Recaredo: 20 years of certification with Bureau Veritas

03/04/2023

Recaredo: 20 years of certification with Bureau Veritas

2023 marks 20 years of independent certification by Bureau Veritas of all of Recaredo’s winemaking and production processes – from the work done in the vineyards, to vinification and winemaking on the family-owned estate, to the long-ageing process in the cellars – all with the aim of producing outstanding wines that reflect their terroir origin.

In line with the principle of “saying what we do and doing what we say”, in 2003 Recaredo decided to become Bureau Veritas–certified in order to provide accurate, relevant and transparent information about their day-to-day work as grape growers and winemakers, based on a clear commitment to transparency and honesty towards consumers.

According to Ferran Junoy, Recaredo’s general manager, the certification process is aligned with the winery’s “demanding and rigorous commitment to make sparkling wines that fulfil our dream of making the Corpinnat territory a synonym for quality, know-how and tradition rooted in an innovative spirit”.

For 20 years, Bureau Veritas, a world leader in inspection, certification and testing services, has been certifying the work Recaredo does in its own vineyards, which are harvested by hand and cultivated organically and biodynamically, as well as vinification and production on the family estate of sparkling wines, which are aged for more than thirty months and undergo secondary fermentation in the bottle with organic must. Bureau Veritas also audits Recaredo’s use of natural cork stoppers throughout the ageing process, an exceptional practice that the winery applies for all its bottles, as well as hand-riddling on racks, and the process of manual disgorgement without freezing bottlenecks.

Second fermentation in the bottle with Recaredo’s own must

The second fermentation of Recaredo Corpinnat wines is carried out in the bottle using organic must instead of cane sugar. The must contains a high concentration of natural sugars from the grapes themselves, which makes it well-suited for tirage, second fermentation in the bottle and long ageing. Recaredo’s use of its own must or rectified concentrated must means that all the elements used to make its sparkling wines come from its own vineyards.

This pioneering commitment is in line with Recaredo’s philosophy of making terroir wines that perfectly express the identity of the Penedès wine region where the winery is located.

The excellence of long ageing with cork stoppers

Recaredo uses cork stoppers for the ageing of all its Corpinnats and is one of the few wineries in the world to do so for every bottle, in order to optimize the quality of its wines and help protect the environment. From a technical point of view, cork is the perfect ally for long ageing as it protects the wine against oxidation and allows for a slower evolution over a longer period of time. In terms of sustainability, cork comes from a regenerative industry; compared to other materials, cork production requires much less energy and therefore generates less waste.

In addition, the production process does not emit any greenhouse gases. In fact, cork absorbs carbon dioxide and supports a circular economy as all temporary stoppers are recycled. At Recaredo, CO₂ absorption per bottle is double as the winery uses cork for both provisional stoppers used during ageing and the sparkling wine corks used for finished bottles.

The use of cork stoppers for long ageing means that bottles have to be disgorged manually, one by one, in an artisanal process to remove the lees from the second fermentation in the bottle. All of Recaredo’s Corpinnats are disgorged by hand at the naturally cool temperature of the winery’s cellars, around 16°C. This traditional practice is an exercise in craftsmanship that preserves the art of the disgorger, respects the long ageing process, and is aligned with the winery’s environmental commitment.