An early harvest

In almost all of France’s wine growing regions, 2018 was a very early year due to the glorious sunny and warm summer that we enjoyed.  In the east of the country, such as in Burgundy or Alsace, they were as much as one month early for the start of the grape harvest.  At Domaine Stentz-Buecher in Wettolsheim, we harvested the pinot noir grapes on the 8th September, where normally we would do so in October.

In some regions, such as for Château de la Bonnelière, near Chinon in the Loire Valley, the summer was so dry and hot, that the maturity of the grapes slowed down at the end of summer, putting back the harvest slightly compared to the forecasts at the start of the summer.

An exceptional quality

All of our partner winemakers agree in saying that the 2018 vintage is an exceptional one in terms of quality, with lovely healthy grapes that had ripened evenly.  The sugar levels needed to produce the alcohol were good with a nice concentration due to the summer heat.

Of course there still remains lots of work to do in the cellar, but all the early signs point to a great year.

A small yield

If the quality is high, the same cannot be said for the yields, the quantity being less than usual in some of the regions.  Alsace had a bumper crop of a great quality, Burgundy and the Loire better yields than the previous few years, but the south and west of France suffered.

The drought during the summer and beginning of autumn caused some of the grapes to dry out.  If it happens just a little, it’s not a big problem, and can even bring some added structure to the wine, but where the grapes dry out too much, they become as hard a pepper corns and have to be removed when harvesting, thus reducing the quantity.

Another problem was caused by the very wet spring which led to mildew attacking many of the wine growing regions, in some places having a significant impact on the yield, such as at Château Coutet in Saint-Emilion, where some of the merlot plots lost as much as 95% of the grapes.

Mildew reduces the yield

This year the fight against mildew was one of the principal preoccupations of our organic partner winemakers.  With such a rainy autumn, it was often impossible to treat the vines, or when they were able to be treated, the next rain shower would fall quickly afterwards and wash the protection away, as organic treatments remain on the surface of the leaves and don’t penetrate inside the plant.

For example, in Saint-Emilion, more than 30mm of rain fell continuously for 10 consecutive days.  The mildew set in on the leaves, and then developed on the grapes during the summer, causing them to become dry and hard.  In the Côtes du Rhône region, Domaine de la Guicharde, was also affected in their Grenache plots, and Domaine Allegria noted the same for their Carignan vines.

But a smaller yield generally means that the remaining grapes are of a higher quality.  Now the role of the winemaker in the cellar to vinify, age and blend the wines will come into effect, and will play a crucial role in developing and defining the quality of the 2018 vintage.  We look forward to tasting the wines in the cellar as they evolve during our Vinification Experience Days next year.


Interested in learning more and getting involved in harvesting the grapes in an award-winning French organic winery?  You can do so with a Harvest Experience Day with the Gourmet Odyssey Wine Experience.

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Replenishing the water tables and keeping the frost at bay

It rained regularly back in January at the start of 2018, allowing the water reserves to be replenished.  Then in February, the cold set in, which is a good thing for the vines because it enables them to rest and also kills off some of the parasites that live in the soil and can bring disease to the vines.
Spring was generally sunny and warm, meaning that the buds burst fairly early.  For example in the Cotes du Rhone region, the bud burst was two weeks earlier than usual at Domaine de la Guicharde.  At that time, back in April, frost was the biggest threat.  Most of our organic winery partners had put in place some defence system, whether it be candles or bales of hay ready to burn and heat the air, or wind turbines to mix the warmer air with cooler air.   Part of the Loire, Bordeaux and Languedoc regions were particularly touched, whereas the impact in Burgundy and the Rhone valley was much more localised.  Fortunately, none of our partner vineyards were badly affected by the frost.
The very start of the summer was particularly wet, not just because of the frequent downpours, but also because of the quantity of rain that fell, being much greater than seasonal norms.  The constant humid conditions, coupled with the warmth, created the perfect conditions for mildew to develop, and most of our partner winemakers have seen the tell-tale spots form on the vine leaves.

