Next to Doña Urraca's well, we find the different processes involved in making sparkling wine. Since 2009, the production of sparkling wines has been permitted in our designation of origin. This wine follows the same production process as Cava or Champagne, resulting in very high-quality products that are very well received in the market.
Sparkling wine undergoes a double fermentation process. That is, to a still wine that has already been fermented and has a high level of acidity, we add yeast and sugar so that it ferments again, producing in this second fermentation phase the well-known bubbles of sparkling wine that are trapped inside the bottle.
In a wooden structure called a "pupitre" (moulding rack), we see dozens of bottles of sparkling wine resting during the second fermentation phase.
We now go to a circular room dedicated to our sparkling wines. This magnificent room is known as "The Queen's dressing room," and its display cases showcase examples of sparkling wines from the brands that produce them in the Rías Baixas Designation of Origin. These brands visit us for the festival dedicated to this product, held every year here in Salvaterra on the first weekend of December. To get a sense of the festival's atmosphere, press the button below the screen, and a series of images from previous editions of the "Rías Baixas D.O. Sparkling Wine Festival" will be displayed.
Furthermore, this circular room boasts several unique features. First, there's its history: this is the only medieval tower remaining from that era within the fortified complex. Second, there's its peculiar acoustics. Three elements amplify the visitor's voice if they speak from the center of the room. The hemispherical dome above our heads acts like a large satellite dish, redirecting sound towards the central point. Furthermore, the thickness of the walls prevents sound from dissipating, and finally, the granite, the material from which the room is constructed, is a very high-density material that prevents sound waves from penetrating the stone, causing them to bounce and create an echo. In fact, this room is known as the "room without secrets" because if you whisper against one of its walls, someone on the other side of the room will be able to hear you clearly, since sound waves travel linearly through the dome.
