The diversity of wine glasses

When looking around a wine accessory or wine glass shop, the first observation is usually that the choice is very or even too vast!  The glassmakers produce different styles of glass that are each best suited to a different style of wine, whether it be from France or another wine-producing country.

Some have ranges that cover different grape varietals, because a pinot gris from Alsace, for example, doesn’t have the same aromatic characteristics as a marsanne from the Côtes du Rhône.  But these glasses don’t cover the depth of the different wines, notably those that are blended as is the case in Bordeaux, the Côtes du Rhône or the Languedoc-Roussillon.

To bridge this gap you can find glasses that are best suited to a particular region such as Burgundy or the Médoc. But you can imagine the number of different shaped glasses that exist, just for the different wine growing regions in France, let alone the rest of the world!

You can then even find glasses that claim to be better for Premier or Grand Cru wines, or for differing ages of wines.  So perhaps the perfect glass does exist for a particular wine, but you’d have to have a very wide collection if you like different styles of wine.

And what if you don’t have the space in your wine glass cupboard?

So how to choose the glass that is best adapted to the majority of wine that you will serve?  The glass plays an essential role when tasting wines in diffusing the aromas.  Aromas are made up of molecules that are more or less volatile, that are released into the air, travelling from the glass to the nose.  The more that the glass allows the aromas to evaporate, the more you will smell them, that is unless they are diffused too widely before reaching the nose.

You therefore need to have a glass where the diameter of the base is wide enough to allow evaporation to take place, but with an opening that is a little smaller than the base.  This will help channel the aromas in the direction of your nose. Tulip shaped glasses are good for this.

Of course, not all aromas have the same volatility, so depending on the type of wine being served, you might want to help some aromas become more volatile by oxygenating the wine and using a glass with a wide base and large opening.  For others that are more delicate of already fairly volatile, you might want to have a narrower base and an even smaller opening, or else you risk not detecting any aromas at all with the nose.  By testing different ratios between the diameter of the base and the opening, you should be able to find an acceptable compromise for most of the wines that you serve.

By concentrating on the two or three styles of wine that you serve the most frequently, you can define the types of aroma that they most often contain: heavy aromas such as wood and spices, or lighter aromas such as fruit and flowers, and the need for oxygenating the wine, and so the shape of the glass best suited.

Then you just need to choose the maker and the price range before opening the next bottle, and savouring the taste... in moderation of course!

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Château de la Bonnelière

Another good year for this winery which received praise from many of the guides. Bettane+Desseauve selected 4 of their wines with ratings between 15 and 17 out of 20.  The Guide Hachette gave their top pick award to the Chinon Chapelle 2016 wine.

The Gilbert Gaillard guide chose the Chinon Rive Gauche white and the 2016 vintage of the Clos de la Bonnelière, the red wine selected by Gourmet Odyssey for the adopt-a-vine experience. The wine guide gave it a rating of 88/100, describing its deep colour, woody nose with ripe red fruits, and on the palate as having a good tannic structure, fresh fruit, and an elegant woody finish.  A great wine to go with a roast.

Domaine Stentz-Buecher

Once again, the winery is picked out as being one of the remarkable wineries in Alsace. The Pinot Gris Rosenberg, Gourmet Odyssey’s chosen wine was selected with 13 others from the winery for inclusion in the Bettane+Desseauve guide.

Château Coutet

The Carité guide of organic wine gave four hearts (out of five) to the 2015 vintage of the Saint-Emilion Grand Cru, the wine made using the plot of Gourmet Odyssey adopted vines. The guide describes its subtle nose, which develops to reveal peppery, leathery and spicy aromas. It has a good level of concentration, packed with black fruit and a touch of grilled chocolate. A rich and intense wine to carafe 2 to 4 hours before serving. Ideal with an entrecote cooked over vine branches.

Domaine Chapelle

As usual the winery seduces the guides with 2 stars in the Guide Hachette for its Aloxe Corton Les Petites Lolières, and 1 star for the Santenay Beaurepaire Premier Cru.