Mildew can be a big problem for organic and biodynamic winemakers because the elements used to protect the vines, principally copper and sulphur, are contact products that don’t enter into the plant.  Therefore, with each rainfall, they are washed away and you need to treat the vines again.  Another way of trying to fight against mildew is to remove some of the leaves from in front of the grapes.  This allows the grapes to dry quicker after the rain, giving the mildew less chance to develop.  Fortunately the hot dry weather throughout France since mid-June has helped to stop the spread of the mildew.

The flowering vines and the harvest to come

The rain and heat has meant that the vines have grown rapidly since the initial bud burst.  The winemakers have been kept busy de-budding the vines, ensuring that the branches grow between the training wires, and trimming the vines.  It has also been important to work the ground, either mowing the grass or tilling the soil lightly to keep the grass and weeds in check and stop them from competing with the vines for the nutrients in the soil.

The vines flowered early in most regions at the end of May and beginning of June. In Burgundy, the first flower was seen on the 26th May during a Gourmet Odyssey Discovery Experience Day.  It was a fairly rainy period in most regions during flowering, so some vines have seen some shot berry.  This happens when the rain weighs the flower cap down, stopping it from falling free and resulting in the flower not being fecundated, and therefore not producing any fruit.  Fortunately the shot berry has only been seen relatively sporadically in most parts, meaning that the quantity of grapes at harvest time should generally be OK.

Probably the biggest threat to the future harvest is the risk of being hit by a hail storm.  Normally these are very local, but the last few years have seen some big storms hit that have damaged the vines on a larger scale than normal.  The unlucky region to have been particularly badly hit this year is the Médoc, not just once but twice, the second coinciding with France’s victory at the world cup!
The sunny weather of the past few weeks means that the veraison will happen earlier than usual, and now is the time when the grapes start to change colour.  They stop growing, and enter the maturing phase.

So at this stage, the winemakers are quietly optimistic of a good harvest to come, both in terms of quantity and quality, as long as the weather remains kind during the summer, and the hail stays away.  The harvest will be earlier than usual and most of the grapes will have been harvested by the end of September.
We look forward to the end of summer and a good harvest for 2018!

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For the 2017 vintage, we welcomed Château Coutet in Saint-Emilion to the Gourmet Odyssey Wine Experience, and Domaine de la Guicharde in the Rhone valley begins the adventure with the 2018 vintage. As with all of our other partner wineries, they are both organically certified and Domaine de la Guicharde is also a biodynamic winery. Discover the magic of these two wineries by adopting some vines and participating in one of the Wine Experience Days in the vineyard and cellar.

In the vineyard, 2017 was finally a good year.  After a few scares and scrapes with frost in April, and then the dryness of the summer months, the 2017 harvest was picked in great weather conditions, and the first impressions are very good, as you might have read in our summary of the 2017 vintage.

We are getting ready to welcome you for the 2018 vintage and are impatient to discover what the year holds in store!  We hope that it is a fine vintage and year, full of great moments shared in the vineyard, and around a bottle of wine.

We wish you all an excellent 2018!

Mark, Marie, Louise, Myriam et Jacqueline

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Serving the wine at the right temperature

Ideally it’s best to put the unopened bottle of wine that you are going to serve for a couple of hours in a room or wine fridge that is already at the desired temperature. But with our heated homes in winter, it’s sometimes difficult to keep the wine cool, particularly for white wines that are generally best served between 10 and 12 °C. If you don’t want to put the wine in the fridge, which can reduce the aromatic appreciation of the wine, you can slip on a wine cooling jacket 15 minutes before serving. The jacket which has been cooled in the freezer, keeps the wine at the optimal temperature for around 30-40 minutes.

For wines that you want to serve a little colder, such as sparkling wine, you can use a wine cooling bag or an ice bucket, both of which are very efficient. A little tip is to salt the water in the ice bucket which will lower the temperature of the bottle more quickly!

Open the bottle without damaging the wine (or the hands)

The good news is that there are models adapted for all situations! For corkscrew beginners or for those of us who open lots of bottles, the lever corkscrew such as the “Screwpull” is the easiest to use. There is also the “Charles de Gaulle” corkscrew (Look closely when the two levers on the side are opened…), that takes up less space and are more affordable.

