Many thanks to all of our clients, partner winemakers, suppliers and friends for your support, loyalty and most of all your good cheer!
During these first 5 years, more than 30 000 lucky vines have found adoptive parents, and we have shared a fantastic time with you during each of the 148 Experience Days organised at the wineries!
Thank you and here's looking forward to the next 5 years!
Mark, Marie & Ines
After a coffee and a croissant, Marc Plouzeau, introduced us to his winery, and told us about the "Vin Doux" plot of vines that we were to harvest. Marc bought this vineyard of magnificent old vines a couple of years ago, and it is currently being converted to organic.
Once in the vineyard, Marc and Noémie, the vineyard manager, handed out the tools we needed to harvest. Each equipped with a bucket and pair of secateurs, we listened attentively to the instructions before spreading out in twos among the vine rows to start picking the grapes.
We also had a few volunteer porters. Once we had filled our buckets, we called a porter and emptied our grapes into the basket that they carried on their backs. They then took the grapes and emptied them into the trailer at the bottom of the vineyard.
Once we had finished our rows, we followed our harvest back to the winery to discover the sorting table, where we removed any unripe berries or leaves that had inadvertently added themselves. But due to the high quality of the grapes and the diligent work of our harvesters, there wasn't much to sort at all! At the end of the table, a de-stemming machine separates the stalk from the grapes which fall into a trolley below.
We then split our harvest into two parts. The first was put into a 600 litre barrel for an integral vinification, and the second into one of the vats. Marc explained what happens to the juice during the fermentation process that will last up to 3 weeks.
Once we had finished putting the grapes into the barrel and vat, we were rewarded with a glass of « Perle Sauvage », the natural sparkling wine produced at the winery.
The harvesters' meal was served in the barn, where we continued the tasting of wines, including the Chinon blanc 2013, Clos de Bonnelière 2012 and Chapelle 2011.
After lunch, we headed out into the vineyard where the Gourmet Odyssey adopted vines are to be found.
We then returned to the chai to learn more about the important work carried out there during the harvest, and to learn about the differences in making white, red and rosé wines. We finished the day by tasting some grape juice that had just started to ferment. Marc also showed us how to measure the density of the juice and estimate the potential alcoholic volume using the mustimetre.
Many thanks to Marc, Marie-Rose and Noémie from Château de la Bonnelière for welcoming us and accompanying us during the Harvest Experience Days, and to all of our clients for their good cheer!
See you again soon for the Vinification Experience Days!
Last weekend was the turn of Bordeaux to start the harvest. After the Gourmet Odyssey Harvest Experience Days in the Languedoc, Burgundy, Alsace and the Rhone Valley, we met up at Château Beau Rivage, in Macau-en-Médoc for the start of the harvest at the winery.
After a particularly wet summer, the September sun has been very welcome in maturing the grapes, and Christine Nadalié, the château's winemaker, had waited as long as possible before starting the 2014 harvest. Christine introduced us to the winery and brought us up to speed on the year so far before we set off into the vineyard. Here, we learnt which grapes to pick and which to leave behind. Then, armed with a pair of secateurs and a basket each, we spread out among the rows to start picking the grapes. The plot of vines had suffered from a few very hot days in July, so we had to be quite selective about which grapes we picked. But there were also plenty of good grapes, so the baskets soon filled up!
We had a few brave volunteers to do the heavy work of being a porter. Once the baskets are full, we empty them into a big basket carried on the back of a porter. The porters then walk to the trailer, and tip the precious harvest into the trailer, being careful not to fall in with the grapes!
Once the trailer had been filled, we headed back to the winery to follow the grapes journey. Christine had decided she wanted to make some rosé wine from the merlot grapes that we had harvested, so we put in place the conveyor belt to carry the grapes from the trailer up into the press.
After our morning's work, we were rewarded with a refreshing clairet rosé wine. We continued to taste different red wines from the winery over lunch which we enjoyed in the garden of the château.