The Carité organic wine guide also selected the two wines that Gourmet Odyssey has chosen for the Wine Experience: the 2016 Santenay Village white was awarded 4 hearts (out of 5) and the 2013 Clos des Cornières red, 3 hearts.

For the Santenay Village blanc, the guide appreciated its elegant woody and smoky nose that is the epitome of the gourmand Chardonnay in these buttery and seductive soils. Full and honest on the palate, it evolves with a nice roundness.  Very good structure and a great white wine.

For the Clos des Cornières red they wrote that it had an elegant and distinguished nose. Subtle and silky with strawberry and cherry aromas. It’s a powerful aromatic wine that will pair well with pink meats and duck.

Domaine Allegria

The Guide Hachette selected the 2017 Dolce Vita rosé wine for its delicate redcurrant nose, soft and suave spices, with a good level of acidity. It’s an elegant and complete wine.

Domaine de la Guicharde

The biodynamic wines from Domaine de la Guicharde were selected by the Glouguide and featured in the Terre de Vins and Elle à Table magazines.

As we predicted when tasting the wines from our partner wineries, the quality has once again shone through and the 2019 wine guides confirm it!

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Gourmet Odyssey partner winemakers win medals at the Challenge Millésime Bio 2018 organic wine competition

The organic wines of our partner winemakers selected by the 2018 wine guides

Learn more about adopting vines and following the making of your own personalised bottles of wine with the Gourmet Odyssey Wine Experience.

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The ViniBio wineries all have the official Agriculture Biologique organic certification and Demeter certification for those that are also biodynamic. Gourmet Odyssey partners exclusively with organic or biodynamic wineries, and so the ViniBio wine fair is the ideal event to discover our original, informative, and fun adopt-a-vine gift, the Gourmet Odyssey Wine Experience.

The wine fair has also partnered with the Noel en Bio organic Christmas gift fair this year, so it’s the perfect place to stock up on your environmentally friendly organic Christmas presents!

Presentations and wine tastings at the 2018 wine fair

During the 3 days of the wine fair, ViniBio will put on a series of presentations and tastings animated by wine experts, sommeliers and journalists. You can discover the programme of the wine fair on this page (French only).

Château Coutet, our partner winery in the Bordeaux region producing Saint-Emilion Grand Cru wines will also be attending the wine fair to present their range of delicious organic wines, and Château Coutet’s charismatic and passionate winemaker, Adrien David Beaulieu, will be speaking in one of the conferences about the unique biodiversity at the winery that has been preserved throughout the centuries thanks to no chemical products having ever been used at the winery.   

Come and visit us on our stand. We’d love to see you, and we’ll have a few surprises up our sleeves for the event!

Practical Information
Salon ViniBio
14 - 16 December 2018
Porte de Versailles, Hall 5.1
Open from 10:30 to 19:00 each day
Download your free invitation here

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Here are all the dates for the rest of the year:

  

Salon des Vignerons Indépendants – Lyon, Halle Tony Garnier – 25-29 October 2018

The Salon des Vignerons Indépendants wine fairs promote independent wineries that directly manage the whole process from working in the vineyard, through harvesting the grapes, working in the cellar, bottling the wines and selling their wines themselves. Domaine de la Guicharde, from the Côtes du Rhône region, will be on the stand B62.

Download your invitation here.

Salon Ô l’Amour - Mulhouse, DMC – 27- & 28 October 2018

This is a fair held in Alsace that is dedicated to weddings. You’ll perhaps find your happiness among the wines of Domaine Stentz-Buecher to accompany your wedding banquet.

Salon Sous Les Paves La Vigne – Lyon, place de la Bourse – 3-4 November 2018

This natural wine fair in Lyon unites 60 winemakers from all over France and a few from countries further afield. Domaine de la Guicharde, from the Rhone Valley, will be among the wineries present.

