire at Sa Perafita |
Today, The Grandma and Claire Fontaine has visited Cadaqués and Port de la Selva, two beautiful towns in the Catalan county of L'Alt Empordà.
In Port de la Selva, they have stayed with some old friends who live there and have visited Sant Pere de Rodes, the most beautiful monastery around these lands.
In Cadaqués, they have been invited to a concert: Maria del Mar Bonet and Borja Penalba have offered an unforgettable show in an amazing place, Sa Perafita, the wine cellar that produce the exquisite wines of Martín Faixó.
More information: Sons del Món
The Grandma has remembered her ancient roots during all the concert offerred by the Mallorcan singer and the Valencian music, especially, one of her favourite songs, La Balanguera, that is also the official anthem of the Balearic island of Majorca. This anthem is an adaptation of Joan Alcover i Maspons (1854–1926) poem based on an ancient and popular Mallorcan children's song. The music is a work by the Catalan composer Amadeu Vives and in November 1996 the Consell Insular de Mallorca made it the anthem for the Island.
More information: Maria del Mar Bonet
Before going to the concert, The Grandma had reviewed a new lesson of her Intermediate Language Practice manual (Chapter 25).
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| The Grandma at Sa Perafita, Cadaqués |
A wine cellar is a storage room for wine in bottles or barrels, or more rarely in carboys, amphorae, or plastic containers. In an active wine cellar, important factors such as temperature and humidity are maintained by a climate control system.
In contrast, passive wine cellars are not climate-controlled, and are usually built underground to reduce temperature swings. An aboveground wine cellar is often called a wine room, while a small wine cellar, fewer than 500 bottles, is sometimes termed a wine closet.
The household department responsible for the storage, care and service of wine in a great mediaeval house was termed the buttery. Large wine cellars date back over 3700 years.
More information: Martín Faixó
Wine cellars protect alcoholic beverages from potentially harmful external influences, providing darkness, constant temperature, and constant humidity. Wine is a natural, perishable food product issued from fruits fermentation. Left exposed to heat, light, vibration or fluctuations in temperature and humidity, all types of wine can spoil.
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| Claire & The Grandma at Sa Perafita, Cadaqués |
When properly stored, wines not only maintain their quality but manyactuallyimprove in aroma, flavor, and complexity as they mature.
Depending of their level of sugar and alcohol, wines are more or less sensitive to temperature variances. The more the wine contents alcohol and / or sugar the less sensitive it will be to temperature variances.
Wine can be stored satisfactorily between 7–18 °C as long as any variations are gradual. A temperature of 13 °C, much like that found in the caves used to store wine in France, is ideal for both short-term storage and long-term aging of wine. Note that wine generally matures differently and more slowly at a lower temperature than it does at a higher temperature.
When the temperature swings are significant, 14 degrees or more, it will cause the wine to breathe through the cork which significantly speeds up the aging process. Between 10–14 °C, wines will age normally.
More information: Sa Perafita
Wine cellars can be either active or passively cooled. Active wine cellars are highly insulated and need to be properly constructed. They require specialized wine cellar conditioning and cooling systems to maintain the desired temperature and humidity.
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| Claire & The Grandma |
In a very dry climate, it may be necessary to actively humidify the air, but in most areas this is not necessary. Passive wine cellars must be located in naturally cool and damp areas with minor seasonal and diurnal temperature variations, for example, a basement in a temperate climate. Passive cellars may be less predictable, but cost nothing to operate and are not affected by power outages. Some wine experts debate the importance of humidity for proper wine storage. Some experts claim that the relative humidity within a bottle is maintained 100% regardless of the closure used or the orientation of the bottle.
However, other say that low humidity can be a problem because it may cause organic corks to dry prematurely. An inch of gravel covering the floor periodically sprinkled with a little water was recommended to retain the desired humidity.
More information: History
From traditions and from hopes
she weaves the flag for the youth
as one who prepares a wedding veil
with hairs of gold and silver
of the childhood that grews up
of the old age who goes away.
Joan Alcover
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