The winery cultivates 5 grape varietals, each of which ripens at varying speeds. After the meal, Christine led us to the vineyard plot behind the château, where we tasted grapes from different varietals to compare the different tastes and stages of ripeness.
At the other end of the vineyard, the Gourmet Odyssey adopted vines are to be found. We took a few minutes to go and see them, and to take a few photos.
Back at the winery, we followed Christine into the chai, where she explained how the wine is worked during the harvest period to ensure that it ferments and macerates in the best conditions.
Christine used a mustimetre to measure the density of the grape juice that we had produced, which gives a good indication of the likely alcoholic volume, once all of the sugar has been transformed into alcohol.
We ended the day in the barrel room to see where the wines will rest during the ageing period. Many thanks to Christine, Guillaume and David from Château Beau Rivage for letting us get behind the scenes during the harvest, and to all of our participants for their hard work and enthusiasm!
We started the day in the courtyard of the winery where Céline, the owner with her brother Stéphane, introduced us to the Alsace wine region and the 2014 harvest, as well as her journey in becoming a winemaker.
We then got booted up and headed off into the vineyard to join the team of harvesters that will work at the winery for the whole harvest period. Under the guidance of Stéphane and the more experienced harvesters, we set about picking, and filled a couple of trailers with nice ripe grapes. The harvest was helped this year by the good quality of the grapes, with very little unripe or damaged fruit. There was also a good yield on each vine.
On the way back to the winery, we stopped at the vineyard plot where the Gourmet Odyssey vines are located. Here, we inspected the health and quality of our Pinot Gris vines, which are not yet quite ripe for harvesting. After a few photos and some words of encouragement for the vines, we returned to the winery to watch our harvest be put into the press.
Stéphane explained why it was important to press the grapes quickly after been picked, and how to regulate the pressure to obtain the best possible press. He also answered numerous questions on how to measure the maturity of the grapes and how to decide when to harvest.
Whilst the grapes were slowly being pressed, we tasted some of the wines from the winery, accompanied by a savoury Kouglof, before sitting down to an alfresco lunch in the courtyard.
After lunch we went down into the cellar to see how our pressed juice was coming along. Stéphane explained the next steps to settle the wine and how the fermentation will transform the sugar into alcohol. He told us about all of the work to be done in the cellar during the harvest period, and showed us the barrel room, fermentation hall, and wine store.
Another rich and informative day, and as always in good cheer thanks to our involved and curious participants!
We spent a very enjoyable weekend for the harvest in Chablis at Domaine Jean-Marc Brocard. The nice weather of the past few weeks remained in place, and had helped provide nice ripe bunches of grapes, with a good balance between sugar and acidity. Perfect conditions for harvesting!
After the coffee and croissants, we headed out into the vineyard to join up with the team of harvesters. Micheline, the team leader, distributed the secateurs and buckets to each of us, so we were equipped with the material necessary to harvest. She explained which grapes to pick and which to leave behind. We then spread out among the rows to get down to work.
In tandem with the pickers, the other important role in the vineyard during harvest time is that of the porters. We took it in turns to carry a basket on our back, and when the harvesters had filled their buckets, they then emptied them into the basket. The basket can hold more grapes than you would think, and quickly becomes rather heavy! To empty it, the porter carries his load to a waiting trailer, climbs a ladder, and then lets the grapes fall over his shoulder.
With such a great harvest, the buckets and baskets filled up quickly, and the morning passed by in a flash. Back at the winery, we had earned our aperitif. We tasted a Petit Chablis « Les Plantes » 2012, a Chablis « La Boissonneuse » 2011 and a Chablis 1er Cru « Les Vaudevey » 2011 before sitting down to lunch, where we continued the wine tasting.
After lunch, we made our way to the fermentation hall to see where the harvested grapes are weighed and put into the press. Here, Pierre and Julien explained how the grapes are pressed, put into the vats and how the juice is separated from the sediment.
