Last Saturday, we spent a sunny day on the banks of the Garonne
river with clients of the Gourmet Odyssey Wine Experience at
Château Beau Rivage.
After a brief introduction to the region and the winery, we
headed straight out into the vineyard with Christophe Issartier
from Château Beau Rivage.
Christophe showed us the differences between the five grape
varieties grown on the estate, merlot, cabernet sauvignon,
cabernet franc, malbec and petit verdot, and explained the work
that has been done thus far in cultivating the vines.
A Vine Surprise
There was a surprise awaiting the clients when they met their
adopted vines.
Christine and Christophe had arranged for the family cooperage to
make wooden sign posts with the name of each client of the Wine
Discovery Experience Day burnt into the wood. The clients
could take them away with them at the end of the day, and those
clients who will be coming back for the harvest experience day
chose to leave them to age next to their adopted vines before
reclaiming them!
To Work
We then made our way to the petit verdot vines for some leaf
removal work, "effeuillage". At Château Beau Rivage, the
petit verdot vines are the first to be worked on in this way
because their grapes take the longest to ripen because of their
relatively thick skins. Conversely they are the last vines to be
harvested.
The work consisted of removing some of the leaves from around
grapes that are already well formed. This task enables more
sunlight to reach the grapes, allowing them to ripen faster, and
also for a better circulation of air, which reduces the risk of
rot.
A Well Deserved Fresh Claret
After the couple of hours spent in the vineyard under the baking
sun, the wine tasting session in the shade of the trees was most
welcome!
To start with a Joly Rivage 2009, the claret that is produced by
the winery, followed by a Château Beau Rivage 2006 and 2002,
before finishing with the Clos de Bohème 2005 with the meal.
The Chai and the Cellar
The afternoon started in the "chai" with an explanation of the
work that will be done during the harvest time to receive the
grapes and start the fermentation process in the vats. Each
grape variety is fermented and matured separately, which increase
the workload, but ensures a better quality wine.
In the cellar, we tasted cabernet sauvignon and merlot from the
2009 vintage straight from the barrels, and tasted the marked
differences of the grape varieties, and also from the different
French and American oak used in making the barrels.
A fantastic wine experience day, informative and fun,
which enabled us to get an insight into the life of a winemaker,
and the care and work taken to cultivate the vines.