Tequila is a specialty of Mexico and is called the soul of Mexico. When the Olympic Games were held in Mexico, tequila became known to the world. Mexicans have a soft spot for tequila and often drink it clean. Whenever they drink, they first pour some sea salt powder on the back of their hands and suck it, and then add pickled dried peppers and lemons to the wine, just like adding oil to the fire, which is beautiful.
As early as the third century BC, the Indian civilization living in Central America had discovered the technology of fermenting wine. They use any available sugar source in life to make wine. In addition to their main crops, corn and palm juice, juicy agave with high sugar content naturally becomes the raw material for wine making.
Wine made from fermented agave juice is usually used for religious purposes. Besides drinking, it can also help priests communicate with the gods. Before offering sacrifices to the living, they will let the victims drink Pulque first, so that they will lose consciousness or at least reduce their resistance, thus facilitating the ceremony.
In addition to gold and silver (transparent) colors, agave also has product grade differences. Although wineries usually create their own product styles according to their own product positioning, the following classifications are official standards, which are guaranteed by laws and regulations and cannot be abused.
1. Blanco or Plata
Blanco and Plata are Spanish respectively? White? With what? Silver? In the field of tequila, it can be regarded as aged wine and does not need to be aged in oak barrels. In this tequila, some styles are even bottled directly after distillation, while others are stored in stainless steel containers. However, in order to make the products smoother, some wineries choose to store them in oak barrels for a short time. Only one thing is special. Compared with the aging standard of general liquor products, the lower limit of storage time is stipulated, but the upper limit of Blanco agave is stipulated, which cannot exceed 30 days at most.
2. Jovan Abukado
What does Joven abocado mean in Spanish? Young and smooth? This grade of wine is also often called Oro (Golden). Basically, golden agave and white agave can actually be the same thing, but the golden version has more colors and seasonings, which looks a bit like an old product. Classified, this wine belongs to Mixto. Although it is not as advanced as 100% agave in theory, this grade of wine is still the main sales force in the export market because of its affordable price.
3. Resado
Reposado is Spanish? Rest? This grade of wine has been aged in oak barrels for a certain period of time, but it has not been put in for a full year. Storing tequila in wooden barrels usually makes the flavor of tequila stronger and more complicated, because wine will absorb some flavors and even colors of oak barrels, and the longer it lasts, the darker the color will be. Chen Fang's repurchase time is between two months and one year. At present, this grade of wine accounts for the largest proportion in Mexican tequila sales, accounting for 60% of the total.
4.Aňejo
Answer? What does ejo mean in Spanish? Old? Simply put, all wines stored in Chen Fang oak barrels for more than one year belong to this grade, and there is no upper limit. However, unlike the first three grades, aged tequila is strictly controlled by the government. They must be sealed in oak barrels with a capacity not exceeding 350 liters and sealed by government officials. Although it is stipulated that it can be called Ayiejo for more than one year, there are also a few very rare high-priced products. Like tequila, Herradura's famous top wine? Selech? n Suprema？ , is one of the ultra-high-priced products aged over four years, and the market situation is not even lost to a bottle of 30-year-old scotch whisky. Generally speaking, experts agree that the most suitable aging period of agave is four to five years, and then the alcohol in the back barrel volatilizes too much.
Except for a few special wines that have been aged for eight to ten years, most Ayejo are directly moved to stainless steel barrels with no aging effect after the aging time is over. Rezado and EJO tequila are not required to be 100% tequila as raw materials. If there is no special description on the label of the product, then this is an aged mixed wine of Mixto.
5. Others
In addition to the above four officially recognized grading methods, wineries may change the names of these basic categories, and even create their own grading names to promote products, such as gran reposado, tres aňejos or blanco suave. Reserva de casa is also an occasional product name, which usually refers to the top brand wines that wineries are most proud of, but these different names are the marketing techniques of various wineries, and only the above four are officially binding.
;