Salon des vins et des produits de terroir – Annecy, Sévrier  - 9-11 November 2018

Organised by the Annecy Lac Lions Club each year since 1998, this year’s wine fair includes 98 winemakers and gourmet artisan producers from France and abroad, who will present their best wines. Our Burgundy partner, Domaine Chapelle, will be there.

 

Salon des Vignerons Indépendants – Lille, Grand Palais – 16-19 November 2018

The Lille version of the Independent Winemakers Fair will welcome Domaine de la Guicharde on stand B71.

Download your invitation here.

 

Salon des Barricades – Bordeaux, Espace Darwin – 17-18 November 2018

This organic wine fair presents sees 60 winemakers serve their wines with local gourmet produce. Château Coutet, our partner winemaker in Saint-Emilion, is among the participating wineries.

Private Tasting with Domaine Chapelle – Paris, Hôtel Napoléon – 21-23 November 2018

As usual at this time of year, Domaine Chapelle will present their organic Burgundy wines in the Hôtel Napoléon, just next to Paris’ Champs-Elysées. The Domaine Remorquiet and Domaine Coste Caumartin will also be present.
Entrance by invitation only. Contact us.

 

Salon des Vignerons Indépendants - Paris, Porte de Versailles – 29 November -  December 2018

The Independent Winemakers Fair makes its stop in Paris at the end of November. Among the participating wineries, you’ll find our partners, Domaine Stentz-Buecher on stand M 4, and Château de la Bonnelière from the Loire Valley on stand F 14.

Download your invitation here.

Alsace Christmas Market -  Paris - Parvis de la Gare de l’Est - 1-16 December 2018.

To get into the Alsace Christmas spirit without leaving Paris, just go the Gare de l’Est. Authentic Alsace winemakers and producers provide all of the Alsace Christmas gourmet food and wine treats that this great culinary region has to offer. Domaine Stentz-Buecher awaits your visit!

 

Salon Capvin – Belgium, Mouscron – 7-9 December

Domaine de la Guicharde, from the Cotes du Rhone region will present their biodynamic wine at the wine fair in Belgium that also helps to raise funds for Cap48.

 

Salon Vinibio - Paris, Portes de Versailles – 14-16 December 2018  

This excellent organic wine fair has partnered with the « Noël en bio » organic Christmas gift wine fair in Paris. Our Bordeaux partner winery from Saint-Emilion, Château Coutet, will present their wines, and Gourmet Odyssey will also have a stand to present our original Christmas gift ideas for wine lovers.

Download a free invitation here.

Gourmet Odyssey and our partner winemakers look forward to welcoming your to our stands!

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After a quick introduction to the winery and some pain au chocolat, we were all set to head out into the vineyard and get stuck into harvesting the grapes.

The Clos Neuf vineyard is located on the left bank of the River Vienne, as are all of Château de la Bonnelière’s plots. The soil of this plot is made up of sand and gravel, a terroir that favours the lighter red or rosé wines of those that the winery produces. This year the grapes from the Clos Neuf vineyard will be used to make rosé.

At the start of the summer, the harvest looked as though it would be very early, but the dry and hot weather had slowed down the vines.  The grapes were however in great shape, and packed full of the sugar needed to make a good wine!

The grapes are picked and then put into crates, so that the grapes remain as intact as possible before being put into the press. After a few instructions of which grapes to pick, and which to leave, as well as a few safety tips, the team was ready. In pairs we spread out amongst the rows to start the harvest. Our crates quickly filled with the picked bunches.

We stopped mid-morning for a harvester’s snack of rillettes and a glass of Chinon to keep the spirits high for the last few snips of the secateurs!  We managed to pick the whole plot over the weekend, and with no cuts whatsoever!  

We then returned to the winery for a spot of lunch and a tasting of the different wines produced by the château, including the 2016 vintage of the Clos de la Bonnelière. This gave us an idea of the wine to come, as it is the one chosen for the Gourmet Odyssey Wine Experience.

