"A Bath of Grapes!" - Geraldine

Saturday and Sunday: These times, they are a changin’

Saturday and Sunday were a nice change to the schedule. Saturday we processed those last boxes of grapes and got started with the cleaning. We power-washed all of the dreaded boxes and finally stacked them one last time. We cleaned and scrubbed each instrument and finished in time to shower and polish for our night out to Megan and Matt’s house. Megan and Matt have been with Alex since the beginning: building the business, building the cuverie and full and constant support. They’re a couple trés chouette (very cool). They enjoy rock climbing, hiking, good music and art; a happy pair. They have two lovely children whom are some of my favorite people that I’ve met thus far in my travels. Lila is 2 years old and has never-ending energy and spazzaz. She’s full of smiles and little chirps of French vocabulary that often saved me during the harvest. She’s being raised bilingual – which I think is totally rad – and is capable of switching between the two easily. Jack is 10 weeks old. He’s adorable and lovable. Trés, trés petit!



Off to Saint Romain for the night! They’re house was beautifully snuggled into the heart of this small town that is walled by ancient cliffs. They’re currently renovating an old family compound (by the looks of it) and conjoining the buildings studio style. The kitchen still has the original wood-fired stove that they use occasionally for pizzas! The master bedroom is above the kitchen (as it has always been) and when you walk in you can smell the remnants of a room once warmed by wood. For dinner we had pumpkin soup, veal stew over rice, cheese and dessert. I wouldn’t doubt that every single person brought at that table brought at least one bottle of wine that night. It was lovely to be in a cozy home with interesting and wonderful people








My contribution to dinner - A Huet Vouvray sweeeeeet wine. Went deliciously with ice cream and pie :)



WEEK THREE (Sept 21-25)

Post Harvest Activities:

Ahhhhh. Sleep is good! That last week was dragging and damp. The weather has picked back up and we’re enjoying what seems to be an Indian summer. Our schedule has changed as well: 10am arrivals. (Can’t you just see our smiles?)

Alright, so if you’ve been paying attention, you understand that all of our chardonnays are in their barrels and down in the cellar. What we’re working with these days are the cuves full of Pinot grapes. Depending on when they came in, some have been sitting longer than other and thus have started to ferment. Take our Savigny for instance. They were the first pinot grapes we received and the largest amount received. They’re in le grand cuve. When this juice starts to ferment the yeast rises and carbon dioxide bubbles are created. The CO2 pushes the whole grapes to the top of the cuve and forms a “cap.” You would be surprised how thick and how solid this cap gets.
Every morning we come in and Geraldine (the very funny and very pleasant winemaker) has taken the density measurements of each wine. Basically, the density is affected by the total soluble sugars. Yeast eats sugar and yields alcohol (or ethanol), which is less dense than water. By taking the density you’re reading the progression of the wine to yeast and alcohol. You’re looking for a pattern; you’re checking everyday to make sure the yeasts stay constant. If they’re struggling or if they’re going too fast we can alter the temperature by dropping “les drapeaux” in them (stainless-steel sheets that can be filled with antifreeze or heated water).
As for the white wine down in the cellar, the barrels are only filled about 3/4 (or maybe 4/5) full. This fermentation is usually slow to start, though yeasts are sluggish in nature anyway. Fermentation usually starts around 17-18*C though yeasts prefer to work at 25*C. It’s a constant fight, but a good one because are a key component for the aromas of the white wine. For example, more elegant aromas occur at lower temperatures. Whereas when the yeasts are highly (overly) stressed you have a nose sensation to that of a bitter orange rind.

“Geraldine is gentle with these wines,” Gav observed. “She says, ‘deux pigeage, max’!” C’est trés vrai (this is very true). Pigeage has been my next biggest physical accomplishment. Remember how I told you about the caps a little while back? Well once or twice a day we take pigeage sticks (imagine a toilet plunger) and push through the caps until we hit the juice. Pigeage helps to extract tannins from the fruit cap; producing both astringency and bitterness to the mouth feel of the wine. Before fermentation pigeage helps the extract softer tannins and after fermentation begins heavier tannins are extracted. Other than pigeage, we also do “pump-overs” where we take the juice from the bottom of the tank and pour it back over the top to help extract that lovely dark burgundy color ;)

After taking the densities Geraldine then tastes each juice to determine the progression of the tastes. It is basically like drinking grape juice….until the fermentation starts. Based on smell and a bubbly mouth feel, you can tell the presence of yeast and know that the fermentation has begun! Based on the Geraldine’s experience and VAST knowledge of wine, she can read the density and taste and tell us whether each cuve needs 0,1 or 2 pigeages and whether or not it needs a pump-over.





“Let’s go Lucy!” Alex screams to me as I’m stomping these grapes. Haha I feel like Lucy from that episode she’s in Italy and ends up wrestling an Italian mama in a vat of grapes. Other than our cuverie ipod (playing anything from the Beatles to Cake to Neil Young) there is no horseplay allowed. [I must contain the Lucy inside of me and save it for the foosball games with the rowdy Belgium Bikers after hours at the Bar du Square. Umm too bad I didn’t have my camera with me last night…]