For those that are a little more experienced, the waiter’s corkscrew or sommelier’s corkscrew are very good. The sommelier’s corkscrew has the little curved knife included that is good for cutting the foil that protects the cork. To make it a little easier, opt for a double-lever corkscrew. The lever has two positions, allowing the cork to be removed halfway, before using the second position to completely eject the cork. That avoids having to screw the cork twice and reduces the risk of damaging the cork and ending up with bits of cork in your wine.

And if you’re thinking about opening some fairly old wines where the cork is likely to be more fragile, try the double-bladed corkscrew, where you have two thin blades that slide between the cork and the neck of the wine bottle without damaging the cork. It demands a little bit of practice though!

Bring out the full wine aromas

Some wines, more often for reds, benefit from being placed in a carafe, either to decant the wine and separate it from the solid matter that has settles in the side of the bottle during storage, or to accelerate the airing of the wine to best reveal its aromas. Sometimes it’s best to avoid disturbing the wine too much, and simply open the bottle a few hours ahead if you think that it needs to breathe. But be careful.  Carafing a wine can sometimes diminish it, it depends on its age and maturity. Conversely to what many people believe, carafing a wine to air it is often more beneficial for young tannic wines, than old wines, which might be too delicate to withstand any brusque handling. Trust your senses when you open the bottle as to the best way to handle it.

To air the wine, you could also use a wine aerator. Very useful for when you’ve forgotten to open the wine in advance, you have to open another bottle because your guests are getting through the wine quicker than you thought, or the wine is really having trouble opening up.  Again, it’s usually best to let the wine breath as naturally as possible though to best enjoy the first nose!

Pouring the wine in your glass (and not on the table cloth)

The moment for tasting the wine is almost there. All you have to do is pour it into the glasses. To help you, there are Drop Stops, really practical discs that roll up and slide into the neck of the bottle and stop any drips.

The Drop Stops can be washed by hand, but don’t get on very well with washing machines. There are also larger drip catchers that are more resistant to being put in the dishwasher.

For those that are confirmed wine waiters, nothing beats the sharp twist of the wrist to turn the bottle once you have finished pouring and avoiding any drips from running down the side of the bottle. Done correctly, it’s bound to impress your guests!

So you’re now ready for the perfect wine tasting. Most of these wine accessories can be found at reasonable prices in wine merchants or on the internet. Some can even be found in the Gourmet Odyssey Wine Experience welcome pack!

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Domaine de la Guicharde

Our new partner saw 3 of their wines selected by the Bettane+Desseauve 2018 wine guide (internet version), the Genest 2015, Pur Rouge 2016 and the Terroir du Miocène 2015. The Terroir du Miocène is the wine chosen by Gourmet Odyssey for the vine adoption wine experience. It received a rating of 13.5/20, and was described as being “a little shy at first, but opens up once aired. It’s a no-nonsense fruity wine that is very drinkable.”

Château de la Bonnelière

The Bettane+Desseauve 2018 wine guide chose 5 wines from Château de la Bonnelière, including the 2015 vintage of the Clos de la Bonnelière wine selected by Gourmet Odyssey for the Wine Experience, which received a 15/20 rating. “A full and gourmand wine, this bottle opens it arms to you.” Other wines selected include the 2015 Roches Saint-Paul and 2015 Rive Gauche.

The 2018 Guide Hachette des Vins Bios organic wine guide gave a star to the 2015 Chapelle wine, which it recommends pairing with a lamb confite.

Domaine Chapelle

The 2018 Guide Hachette des Vins 2018 selected 6 of Domaine Chapelle’s wines, the 2014 Morgeot Premier Cru, the 2014 Petites Lolières, as well as the 2015 Santenay Saint-Jean white wine, the 2015 Beaurepaire Premier Cru, and the 2015 Gravières Premier Cru which each received a star. For the Santenay Saint-Jean wine they noted that it is “an elegant wine with aromas of white fruit, citrus fruits, fresh butter and white flowers, aromas which are amplified in the mouth with this smooth wine with good levels of acidity”.

These wines were also included in the 2018 Guide Hachette des Vins Bios organic wine guide.

Domaine Stentz-Buecher

The internet version of the Bettane+Desseauve guide chose three 2015 wines, the Gewurztraminer Hengst scored 16/20, the Pinot Gris Pfersigberg 14/20 and the Muscat Rosenberg was noted 14/20.