After lunch, we visited the adopted vines, to encourage them in the last stretch before being ready to harvest. The lack of water had slowed down the maturing process of the grapes, and we will have to wait almost two weeks before they are fully ripe. We’ll see next year when we taste the wine, whether our sweet words had any effect!

To end our harvest day, we followed the grapes that we had picked in the morning to the press. To make the rosé wine, Marc had decided to press the grapes slowly to extract a nice pink colour from the skins.

We also learnt about the start of the fermentation cycle for making the rosé, white and red wines, and finished by tasting some of the white grape juice that had already started the fermentation process, as well as cleaning the material, ready for the next day’s harvest.

We can’t wait to come back next year for the Vinification Experience Days to learn about the next stage of ageing the wines and getting them ready for bottling.

Interested in picking the grapes in the Loire Valley during the harvest or giving an adopt-a-vine gift to someone special?  More information on the Wine Experience.

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The harvest is always a busy time for the winemakers and their teams, but Jean-François Chapelle had set aside three days to explain the work at harvest time, to recount his family’s history with the winery, and to share his organic work philosophy.

After a welcome coffee in the harvesters’ refectory, we were introduced to the day ahead in the garden of the château. Jean-François also told us a little about the history of the Burgundy wine-growing region.

We then made our way to the Clos des Cornières vineyard to catch up with our adopted vines. As usual, the cameras clicked away, as the participants tried to capture the most original photo for the annual My Vine photo competition. Don’t forget to send in your entries!

It was now time to get down to the serious business of the day. Equipped with a pair of secateurs each, Jean-François briefed us in how to be the perfect harvester. We learnt that the grapes to pick are only to be found between the first two training wires, and only those bunches which are of a uniform blue colour. Anything that isn’t ripe is left on the vine.

As the year had been particularly hot and dry, the grapes on some of the bunches had become a little withered. These we kept, as they help to give character to the wine. However, the berries that had completely dried out were removed from the bunch before being put into the tray.

And so we started to harvest in perfect conditions. About an hour and a few plasters later (being an apprentice harvester isn’t as easy as all that!), the trays were full and the vine rows perfectly harvested.

The harvest this year is of an exceptional quality. Beautiful, healthy grapes, uniformly ripe, and a yield that is plentiful compared to the last few years!

We then followed the grapes back to the winery where they were emptied on to the sorting table for the second check of the quality before being put into the vats. Here any grapes that aren’t of a good enough quality and any leaves are removed. The remaining grapes then fall into the de-stemming machine for the berries to be separated from the stems. The grapes then make their way by trolley to a conveyor belt that carries them up into the fermentation vats.

By this time it was now time for the aperitif. We tasted a Santenay 1er Cru Gravières white wine, accompanied by some traditional Burgundy gougères.

Lunch was served in the harvesters’ refectory. A Burgundy tourte for starter, followed by veal medallions and mushroom crumble, a local cheese platter, and raspberry desert. These delicious dishes were accompanied by three of the red wines produced by Domaine Chapelle, a 2016 Burgundy red, a 2015 Santenay “Clos des Cornières”, and a 2013 Chassagne Montrachet “Morgeot” Premier Cru.

After lunch we returned to the fermentation hall to put the grapes into the vats, and to learn about the fermentation process that will turn the grape juice into wine, and how the vats are worked during the maceration period to extract the colour and tannins from the skins

It was a fun and informative day. We had all worked hard, and progressed from our status of apprentice harvester. We now have to wait a while before tasting this very promising 2018 vintage that will surely be one of the great vintages. We’ll be able to check when we come back for the Vinification Experience Days at the beginning of 2019.

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Firstly be careful when choosing your wine because not all wines are at their best when the mercury starts to rise.  Of course, the wine should be chosen to match the dish being served, but you also need to take a few points into consideration.  For red wines, favour lighter wines because the heat makes the tannins more pronounced, and serve them between 15 and 18°C.  For the whites, choose dry and mineral wines over complex and sweet wines.  They are usually best served between 9 and 11°C, when the aromas are best released.  The same is true for champagnes and rosé wines, the latter being better suited if they are light and fruity.