We then walked to the Boissonneuse vineyard where the adopted vines are located and to take a few pictures.
The day finished with a tasting of two different grape juices, to compare the juice before and after settling. The juice will soon start to ferment to turn the sugar into alcohol, but we'll have to wait until next year for one of the Vinification Experience Days before we next get the chance to taste the wine!
Many thanks to Pierre, Micheline and Julien for welcoming us, and to all the participants for the work during the harvest and their good humour throughout the day.
The sun was out for the Harvest Experience Days last weekend at Domaine Chapelle in Santenay. We were there for the first days of this year's harvest, and we got involved in each of the harvesting stages from picking the grapes to putting them in the vats.
The day started in the Clos des Cornières vineyard, the plot where the adopted vines of our apprentice winemakers are located. Before getting down to the serious business of the day, we took a few minutes to find our vines and mark the occasion with a few photos.
Jean-François Chapelle, the winemaker and owner of the winery, showed us how to harvest; which grapes to pick and which are better left behind due to rot or a lack of maturity. Armed with a pair of secateurs and a crate, we spread out, two people to each row, to start harvesting the grapes. The harvest is looking good, and the warm, sunny weather of the last couple of weeks has done the world of good to reduce the acidity and increase the sugar levels in the grapes.
Each pair picked to their own rhythm, and once the crate was full, they brought it back to end of the row to exchange it for a new one. Fortunately, the vines in the Clos de Cornières are more heavily laden than last year, so the crates quickly filled up!
After the morning's work, we returned to the garden of the château for a well earned aperitif - a nice fresh Santenay Saint Jean white wine to refresh the palate!
We continued the wine tasting with some red wines from the estate over lunch, which was served in the harvester's refectory. We tasted a Santenay Clos des Cornières, Santenay Premier Cru Les Gravières, before finishing with an Aloxe Corton. After lunch, we continued in the steps of the grapes. First stop, the harvest reception hall. Here, the crates of picked grapes are unloaded from the vans, and then emptied one by one onto the sorting table to remove any unwanted grapes that went unnoticed in the vineyard. Yannick, the winery's Technical Director, showed us how to do this important work.
At the end of the sorting table, the grape bunches pass through a de-stemming machine to separate the berries from the stalk. The grapes fall into a chute that carries them down into the fermentation hall where a trolley is waiting to transport them on the final leg of their journey up a conveyor belt and into the vat. Jean-François explained how the sugar in the grapes will ferment over the coming days to transform the grape juice into wine.
The day ended with a final tasting session to taste the grape juice that we had harvested from our vineyard. The next chance we will get to taste it will be during one of the Vinification Experience Days at the start of next year.
Many thanks to Domaine Chapelle for letting us take a sneak peek behind the scenes during the busy harvest time, and to all of the participants for their good cheer and hard work!
We had a lovely sunny day to start the harvest at Domaine la Cabotte last Saturday. Following an introduction to the winery and an update on the 2014 campaign so far, we made our way through the vineyard to harvest the Syrah plot of vines that will be used in the Garance wine, which is the chosen wine for the Gourmet Odyssey clients.
Once Eric and his wife Marie-Pierre, the owners of the winery, had explained to us how to pick the grapes, we spread out among the vine rows in pairs. This year, the harvest was made easier due to the excellent condition of the grapes, with practically nothing to sort or leave behind.
The buckets filled up quickly, and by the end of the morning we had filled two trailers. We followed our harvest to the chai to assist with the de-stemming, before the grapes were put into the vat. The berries are separated from the stalks and then, once in the vat, will start to slowly ferment. It was then time to refresh ourselves with a tasting of some of the estate's wines.
After lunch, which was prepared by Marie-Pierre, we headed back out into the vineyard. We learnt how to taste the grapes to decide whether they are ready for picking or if they need more time to mature. It's all a matter of the colour of the skin, the taste in the mouth, and what the pips look like. It all seems very easy to Eric, but for the rest of us, the nuances are often very subtle!