Domaine Allegria

The 2018 Guide Hachette des Vins and the organic wine version, praised both the 2015 and the 2016 vintages of the Dolce Vota with 2 and 3 stars respectively.  It’s a real darling of the guide with its “powdery pink colour…  refined, complex, the nose reveals roses, then citrus fruits, before showing more acidic notes of redcurrant and red fruits. Gentle on the palate, smooth and deep, it remains lively thanks to the acidity. It’s a gourmand and elegant wine.”

Domaine la Cabotte

The 2018 Guide Hachette des Vins and Guide Hachette des Vins Bios organic wine guide awarded 2 stars for the 2015 Gabriel wine.  “Once opened up, this wine reveals hints of blackcurrant jam and blueberries, with some smoky notes. Velvety on the palate, with elegant black cherry and spicy aromas, supported by perfectly matured tannins. A wine that will please everyone.”

The 2018 Bettane+Desseauve web guide rated the 2016 Colline white wine 13/20, and the 2015 Gabriel 15/20. For this last one, they wrote that “on the nose it reminds you of fresh green pepper, and in the mouth it is juicy and floral, packed with red and black fruit. The tight tannins give it body and a rustic style that suits it well.”

Domaine Jean-Marc Brocard

The Revue du Vin de France picked 3 wines from the Domaine Jean-Marc Brocard for the 2018 Guide des Meilleurs Vins de France wine guide. The 2016 Chablis, 2015 Chablis Premier Cru Vau de Vey, and its top pick, the 2015 Chablis Premier Cru Fourchaume, which it noted as being “expressive, rich and well structured, it sets itself apart by the depth of flavour and its saline finish. Well balanced, it is an excellent Chablis that can be enjoyed by all.”

The 2018 Guide Bettane+Desseauve 2018 selected no less than 14 wines from the winery, including Grand and Premier Crus, and the 2015 Chablis Sainte-Claire, the wine selected by Gourmet Odyssey for the 2016 and 2017 vintages, which was rated 14/20. 

The 2018 Guide Hachette des Vins 2018 and the Guide Hachette des Vins Bios wine guides selected 2 wines ; the 2015 Domaine Brocard obtaining 2 stars, and the 2014 Côte de Lechet, 1 star.

Château Beau Rivage

The 2015 Benjamin, red wine was hailed in the 2018 Guide Hachette des Vins, who recommend serving it with roast guinea fowl. “The nose is floral and fresh, whilst being full and lasting on the palate, revealing juicy ripe fruits and silky tannins.”

So another good year for the Wine Experience partner winemakers, who were rewarded for their talent and hard work in the cellar and vineyards to produce another great range of 2015 and 2016 organic wines!

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How long have you been winemakers?

We have been winemakers since 2008.  Domaine Allegria is the fruit of a Franco-Argentine friendship between the d’Aboville and de la Mota families.  Roberto de la Mota is one of the most respected Argentine oenologists, and he has accompanied us in realising our dream.

What is your best memory in the vineyard or cellar?

For Ghislain
A micro-vinification in 2011 of two rows of Muscat.  We harvested the grapes late and produced 50 litres of pure nectar that we never bottled because there was too little.  We keep this wine in a tiny little vat, and serve it to our friends and guests who come and visit.
For Delphine
It’s racking the vat of the last plot of red vines, which is always the mourvèdre.  Being in the vat and removing the marc of skin and pips that has been left behind with a shovel is a unique experience.  You’re in close contact with the grapes and it also signals the end of the vinification period.  I’m the one who always racks the mourvèdre, and so I am the one who marks the end of the vinfication.

For the 2015 vintage, what is at present your favourite wine and why?

For Ghislain
The Carignan Gourmand because since 2013 we’ve been reducing the percentage of this wine that is aged in barrels year on year.  In 2012, 100% was aged in oak and in 2015, 0%.  And I think that I’ve at last found the true style of this generous wine.  It’s got heaps of freshness, and at the same time has a magnificent length with a great potential for keeping.
For Delphine
Cinsault Abuelo because I love the roundness of this wine for the 2015 vintage, and because it is very thirst quenching!

