From the vine to the drink

Red wine vinification :

The main caracteristic of this vinification is maceration. It consists in leaving the juice in contact with the skin which has previously been crushed. The juice from black grapes is white ! It is through the dissolving of colouring stuff from the skin that the wine gets its colour. The transformation of sugar into alcohol (alcoholic fermentation) is the second step. Often made in open tanks, it is created under the action of micro-organisms called yeast. Once the alcoholic level and the wanted colour are obtained, the wine grower initiates the process of separating the juice from the solid remainder called the rope by taking it out of the tank. The rope is then crushed to get another juice from it. This second juice is mixed with the first one in variable ratio. It is the assembling followed by the raising of the wine which is finally bottled.

White wine vinification :

Unlike red wines, they are not obtained trough maceration. The harvest is trodden and the juice is directed to dredging tanks to separate the matter in suspension. The rest of the grapes is crushed and mixed with the first juice. This step is the alcoholic fermentation. The wine maturation and the bottling are the same as the red wine ones.

Rosé vinification :

Rosé is never a blend of white wine and red wine ! The vinification consists in treating the red harvest like a white harvest. The harvest is crushed at once and the must is fermented after it is cleared of all solid particles. The colour comes from the dissolving of colouring matter in the skin just like the colour of red wine. According to the kind of rosé required, a short maceration or none is carried out.

Sparkling wine vinification :

Sparkling wines require a long and delicate vinification. Called "Champagne method" for a long time, it is now known as "Traditional method". Two fermentations are carried out during the process. The harvest is only done after full maturity of the grapes and it is crushed in order to proceed to the first alcoholic fermentation. Once the wine is cleared it is bottled with "drawing liqueur" (made of sugar and yeast) that will produce a second fermentation in the bottle. During this fermentation, gas is generated. This is called foam making. During this second fermentation, a deposit builds up. It is progressively concentrated in the bottle neck through the "turning". It consists in turning and tilting the bottles every day. Then the top of the bottle is taken off to allow the deposit to be drained off thanks to the gas pressure. It is called the "clearing out". In the process a "sending liqueur" is added. It is made of wine and sugar in the appropriate amount to make the final characteristic of the wine (extra dry, dry or in-between). The last step is the bottling and the "muzzling" of the bottles.