Whilst tasting the grapes, we took sample bunches from a number of different vine plots of Mourvèdre, Grenache and Syrah. We then mixed these together in the cellar to estimate the sugar levels and hence the potential volume of alcohol of the wine, if it were blended with these three grape varietals. It's quite a simple technique, but one that has to be repeated often and for each plot during the harvest time, to ensure the quality of the juice and of the wine that it will produce.
We finished the day by tasting the grape juice produced from the Viognier vine plot, which had started its fermentation two days beforehand. It was still very sweet, but had already started to fizz a little. After a few words on how the estate is managed organically and biodynamically, we had spent a very full and informative day.
Many thanks to all the participants for their questions and enthusiasm, and of course for the snip of their secateurs!
The first of the Gourmet Odyssey Harvest Experience Days for the 2014 vintage took place on the 6th September at Domaine Allegria, and we were blessed with a magnificent summer?s day. This year we decided to start a little earlier so as to avoid the strong midday sun.
At 8:30, we headed out into the vineyard where we grow our Cinsault grapes. Cinsault is one of the oldest grape varietals found in the Languedoc, and our small plot is 35 years old. We had a half hectare of vines for our apprentice harvesters to pick.
We started relatively early because the temperature soon climbed to 30°C. For the grapes, and for the harvesters, it's better to pick when the temperatures are as low as possible. If the grapes get too hot, we then have to cool them down before putting them into the vat. It's always best to manipulate the grapes as little as possible.
The grapes are in great shape this year, but it's a smaller yield due to the very dry winter and spring. Around 11:00, we finished the harvest, and headed to the Mazet vineyard where the Syrah vines are adopted by the Gourmet Odyssey clients.
Delphine had prepared lunch for us, a local recipe of mussels cooked on a plancha, called brasoucade. After lunch and a tasting of some wine, we helped put the grapes into the vats. We emptied the crates into the de-stemming machine to remove the stalks, and then we pumped the whole berries into the top of a vat.
At Domaine Allegria, we don't add any sulphur at this stage, the wines are vinified without adding any, and it is only when it comes to bottling that we add some. And finally we ended by cleaning all of the material.
It's what takes us the most time during the harvest. To make one litre of wine, it takes three litres of water to keep all of the material clean!
We were at Château Beau Rivage near Bordeaux last weekend for a wine Discovery Experience Day. With the winemaker, Christine Nadalié, by our sides the aim of the day was to learn more about all the work carried out in the vineyard to produce the best possible grapes come harvest time.
The day started with a little walk in the vineyard, during which we made several stops so that Christine could explain the characteristics of the different grape varieties and the terroir. She brought us up to speed on the work already accomplished in the vineyard since last winter, and she showed us a plot that has recently been replanted with vines.
Since our last visit in May, the vines have grown lots and the flowering period has been and gone. This is a very important stage in determining the potential yield of the harvest to com, and generally it went well, with just a little bit of millerandage when the flowers didn't pollinate properly. Millerandage causes some of the grape berries to not develop to the normal size, and so smaller grapes are interspersed with normal sized grapes.
At the far end of the vineyard, we arrived at the plot of Merlot where the adopted vines are located, and so we took a few minutes to snap some photos. The vegetation continues to grow rampantly, and so it has to be managed and kept under control with the help of training wires. Christine showed us how to raise the wires, and then to place any falling branches in between them. We then split up into pairs to have a go ourselves. As we moved down the rows, we also removed any unwanted shoots and growth from the trunks of the vines, which otherwise waste some of the plant's energy.
Back at the winery, we tasted some of the different wines and vintages and enjoyed the winemaker's meal. We continued the day in the chai where Christine explained how the grapes will be received during the harvest, and how the sugar is transformed into alcohol during fermentation.
We then went through to the barrel room to see where the wines rest during the ageing period. Here, Christine explained the influence that the oak barrels have on the wine, and answered our questions on many topics ranging from blending to biodynamic wine-making. Many thanks to all of our participants and to Christine for having shared the day with us.