What are your upcoming projects or challenges?

In 2017 we’re going to plant a lovely 1 hectare plot with Grenache. The peculiarity is that we’ll be using vines that from very old Grenache vines using massal selection.  We’ll prune the vines using the Goblet method as our ancient Languedoc ancestors did.  Our aim for this vineyard plot is to add some nice Grenache grapes to our blends from 2020!  We’ll have to be patient until then!

A question that our clients often ask.  What do winemakers do when they have a little time to themselves?

Our favourite way to take a break and relax is to leave the winery on foot, and wander through the scrub and garrigue until we reach our favourite restaurant, the Auberge du Presbytère, nestled in the small mountain village of Vailhan.  The food is as breath-taking as the scenery!

Interviews of our orther partners

Marc Plouzeau from Château de la Bonnelière in the Loire Valley

Eric, Etienne and Marie-Pierre Plumet from Domaine la Cabotte in the Rhône Valley

Jean-François Chapelle from Domaine Chapelle in Burgudy

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Last minute preparations

The wineries have been ramping up the work again over the last couple of weeks. The teams of harvesters are being put in place, and are now eagerly awaiting the starting orders. The harvest will generally last between 10 and 20 days according to the size of the winery, the weather, and how the grapes are harvested. Harvesting by hand takes considerably longer than by machine.

The cellars and fermentation halls, or chais, have been cleaned and tidied to be ready for the new harvest. Many of the wineries have also been busy bottling previous vintages to free up space in the vats for the first fermentation of the new wine to come.

Our partner winemakers are now prowling the vineyards each day, observing and tasting the grapes to see how ripe they are. They also scrutinise the weather reports and combine these with their estimations of when the grapes will reach optimum maturity to try and predict a date to start the harvest.

The harvest dates differ from region to region

This year we are in a more usual cycle, and the first of our partner wineries to pick their grapes are Domaine Allegria and Domaine la Cabotte in the Languedoc and Côtes du Rhône wine regions, where the high summer temperatures and long hours of sunshine allow the grapes to mature faster.

The wineries a little further north will then follow with our two Burgundy partners, Domaine Chapelle in Santenay, and Domaine Jean-Marc Brocard in Chablis, hosting Harvest Experience Days the last weekend of September and the first weekend of October. Château Beau Rivage in Bordeaux, Domaine Stentz-Buecher in Alsace and Château de la Bonnelière in the Loire Valley will then finish the round of Harvest Experience Days during the following two weekends.

Generally speaking, spring was cool and wet, but the beginning of summer was very warm, so the ripeness of the grapes is neither late nor early. We'll be keeping our fingers crossed for good weather right until the very last grapes have been picked! It's been a difficult year for some with hail storms, flooding, and some very hot spells in some regions, so it would be nice to avoid any further climatic challenges. And a little sun is always appreciated to welcome our adoptive vine parents to the Harvest Experience Days!

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The Gourmet Odyssey team grew and perhaps you have already had the good fortune to meet Stéphanne, Simon, Mégane or Louise who joined us to accompany our clients during the Experience Days at our partner wineries.

In the vineyard, 2015 was a great year. Mother nature was kind, providing a cold and dry winter, a mild spring, and a summer which held back a few surprises to keep our winemakers on their toes. The 2015 vintage is looking to be a very promising year, and we're already beginning to wonder how the next year will shape up.

Once again, we shared some great moments with you in the wineries, and we're looking forward to making new acquaintances and renewing old ones in 2016! There's still much to learn and share in the world of winemaking.

We wish you all an excellent 2016, and hope that the year is full of great times shared, passion, and discovery.

Mark, Marie, Ines, Stéphanne, Louise, Mégane and Simon

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Domaine Stentz-Buecher - Alsace

- 26 -30 November - Salon des Vignerons Indépendants - Paris, Porte de Versailles, Stand M9. Click here for a free invitation.

- 3-18 December, Alsace Christmas Market (marché de Noël Alsacien), Paris - in front of the Gare de l'Est train station from 9:00-20:00 except Sunday (10:00 - 19:00). Free entrance

Domaine la Cabotte - Côtes du Rhône

- 14 November - Salon de Bollène - Salle Georges Brassens, Entrance E 4.

