We spent a very enjoyable Wine
Discovery Experience Day last Saturday in the vineyard at
Château de la Bonnelière in Chinon. This hands-on wine
course enables you to roll up your sleeves and get involved in
discovering the winemakers profession.
We're approaching the end of the cold months, and so at this time
of year in the Loire valley, we start to slowly work the soil
again. To protect the vines from the freezing winter
temperatures, the winemakers heap soil around the vines stocks in
a process called "cavaillonnage". At the end of winter,
this extra soil is removed again during the
"décavaillonnage". And this was what was in store for us
today!
Marc Plouzeau, the winemaker and owner, joined us in the vineyard
with his tractor. With the help of some of our clients, he
had attached a mechanical "décavaillonneuse" (a special type of
plough) behind the tractor. The décavaillonneuse has a
fairly flat blade on either side which tills the soil between the
vine stocks, and removes the extra soil from around each vine,
returning the soil to the centre of each row.
The machine has a semi-automated mechanism that enables it to
plough around each vine. Most of the time it works fine all
by itself, but every now and then needs a little helping
hand! We took turns guiding it to ensure that the
vines weren't dug up in the process! You can better see how
it works in the short video.
Some clients also had the chance to drive the tractor - a
few childhood dreams becoming reality!
Despite the efforts of the décavaillonneuse, a few heaps of soil
and some grass remained around the vines. For the more
energetic, the hoes enabled us to finish the job properly!
Throughout the morning, Marc explained to us all of the steps
taken and to be taken in the vineyard to ensure the best possible
grapes come harvest time. The vineyard is
organically certified, so we also spent time discussing the
differences between organic, biodynamic and conventional farming
methods.
A Wine
Experience day isn't complete without a visit to the vineyard
plot where the adopted vines are located. As usual, out
came the cameras to take a few snaps, and we have already
received a few photos for the
"My Vine" photo competition.
Our hard work in the morning was rewarded with some wine tasting
back at the château, starting with the winery's Sauvignon Blanc
and Chinon rosé.
Lunch was served in the barn, where we continued our tasting with
some of the red wines, including the Château de la Bonnelière
Chinon red, which is the cuvée chosen by Gourmet Odyssey.
We started the afternoon in the fermentation hall to see where
the grapes are received during the harvest, and where the juice
is turned into wine. We will spend more time here during
the Harvest Experience Day.
The day finished in the magnificent cellar which is found in the
centre of Chinon, directly beneath the Chinon castle. It's
a magical and impressive place, even more so when we learnt that
the huge galleries where dug by hand!
It's here in the cellar that the barrels quietly rest, and the
bottles are stocked before being dispatched to be enjoyed near
and far.
As always, many thanks to Marc for welcoming us so warmly and
giving us a tiny glimpse of what it's like to be a winemaker.