See you soon for the harvest!
As our guests noted, Domaine la Cabotte is to be found in the middle of the vines, surrounded by wooded hills, vineyards and the Mont Ventoux in the distance. What better place to discover the profession of wine making. The aim of the Discovery Experience Day is to understand the work carried out in the vineyard from winter right up to the harvest the following autumn, and so we began the day in the vineyard.
Eric recounted the history of the winery and the establishment of the Massif d'Uchaux wine appellation. He then brought us up to speed on the work that Marie-Pierre and he had already done since last winter, covering such topics as pruning and the flowering of the vines. He then showed us how to raise the training wires to better space and support the weight of the vines as they grow.
The training wires had just been raised, but had not yet been attached. Armed with handfuls of clips, we clipped the wires together to keep the vine branches in place between the wires. It can get very hot in the middle of the vineyard, particularly in the Rhône Valley, and luckily Marie-Pierre had brought some home-made drinks to share with us! After this full morning, we were glad to find some shade back at the winery to taste some of the estate's wines and enjoy the meal prepared by Marie-Pierre.
We spent the afternoon in the cool of the chai, where Eric talked to us about the different herbal treatments made of horsetail, valerian, stinging nettles and the like, that serve to help stimulate the growth of the plant. He also showed us how the soil is vitalised using a preparation of cow manure that has been buried in cow horns according to the biodynamic principles.
Eric finished the day by briefly explaining the key steps in fermenting the wine, something that we will go into more detail about during the Vinification Experience Days.
If your Dad is interested in wine but has never had the opportunity to get involved in making wine with a winemaker, the Gourmet Oydssey Wine Experience will enable him to learn first-hand about all of the work in the vineyard and cellar. He'll be the adoptive owner of his vines for a winemaking year and, thanks to the newsletters and photos, he'll follow all of the steps in making his personalised wine.
He can also get stuck in and learn by participating in working at the winery for one of the Discovery, Harvest or Vinification Experience Days. He'll visit one of our seven partner vineyards and spend the day with the winemaker.
All of our partner wineries are organically certified, and are chosen for the quality of their wine, and the enthusiasm of the winemakers in sharing their passion for their profession. It's an unforgettable experience that will enable your father to open his bottles of wine in good company and explain how they were made.
Our welcome gift packs contain a sommelier's apron, a DropStop, adoption certificate and a brochure that explains the experience. They are delivered within 2 to 5 days depending on the delivery country, and for any last minute gifts, we'll send a copy of the certificate by email ahead of the welcome pack.
And the little added bonus, is that the Experience Days are valid for two people to share the fun!
One of the Gourmet Odyssey Wine Experience gifts will enable the newlyweds to understand all of the work that the winemaker undertakes in the vineyard and the cellar when making their personalised bottles of wine. They will follow all of the key stages via newsletters and photos as their vintage unfolds.
The newlyweds can roll up their sleeves and get involved themselves if you include in their Wine Experience one of the Discovery, Harvest or Vinification Experience Days. They'll get to visit one of our seven partner vineyards to participate in the pruning, de-budding, harvesting or discovering the art of ageing and blending wines in the cellar. The winemakers will be there to explain their work, share their passion, and of course to let you taste their wines during the winemakers meal.
All of our partner wineries are organically certified, and are chosen for the quality of their wines, and the enthusiasm of the winemakers in explaining the intricacies of their profession. This means that the newlyweds will embark on an unforgettable experience to follow the making of their wine, from the same year as their wedding.
The welcome gift packs are delivered in 2 to 4 working days depending on the country of delivery, and for any last minute gifts, we can email the adoption certificate ahead of the welcome pack.
The Gourmet Odyssey Wine Experience is an original idea for a wedding present for wine lovers and those curious to learn the secrets behind making a quality wine. An original wine gift that will last long in the memory.
