Quality control

Aims and Criteria

Attaining the Best Quality

The Regulatory Board only grants protected status under the Designation of Origin Condado de Huelva to wines made using the proper techniques for grape, must and wine handling as well as for fermentation control and the conservation and production process. This is done to safeguard the traditional Condado characteristics and for the ultimate purpose of producing wines that stand out due to their immense quality.

There are various phases that occur before packaging, all scrupulously monitored by the Regulatory Board which establishes the guidelines that must be followed, supervises correct compliance and rates all wines produced under quality criteria.

Este proceso de certificación autoriza la comerciacialización por parte de la bodega aquellos vinos y vinagres incluidos en nuestras denominaciones de origen. The back label on bottles of PDO Condado de Huelva wines and vinegar are seals of guaranteed quality. The producing vineyard is protected by our Designation and the grapes used are allowed by the Regulatory Board The producing vineyard is protected by our Designation and the grapes used are allowed by the Regulatory Board. The producing winery complies with the aging and production rules set forth in the specifications for each of the products protected.

All the audits conducted and the excellent winery traditions ensure only high-quality wines and vinegar are sold under the Designations of Origin ‘Condado de Huelva’.

The utmost care and dedication

We produce protected wines

Our wines

Wine Production Phases

The Grape Harvest

For this first phase of industrial activity, the PDO Condado de Huelva regulations demand the utmost care and dedication when making protected wines and that only healthy grapes reflecting a natural ripeness level of a minimum of 10º may be used.

Grape Grinding-Pressing for the Must.

During this phase, the regulations require that the production of must covered by the PDO must be done following traditional practices using modern technology. The pressure applied to obtain the must or wine is subject to particular control as the yield is not allowed to be higher than 70 litres of must or wine for every 100 kilograms harvested. For young white wines, the maximum yield is 60 litres of must for every 100 kilograms of grapes.

Must Packaging and Preparation for Fermentation

Temperature control is essential to producing a wine of the highest quality. This is even more true when producing Condado de Huelva Young Wine. The new wine, must wine or base wine obtained after fermentation goes through a rigorous industrial process which lasts more or less time depending on the end product pursued.

Certification as Proof of Food Quality and Safety

In 2015, our PDO Condado de Huelva, Vinagre del Condado de Huelva and Vino Naranja del Condado de Huelva Regulatory Board led the creation of the FCCAA (Agrofood Quality Control Foundation of Andalusia) along with the PDO Málaga and Sierras de Málaga Regulatory Board and the PDO Montilla-Moriles and Vinagre de Montilla-Moriles Regulatory Board for the purpose of assessing certification of compliance with the requirements included in the aforementioned Designations of Origin specifications, all based on the international product certification standard UNE-EN ISO/IEC 17065:2012

Following years of work to harmonize the certification procedures of these three leading bodies with exclusively technical criteria to guarantee the independence and non-partialness of the process and the adaptation of registered companies to the certification system, the Control Foundation continues to achieve this goal of ensuring guaranteed quality and prestige for our Designations of Origin as well as the companies registered. They all now have proper certification processes that meet the most demanding of international quality standards and thus emanate trust among consumers in the brands they represent.

In a territory of more than ten thousand hectares with more than five thousand farmers, the FCCAA currently certifies more than 150 companies that market products under a Protected Designation of Origin. This accounts for more than 35 million litres in distribution and more than 75 million euros in economic value.

VISIT THE FCCAA WEBSITE

Certification as Proof of Food Quality and Safety

Safe handling and control

European Union Aid

The Designations of Origin Huelva and Vino Naranja del Condado de Huelva Regulatory Board has received aid from the European Union through the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development to promote its protected wines and vinegar.