The 2015 Harvest Experience Days got off to a great
start last weekend, not in the south of France as is usually the
case, but in Burgundy at Domaine Chapelle. The harvest is early this year in
all of France's wine growing regions, but it is particularly true
in Burgundy after an uncharacteristically hot summer where the
temperatures climbed as high as 40°C in July.
Fortunately, the temperatures have decreased again, and we had
the perfect conditions for harvesting the grapes. Dry, not too
hot, with maximum temperatures around the 20°C mark, some wind,
and sunny for the most part.
After the introductions in the garden of Domaine Chapelle, we
headed off to the Clos des Cornières vineyard, the plot where the
Gourmet Odyssey adopted vines are located. Before getting down to
the serious business of harvesting, we took a few minutes to say
hello to our vines and thank them for producing such a good
harvest this year! As we were to find out, the quality is
potentially excellent for the 2015 vintage, even if the dry
summer has meant that there is a little less quantity than
Jean-François, the winemaker and owner, was hoping for!
Jean-François then told us how to harvest, which grapes to pick,
and which to leave behind. In pairs, we were then allocated a row
of vines, and armed with pair of secateurs each, we started to
pick the grapes!
The crates soon started to fill, and we brought them back to the
beginning of the row to exchange them for an empty one.
Harvesting is a relatively therapeutic activity, as you are just
concentrated on the task in hand, and so it is a great way to
clear the mind for a couple of hours. It is however fairly tough
on the back, and we all had a thought for the team of regular
harvesters at the winery who are harvesting all day, every day,
for 10 days!
Our morning's work well accomplished, and having cleaned up a
little, we returned to the garden for a well deserved aperitif!
Whilst we enjoyed a nice fresh Santenay 2014 white wine and ate
some gougères, a local savoury specialty, we took the opportunity
to question Jean-François some more , and to listen to him
explain a variety of topics ranging from the local geology to his
reasons for converting the winery to being organic.
The wine tasting continued over lunch with some of the wineries
red wines, a Clos des Cornières 2011, an Aloxe-Corton 2012,
finishing with a Santenay Premier Cru "Les Commes" 2007.
In the afternoon, we followed the journey that the grapes take
once they have been picked in the vineyard. The first stop was
the reception hall, where the harvest is emptied onto the sorting
table to remove any leaves or unripe grapes.
We learnt how red and white grapes are treated differently, the
Chardonnay being put into the press in whole bunches, whilst the
Pinot Noir have the grape berries separated from the stalks in
the de-stemming machine.
Downstairs, we continued the journey into the fermentation hall.
Here Yannick, the Technical Director, and Jean-François explained
how the Chardonnay grapes are pressed and then how they are
worked during the fermentation process.
We also learnt how the Pinot Noir grapes are put directly into
the vats, and the work necessary to extract the colour and
tannins present in the grape skins during the maceration period.
The work during harvest time is far from over once the grapes
have been picked!
The day finished with a final tasting of some grape juice as we
discovered just how sweet it is. Over the coming couple of weeks,
the sugar will be broken down and transformed into alcohol as the
wine begins to take form.
We'll then have to wait patiently as the wine continues its
fermentation and ageing process over the next year or so, more of
which will be covered in the Vinification Experience Days and newsletters next
year.
Many thanks to Jean-François and his team at Domaine Chapelle for letting us participate in the
harvest, and for sharing their time with us during this busy and
stressful period! And of course, a huge thanks also to all of our
apprentice harvesters for your hard work and good cheer!
Other articles relating to the 2015 harvest
The 2015 harvest gets under way for our partner wineries
The 2015 harvest. What happens next in the cellar?