- 5-6 December, Wine Tasting at Domaine la Cabotte of their « family wines » : champagne from Domaine Jean-Marie Massonnot, Burgundy wines from Domaine d'Ardhuy and Côtes-du-Rhône wines from Domaine la Cabotte - Domaine la Cabotte, lieu-dit Derboux, Mondragon. Free entry.

Domaine Chapelle - Burgundy

- 6-8 November, Salon des Vins et Produits du Terroir - Sévrier, Complexe d'Animation, Route d'Albertville.

- 18-20 November (17:00 - 22 :00), Private Tasting at the Hotel Napoléon - Paris, 40 Avenue de Friedland. To receive an invitation, please contact us.

- 28-30 November, Natura Bio - Salon des Vins Bio organic wine fair - Lille, Grand Palais Click here for a free invitation.

- 5 December, Salon du vin de Loire-sur-Rhône wine fair. Free entry.

Château Beau Rivage - Bordeaux 

- 20-23 November- Salon des Vignerons Indépendants wine fair - Lille, Grand Palais, Stand B 6.

- 26-30 November - Salon des Vignerons Indépendants wine fair - Paris, Porte de Versailles, Stand E 90.

Domaine Jean-Marc Brocard - Burgundy 

- 24-25 October, Fêtes des Vins wine festival - Chablis.

- 20-23 November, Marché des Plaisirs Gourmands gourmet market - Mâcon, Parc des Expositions.

- 4-5 December - Grand Tasting wine fair - Paris, Carrousel du Louvre.

Château de la Bonnelière - Loire

- 4-5 December - Grand Tasting wine fair - Paris, Carrousel du Louvre.

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All of our partner winemakers are agreed. Mother nature has been kind to the vines this year, or at least so far... Of course nothing is ever certain, and we must hope that the good weather continues, until the grapes are safely in the fermentation tanks, but for the moment, 2015 looks set for being a good year.

A cold but dry winter

Most of the wine-growing regions benefited from a relatively cold winter from January onwards, but without excessive rainfall. Domaine Chapelle recorded half of the rain usually received in January. The cold is a good thing for the vines as long as the buds have yet to appear. It kills off many of the unwanted parasites without affecting the plant, and it makes it easier for the winemaker to drive the tractor between the rows without getting bogged down, thanks to the hard ground.

The cold winter, combined with a milder spring enabled the winemakers to limit the number of treatments applied to the vines. This is good news for our partners, all of whom are organically or biodynamically certified, as with Domaine Jean-Marc Brocard. Organic treatments are contact treatments which don't penetrate inside the plant, so after each rainfall, they have to be treated again as the rain washes away the protective matter. Too much rainfall however, makes it impossible to use the tractor to treat the vines as the earth becomes too cloggy, whilst the wet weather favours the development of disease.

An ideal Spring for flowering

The flowering season happened at our partners between the beginning and mid June, the 5th June at Domaine Stentz-Buecher, and a couple of weeks later at Château de la Bonnelière. Everyone agreed that the weather was optimal for the flowering. Mild temperatures between 20 and 25 °C for the most part, and without wind. Perfect conditions for the good fecundation of the flower and a good quantity of grapes.

As a rule of thumb, we normally count 100 days between the flowering and the harvest. This year, the weather will make a mockery of this saying, as the harvest will be early throughout France.

A lovely summer and early harvest

The months of June and July were very hot and dry, but the vine is a plant that needs little water, and withstands heat very well. At some of our partner wineries such as at the biodynamic Domaine la Cabotte, the winemakers were able to help the plant a little by spraying a tisane, made from stinging nettles and yarrow, in the morning, to refresh the vines and help them better withstand the heat.

Even in the most southerly regions, where we often hear about the lack of water, nature was relatively kind this year, Domaine Allegria reporting 100mm of rain between mid March and mid April, making the summer a little less stressful.

At all of our partner wineries, the heat helped the development of the vines, first with the leaves, then through the veraison when the grapes begin to change colour, and then whilst they ripen. The lack of water over the past few weeks has preoccupied the winemakers. Even though dry weather is always better for harvesting, the grapes find it difficult to grow, and even if they reach maturity, the quantity of juice, and therefore of wine, runs the risk of being less than initially forecast during the flowering period.

