Bottling at domaine

Bottling at domaine What should we know about this practice?

Nowadays, wines are commonly bottled at the estateThis practice is actually quite recent and became widespread after the Second World War. The stands of bottling have found their place in the wine cellars and castles.

There bottling at domaine is a process that has evolved considerably and continues to progress. The research areas pursued by our winemakers are naturally focused on quality. The constant search forimprovement in quality, taste, reliability and of the consumer satisfaction.

When should the wine be bottled?

THE winemaker, THE cellar master and theoenologist regularly enjoy the wine in the process of being aged to detect the period conducive to the bottling. The key is to determine if malolactic fermentation has occurred, if micro-oxygenation has been sufficient, and if the wine has acquired enough tannins. It's also important not to extend aging excessively in order to maintain freshness and prevent the tannins from becoming overly drying. A balance must be found, and the wine will become enjoyable. The challenge is to set the date so that we now have a open wine who will be able to provide the more fun to its consumer. Everyone has their own tricks for assessing the optimal point and taking action: it's a crucial moment, which could be described as the birth of a wine. In some regions, the wine is not sold after bottling, and storage for several months, up to a year, may take place before it is put on sale. The wine will be fully stabilized and will have found its bearings within its new, smaller container: the glass bottle.

Under what conditions is the capping carried out?

Cleanliness and the strictest hygiene standards are now part of the specifications. The aim is to maintain consistent quality, meaning that the wine in each bottle is identical and the number of harmful bacteria is reduced. la garde. Washing and drying the glassware, and taking care with the cork, are critical steps. During the corking process, the winemaker will implement one or more methods to promote the wine's stability in the bottle.

What type of stoppers are used?

The function of a cork is to provide a seal to prevent micro-oxygenation. This seal must be inert and stable over time. Inert to prevent wine spoilage (cork taint), exudation of matter, and contamination. Stable to ensure the required sealing properties are maintained in the long term. Cork is traditionally used to provide bottles with excellent aging conditions. It is a noble and natural material. Its controlled elasticity and permeability have made it the raw material of choice for wine corks. While significant progress has been made by major cork producers in recent years, several drawbacks remain associated with this type of product:

• This raw material is becoming scarce and expensive. Demand for high-quality corks is higher, and availability has been somewhat reduced by the forest fires in Portugal.
• The porosity of natural cork makes it a refuge for the chemical substances (TCA) responsible for cork taint.
• Natural cork is a material that does not offer absolute consistency in terms of inert gas retention and remains to this day the primary cause of qualitative variation in wine after bottling. This element becomes critical to quality.

Several closure solutions have entered the market and are increasingly finding their place: the screw cap (widespread in New Zealand and Switzerland, in particular for the white wines), reconstituted cork and composite stoppers. We will subsequently publish a comparative study on these kinds of alternative solutions, which are being viewed with interest by the winegrowers And wine-makers.