These serving temperatures feel much less compared to the 30+°C often encountered during the summer months.  The most important thing is to try and avoid any thermal shocks.  For example with red wines, rather than letting the bottle breathe in the warm air and then cooling it down afterwards, if you’re lucky enough to have a cellar, it’s better to open the bottle and let it breathe in the cellar, and then bring it out at the last minute.  Not such an easy thing to do with a wine fridge though!

Alternatively, if you have a little time ahead of you, before opening the bottle, wrap it up in a damp tea towel and put it in the fridge for an hour at most, but no longer. The wet tea towel will help lower the temperature a little more quickly.

If you prefer to use an ice bucket or ice bag, which can also be used to stop the wine from warming up whilst on the table, mix some cold water with the ice cubes, as still wines don’t like to be frozen, and add some coarse salt which helps the temperature fall more quickly.

Chilling sleeves that you place in the fridge or freezer before wrapping them around the bottle don’t really chill a wine, but they are useful in maintaining the same temperature without causing any thermal shocks.

When using a carafe to serve your wine, they also exist with removable tubes that you can fill with water and freeze so that the ice can be used without diluting the wine.  Of course ice cubes and wine are not a good idea if you want to preserve the aromas and concentration of the wine.  If you really want to put something frozen directly in your wine, an alternative is to freeze some grapes, berry by berry, and then add them when needed.  They’ll cool the wine down without diluting it as ice cubes do, and at least its more eye catching!

Another tip is to chill the wine glasses using ice cubes just before serving the wine, which will stop the wine from warming up so quickly in the glass.  To chill the glass, put a few ice cubes in, and swirl them around until the glass starts to frost up.

By following these few tips, you should be able to continue enjoying a few nice bottles this summer. Enjoy your holiday!

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After the introductions, we made our way through the vineyards and up the hill.  On the way, we learnt about the different grape varietals of Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Malbec that are grown on the estate, and we marvelled at the trees and hedgerows that help to make up the special ecosystem of the winery. Around 20% of the winery’s surface area is voluntarily set aside from growing vines to preserve and encourage the biodiversity, which in turn helps maintain a natural equilibrium.

From the top of the hill, we had a good vantage point over the plain below, stretching past Libourne to Fronsac, and across the Dordogne River into the Entre Deux Mers wine-growing region.  Here we learnt the role that the landscape plays in influencing the weather in Saint-Emilion, and could see how the soil changes from the sandy loam flood plain, to the clay limestone on the side of the hill, to the limestone plateau at the top.  The vines at Château Coutet grow on these three distinct terroir.

Up on the plateau, we made our way to the Peycocut vineyard, one of the 12 reference vineyards in Saint-Emilion, traditionally used by the Jura to determine the date for the harvest.  This is where the Gourmet Odyssey adopted vines are located, and we took a few minutes to visit our vines, admire the views of the rolling vineyards, and take a few pictures.

The work in the vineyard began during the cold winter months with pruning.  We learnt how this is done, and were brought up to speed on the other work accomplished so far this year to de-bud the vines, raise the training wires, and work the soil.

The past few months have been warm and wet.  This has meant that the vines have grown rampantly, but it is also been the ideal conditions for mildew to flourish.  Whilst walking in the vineyards we could see some of the tell-tale yellow spots on the vine leaves.  With the heavy downpours of rain, it hasn’t always been possible to get the tractor into the vineyard to treat the vines when needed.   As the vineyard is organic and the bouillie bordelaise used to protect the vines from mildew is a contact product, it gets washed away and needs to be reapplied after each 20mm of rain.