The harvest gets under way

The majority of our partner winemakers have now returned from their summer holidays, a little earlier than other years, and the harvest has already got under way at some vineyards, such as Domaine Allegria. Elsewhere, the preparations are under way to clean and get the cellars ready, as with Château Beau Rivage, where the 2015 harvest will be received in the newly renovated chai.

The Gourmet Odyssey Harvest Experience Days get under way next week, and run between the 5th September and the 4th October. We'll have to wait a little longer to get a first idea of what the vintage promises, once the grapes are in the vats and the fermentation process has begun. We'll then get the chance to taste the wines during the Vinification Experience Days next winter!

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All of our partner winemakers attend the wine fair. It's one of the annual not-to-miss events to meet professional clients, to present new vintages, and to search for new prospective clients. It's also the chance to catch up with fellow winemakers and to exchange on new techniques concerning organic winemaking.

Challenge Millésime Bio is the international organic wine competiton of the Millésime Bio wine fair, and is presided over by a well known member of the wine trade. This year the honour was bestowed on Toshio Matsuura, a journalist from the Japanese wine and spirits magazine Wands, to direct the tastings.

The wine tastings took place on Tuesday 25th November 2014 at the Mas de Saporta in Lattes, near Montpellier. The jury tasted some 1250 samples and the winners have recently been announced.

Congratulations to two of our partner winemakers who received gold and bronze for the wines selected by Gourmet Odyssey for the Wine Experience.

• Domaine Chapelle in Burgundy has been awarded a gold medal for the Clos des Cornières 2012, the wine chosen for Gourmet Odyssey's adoptive parents. The winery also saw its Chassagne Montrachet Premier Cru Morgeot 2012 win bronze.
• Domaine la Cabotte in the Rhone Valley was selected for bronze for its Garance 2013 Cotes du Rhone Villages. This is also the wine chosen for the Gourmet Odyssey Wine Experience.

And finally, a special mention, also for Domaine la Cabotte, for having its Garance 2012 wine picked by the Revue du Vin de France wine magazine as one of Millésime Bio's "revelations", and as being a wine "to buy with your eyes closed!"

You'll find a complete listing of the Challenge Millésime Bio 2015 winners here.

You can find other accolades recently bestowed on our partners here.

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The first of the tasks is the de-budding to remove all the excess buds and any unwanted shoots. De-budding generally takes place a few weeks after the bud burst. During pruning, a certain number of eyes are left on the branch, which represents the number of buds and branches that will form (see our post of pruning). However, sometimes more buds appear than were bargained for during pruning, which can increase the load on the vines and reduce the quality of the harvest. Studies have shown that de-budding improves the maturity of raisins at harvest time by increasing the sugar levels, and thus the potential alcoholic volume. De-budding is a purely manual task. There is no machine capable of removing the buds without harming the plant.

We also remove the buds and shoots from the base and trunk of the vines. This is known as "epamprage" and can be done manually or mechanically using a tractor with rotating axels that brush the vines and remove the unwanted growth. Epamprage can also be conducted chemically with contact products or by using heat to burn the new shoots. Empamprage is often conducted at the same time as the soil is turned to remove grass and weeds.

The remaining shoots on the vines will then continue to grow, and from May to July comes the moment to raise the training wires in the vineyards. As the vines grow, the wires are raised and fixed to the posts, a task that usually requires several passes. We make sure that all of the branches grow between the two training wires so that the weight of the leaves and fruit are better supported. To help avoid the branches falling back down, the wires are clipped together. The branches are spaced apart to let the air better circulate and the sun to reach the leaves. This also helps the tractors to pass freely in the vineyard without damaging the vines and to improve the efficiency of any treatments.

At the same time as working on the vines, the winemaker also works the soil from April onwards to air the soil, let in more warmth, and to keep the growth of grass and weeds in check.

The next tasks for the winemaker in the vineyard will be to control the growth between the leaves, branches and fruit, jobs that we will explain in more detail soon.

More articles on the work in the vineyard :

• de-budding
• training the vines

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