The yield at Domaine Stentz-Buecher is voluntarily kept well below the maximum authorised levels, something that the adoptive vine owners at the winery learnt more about last Saturday by getting stuck into some serious de-budding.
The Gourmet Odyssey Discovery Experience days teach you about all the work carried out in the vineyard from pruning right up until the grapes are ripe enough to be harvested. Following the introductions from the winemakers, Céline and Stéphane, we headed off to the "Rosenberg" vineyard, where we paid a visit to our adopted vines.
Jean-Jacques, Céline and Stéphane's Dad, explained in detail all of the various stages in working the vines.
He particularly showed us how to de-bud the vines, which involves removing the double buds and excess shoots that grow on the trunks of the vines. If left, these take away some of the plants energy which can be better used to produce nice ripe grapes.
With extra care as it is the plot of vines which will be used to make our wine, we got stuck into the de-budding!
We then walked through the vineyard a little to admire the fantastic views of the Alsace landscape and we could even see as far as the Alps. Back at the winery, we tasted some of the wineries wines over lunch.
In the afternoon, Stéphane explained his philosophy of making wines, and took us on a tour of the fermentation halls to introduce us to the principal stages of vinification.
A full day, and very instructive thanks to the many questions and
enthusiasm of our participants, and not forgetting our passionate
winemakers of course!
You need good grapes to make good wine. That's what the participants of the Wine Discovery Experience Day learnt last weekend at Domaine Chapelle. Jean-François, the winemaker and owner of the winery, and his Technical Director, Yannick, welcomed us for the day to share their passion for their profession.
During the Discovery Experience Days, we learn all about the key stages in working in the vineyard to get the best possible grapes come harvest time. And the best way to learn is by having a go yourself! So, after an introduction to the winery, its wines, and the Burgundy terroir, Jean-François led us out into the vineyard.
We took a few minutes to find our adopted vines before Yannick explained all of the work that has been carried out in the vineyard since pruning. We are now finishing the de-budding phase in the pinot noir vineyard plots, which involves removing any superfluous buds or shoots. And we have just started to train the chardonnay vines; which involves ensuring that the shoots grow between the training wires and then clipping the wires together to help the vines support the weight of the foliage and fruit.
Having learnt the theory from Jean-François and Yannick, we got
stuck in and had a go ourselves. A little hesitant at first
in front of the vines as we didn't want to cause them any damage,
but we soon got the hang of it.
A few hours later we were back at the winery, ready to taste some
wine! We tasted a Santenay white wine, before tasting a
Burgundy red, a Santenay Clos des Cornières and a Santenay
Premier Cru Les Gravières.
To finish the day, Yannick and Jean-François took us down into
the fermentation hall and cellar, where they introduced us to the
technical side of making and ageing wine, something that we will
develop further during the Vinification Experience Days.
To sum up the day in the words of Jean-François: the work in the
vineyard before the harvest is essential, because even a good
winemaker finds it difficult to make a good wine with poor
quality grapes.
A good winemaker is therefore a good farmer, and after their hard
work and enthusiasm in the vineyard, our apprentice winemakers
would wholeheartedly agree! Many thanks to our participants
for a very enjoyable weekend!
We spent last weekend in the Bordeaux vineyard for a couple of Discovery Experience Days at Château Beau Rivage. With Christine Nadalié at our side, we headed out into the vineyard to learn more about the profession and work of a winemaker.
The winery grows five different grape varietals in the vineyard, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot. Christine showed us the difference between the vines and talked to us about grafting.
Before getting down to work, we took a few minutes to visit our adopted vines, and to encourage them to produce a good harvest! It was also a good occasion to pose for a few pictures!
Christine told us about all of the work that has been done in the vineyard during the winter, notably pruning. The buds have already burst and the first signs of the future grape bunches are forming on the vines. It's now time to de-bud and remove any unwanted shoots that have sprouted from the trunk or roots of the vines. This will help the vines to concentrate their energy on the future fruit-bearing branches. Christine showed us how to do it, and then we rolled up our sleeves to get stuck in!