Another way to help reduce the spread and impact of mildew is to remove some of the leaves around the grapes, which improves the air flow and speeds up the drying time after any rain.  This was the job that had been set aside for us, and we were shown how to do so.  The first factor to take into consideration is the alignment of the vines.  In the Bordeaux region the summer months can get very hot with strong sunshine.  The leaves are therefore only removed on the east facing side which receives the gentler morning sun.  The leaves are kept on the other side to protect the grapes from the more powerful afternoon sun.  The leaves to be removed are those directly in front of the grapes and any which touch the grapes and could transport moisture to the grapes from the rest of the plant.

After watching the winemakers do this expertly, we spread out in pairs to have a go ourselves.  It’s not the most intellectually demanding task, but we soon learnt that it’s more physically demanding that you might think, and that there is a real technique needed to go fast.

We then headed back to the winery, and enjoyed a well earned glass of chilled Clairet rosé wine in the shade of the magnificent trees in the chateau’s garden.

Lunch was delicious as usual, prepared on site by the excellent caterers.  We had foie-gras with fig chutney and savoury breads for starter, followed by magret de canard with a 4 spice sauce, mashed potato with truffle oil, and garden vegetables.  To accompany these dishes, we tasted the Château’s second wine, Belles-Cîmes 2015, and compared the 2014 and 2015 vintages of the Château Coutet.  We then tasted the Cuvée Demoiselle 2014 with the cheese and dessert.

After lunch, we talked some more about how the winery is managed organically, and has always been so since time began.  We also learnt about the work left to do in the vineyard before the harvest, and how the winemakers will tell when the grapes are ripe enough to be picked.

The day ended with a quick visit of the chai, family cellar, and barrel room.  The family cellar is full of old vintage wines going back over the past 50 years or so, and everyone tried to find the bottles from their birth years.

We’ll be spending more time in the chai during the Vinification Experience Day next year.  For now we have to wait patiently as the grapes ripen before returning in September to help pick the grapes during the Harvest Experience Day.

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The first question to come up over a cup of coffee and croissant was who knew the Massif d’Uchaux? Nobody? But that’s not surprising because it is a very exclusive appellation that was formally recognised in 2005 for having its own distinct terroir.  We were to talk lots more about the terroir during the course of this Discovery Experience Day, a hands-on wine course at the winery, dedicated to the work in the vineyard before the harvest.

We then headed out into the vineyard, passing by the olive trees.  The winery has its own special biodynamic ecosystem, including 30 hectares of vines, an organic olive grove, and 20 hectares of woodland, all of which are to be found around the winery buildings, on a small hill which looks a lot like paradise on this beautifully sunny day!

The hill is what makes the Massif d’Uchaux so special compared to the Rhone Valley plain below.  Around 90 million years ago, the sea covered the valley and the hill was an island.  On our way to the adopted plot of vines, we stopped to look at the remnants of an old beach that dates back to the Miocene era, where you can still see some shell fish fossils.

We then arrived on the plateau where a plot of Syrah and a plot of Grenache vines are planted on the terrace that also dates back to the Miocene era.  And yes, that’s why the wine chosen for the Gourmet Odyssey Wine Experience, is called the “Terroir du Miocène”, because it is a blend of the grapes that are grown here.
The winter pruning and biodynamic treatments had prepared the vines for the new campaign, and the vines were flourishing.  The flowering period went well in early June, and the grape berries are now starting to form.  The combination of warm weather and rain in May and June, has seen vigorous growth in the vineyard.  Perhaps even a little too much, because the work to till the soil had been delayed.  As Arnaud explained, it had been impossible to get the tractor into the vineyard because the ground had been too wet, and it had also not been possible to treat the vines after the rain, because the mistral wind had picked up as soon as the rain clouds had passed over.  Regulation stipulates that treating the vines is not allowed if the wind reaches 19 kph, which is a regular occurrence in the Rhone Valley!

