Last weekend, we were at Château Beau Rivage in Macau-en-Médoc for the Gourmet Odyssey Harvest Experience Days. They were the last two days of the 2013 harvest at the winery, so we had to make sure that we got all the grapes safely into the chai!
As soon as everyone was equipped with a pair of secateurs, we ventured out into the vineyard to receive our instruction on how to harvest, which grapes to pick, and which to leave behind.
On Saturday we started with a plot of Cabernet Franc vines to be used for making rosé wine. We picked the bunches of grapes in cases, and once filled, we loaded them onto a trailer.
For the rest of the morning and for our Sunday team of harvesters, we harvested some plots of Cabernet Sauvignon. On Sunday, we used a different harvesting technique, using porters to transfer the grapes from the harvesters to the trailer.
Once we had finished harvesting, we followed the grapes journey to the chai. For the rosé, we emptied the crates directly into a small press to extract the juice.
On Sunday, for the red wine, we first put the grapes into a de-stemming machine to separate the berries from the stalks. Then, around the sorting table, we removed any unripe berries, leaves and even a few insects, keeping only the best grapes.
After all that work, the rosé wine was most welcome for the aperitif! We continued the tasting of the estate's wines during the harvesters meal which we ate in the shelter of one of the barns.
In the afternoon, we visited the chai to understand more about the fermentation process and the work in the chai during harvest time. Christine took out her mustimetre to show us how the sugar level in the grapes is measured.
We finished the day in the barrel room to see where the wine will rest and age once the first stage of fermentation has finished.
Many thanks to Christine, Guillaume and the team at Château Beau Rivage, as well as our clients for making it such a good weekend, and also for having worked so hard despite the odd drop of rain!
Comments
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Many thanks again for this great day! I can't wait to come back for the vinification! See you soon
Envoyé le Mardi 22 October 2013 by Caroline