During the morning, Christine also answered a flow of questions on a range of topics including organic and biodynamic farming, harvesting and the appellation system to name a few.
By lunchtime, we had earned our aperitif, and we started with a nice cold rosé before tasting a range of the winery's red wines during lunch.
In the afternoon, we visited the fermentation hall and barrel room to get an introduction into the winemaking and ageing side of things. Christine told us about the stages of fermentation and explained the influence that the barrels have on the taste and structure of the wine.
Many thanks to Christine and to Guillaume for sharing their
passion for their profession, and to all our participants for
their enthusiasm and good cheer.
The day started in the Boissonneuse vineyard, which was the first plot to be converted to organic and biodynamic farming. Here the head of one the vine teams, Arnaud, explained the differences between cultivating the vines traditionally, organically and biodynamically, and brought us up to speed on the work that has already been done in the vineyard since the harvest last year
The vines are currently a couple of weeks ahead or a normal year, and the first leaves have already appeared. This means that the work of de-budding can begin. Arnaud showed us how to remove the double buds and the unwanted shoots. De-budding is an important step in determining the quality of the harvest to come by concentrating the energy of the plant in the fruit-bearing branches.
Before heading back to the winery, we took a few minutes to find our adopted vines, giving us the opportunity to take a few photos with them, and to fuss over them a little!
Domaine Brocard makes an impressive range of Chablis wines, and we tasted several Petit Chablis, Chablis, Chablis Premier Cru and Grand Cru wines before sitting down to lunch.
In the afternoon, we took some fresh air and went to visit a
different vine plot before visiting the vinification hall that
holds the large oak vats. Here, Pierre introduced us to the
vinification and ageing side of wine-making.
Many thanks to Pierre and Arnaud from Domaine Brocard, and to all
of our participants for a thoroughly enjoyable day.
We met up with Arnaud from the vineyard management team in the Boissonneuse vineyard, which was the first plot of vines to be converted to organic and biodynamic farming. Arnaud talked about the work that was conducted during the winter, and showed us how the vines are pruned and then attached horizontally to the training wire.
Pruning has finished throughout the estate, but Arnaud had left us a few small rows to prune. After a few demonstrations, it was our turn to have a go. Secateurs in hand, we quickly learnt that pruning is not as simple as you would have thought. Each vine requires thinking about and it seems that there are as many exceptions as there are vines!
Arnaud also showed us how to "pluck" the remaining branch to better concentrate the vines energy in the fruit-bearing branches.
The special vineyard tractors were also out working in the same plot, and so we were also able to see how they are used to turn the soil in between the vine stocks and the rows.
The Boissonneuse vineyard is also the plot where the adopted vines of Gourmet Odyssey's clients are located, and so we took a few minutes to find our micro-plot of vines!
Our taste buds were fully awake after all the morning's fresh air, and so back at the winery, we began to taste different wines from the range of Chablis wines that are produced on the estate. We continued the tasting during the meal, which was prepared by a local Chablis caterer.
The afternoon continued with a visit of the winery building for an introduction of the work carried out in the cellar, something that we will explore in more detail during the Vinification Experience Days.
Many thanks to Pierre and Arnaud for having shared their passion for the professions with us, and to all of the participants for their enthusiasm!
We were welcomed to the winery by its owner winemaker, Jean-François Chapelle, who recounted the history of the vineyard and surrounding area. It was also the opportunity to remind ourselves of some of the Burgundy geography basics!
In the fermentation hall and cellar, Yannick, the Technical Director, explained how the grape juice is transformed into wine after the harvest and then aged until it is ready for bottling. He told us how the vinification process differs between red and white wines, and how the wine is aged in the oak barrels. We tasted the same 2013 wine, but aged in different types of barrel, one new, the other a few years old, to better understand the role each has on the taste and structure of wine.
During this time another group, under the direction of Jean-François, participated in a workshop to help develop the senses of taste and smell when tasting Burgundy wines.
We then started the wine tasting in earnest with a couple of white wines from the estate, accompanied with some gougères. We continued the tasting during the meal with some of the red wines.
After the meal, we made the most of the sunshine, and headed into the Clos des Cornières vineyard to visit our adopted vines and take a few photos.
The Clos des Cornières contains three different ages of vines, and their grapes are picked and vinified separately before being blended to produce the wine that is chosen for the clients of Gourmet Odyssey. Back at the winery, we tasted the three different wines separately, as the 2013 vintage is still in the process of ageing, and has not yet been blended together.
We now have a several more months left to patiently wait and let the wine slowly age before being bottled. Another fascinating day spent at the winery - many thanks to all the team at Domaine Chapelle!
The Discovery Experience Days for the 2014 vintage got under way last Saturday at Château de la Bonnelière in Chinon. The aim of the day was to learn more about the work needed in the vineyard to produce the best possible grapes come harvest time.
After an introduction by the winemaker, Marc Plouzeau, we headed out into the Clos de la Bonnelière, the vineyard where our adopted vines are to be found. We took a few minutes to take some pictures and introduce ourselves to our vines!
With the relatively mild winter, pruning has now finished across all of the winery's vineyards. It's important to wrap up the pruning before the sap rises into the branches. Marc explained how the vines are pruned to leave just one branch that will produce the fruit-bearing canes on one side, and a short branch on the other in preparation for the following year.
Once pruned, the cut branches need to be removed from the vines. Marc had left us a few rows to do, so rolled up our sleeves and got stuck in! The vines wrap themselves tightly around the training wires, so it's quite a physical job!
We placed the branches in the middle of the rows where they will be crushed in-situ to return some nutrients to the soil when they decompose.
The next job is to bend the remaining branch on each vine until it is horizontal and then attach it to the training wire. We worried about breaking the branches, but with a gentle touch we managed just fine!
During the morning, Marc also explained the other work that will be carried out into the vineyard between now and harvest time, and we learnt that there is much more to be done than you would first think!
After our hard work, the aperitif was just reward! We tasted one of the winery's sparkling wines, "Perles Fines", with some homemade goat's cheese and olive cake. During the meal, we continued the wine tasting with some of the other white and red wines from the winery.
In the afternoon, Marc introduced us to the notion of biodynamic farming and showed us how he makes some of his biodynamic preparations. He also showed us the range of tools and machines that he uses to work the vines and the soil.
The day ended in the winery's cellar which is located directly underneath the Chinon Fortress. Marc showed us where the wines are aged in oak barrels and also took the opportunity to turn his bottles of sparkling wine.
Many thanks to all who participated in the day and to our passionate winemaker, Marc, for letting us in behind the scenes to discover what it's really like to be a winemaker!
After the introduction of Céline, winemaker at the estate with her brother Stéphane, we headed off to the vineyard to meet our adopted vines. Having taken a few pictures, we then walked through the different vineyards until we arrived at the Steingrubler Grand Cru plot. Here, Céline and Stéphane had left us a few rows to prune!
Armed with a pair of secateurs, and under the instructions of Jean-Jacques, the father of Céline and Stéphane, we learnt how to prune the vines using the Guyot method.
It's not as easy as it would seem at first to work out which are the canes to leave or cut, but getting stuck and having a go is the best way to learn! Pruning is really important to help control the yield of fruit per vine.
At the end of the morning spent in the vineyard, we returned to the winery to taste some of the wines and to enjoy an Alsacien stew with the Stentz family.
In the afternoon we visited the fermentation halls and the cellar for an introduction to the winemaking side of the things from the harvest, through the fermentation and the ageing of the wine. These topics will be covered in more detail during the Harvest and Vinification Experience Days.
Many thanks to all of the participants for your inquisitiveness, and to the winemakers for your passionate and fascinating explanations!
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