Having found our adopted vines and taken a few souvenir photos, we took a closer look at the vines.  Arnaud showed us how to spot the difference between Syrah and Grenache vines.  The leaves are different as we had seen during our last visit, but now that the grapes have started to form, it is even more evident.  The grenache vines produce compact and round bunches of grapes, whereas the syrah vines have more elongated bunches and the grapes are more spaced out.  This also explains why the Syrah vines are generally less susceptible to disease than Grenache vines.
The combination of rain, heat, and lack of treatment leads inevitably to an attack of mildew, and unfortunately we could see some spots on the leaves and berries on the Grenache vines.  Thankfully the Gourmet Odyssey adoptive parents had come to help out.  Today our task was to remove some of the leaves on the side facing the rising sun to help the air better circulate around the grapes and reduce the spread and impact of the mildew.    On the side facing the rising sun, the grapes are only exposed to the weaker morning sun, when the temperature isn’t yet hot enough to dry out the berries, whereas the side of the falling sun receives hotter sunshine at the end of the day, and the leaves are needed to shade the grapes and stop them from burning.
It’s easy to remove the leaves, as Arnaud explained.  You just remove all of the leaves from in front of the vines.  He uses quick and precise movements, and then we tried to do it as efficiently as him.  In pairs, we spread out among the vine rows, and starting plucking.  Arnaud moved between us to talk about his work, and to answer the many questions regarding the vintage, weather and the treatments used in the vineyard.
We took a brief pause to quench our thirst, and then Arnaud brought us up to speed on all of the work that had been carried out in the vineyard so far.  Pruning, de-budding, raising the training wires, trimming the vines.  By this time, we were starting to get a little hungry, and so we headed back to the winery for lunch.  On the way, we spotted some of the plants, such as horse tail or yarrow, that are used in the biodynamic treatments.
The nicely chilled rosé in the shade of the courtyard was most welcome.  We also tasted the “Pur rouge”, a wine for friends according to Arnaud, and which went down very well on this hot day.  We also had some grape juice, organic of course, made from merlot and cabernet grown in Isabelle’s second winery, “Les Mourgettes”.
Lunch had been prepared by Thierry Bonfante, from the restaurant Le Temps de Vivre, just 4 km away.  A lentil salad with regional caillettes, slow-cooked beef stew with carrots, cheese and tiramisu, accompanied by a selection of wines from the winery.  For the reds, we tasted the Genest and Terroir du Miocène, and enjoyed the Autour de la Chapelle white wine with the cheese.
The questions abounded over lunch regarding the daily life of a winemaker, and at the end of the meal, we came back to the topic of biodynamics.  Isabelle talked to us about the book written by Jean-Michel Florin, Viticulture Biodynamique, for those who are really interested in learning more.  For the majority of us who are novices in the subject, Isabelle recounted some of the amusing anecdotes from her short book Précis à l’usage de ceux qui pensent que Demeter n’est qu’une déesse grecque. Laughter rang out around the table as she told us about her adventures with the cow horn manure…

Arnaud explained the principals of the biodynamic wine making, developed by Rudolph Steiner and organised around the lunar calendar.  To make it more easily understandable, he took us to see the tools used such as the dynamiser and the spraying machine.  He told us how he makes the treatments, and he talked about the constraints of the calendar in caring for the vines, depending on whether it’s a fruit, flower, root or leaf day.
We finished the day with a visit to the chai, to understand where the grapes will go after the 2018 harvest.  But we still have a little time to go.  The date for the harvest has yet to be fixed as we need to wait a few weeks more to see how the weather influences the development of the grapes.  As we had heard throughout the day, in this calm haven where time seems to stand still, it’s the nature and the raw elements who lead the show, and then Isabelle and Arnaud work their magic to make the most of nature’s gift and to produce their excellent wines. 

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As we walked through the vineyard, we learnt about how the year has been shaping up so far.  With the alternating rain and hot weather in May and June, the vines have seen some mildew form on them, and we could see the tell tale spots on the leaves, and noticed that some of the grapes had also been touched.  Mildew loves hot and damp conditions.

We arrived in the Mazet vineyard, where the Gourmet Odyssey adopted vines are located.  The Syrah vines are less susceptible to the mildew and fortunately there was hardly any trace of it on the leaves.  After taking a few photos, we learnt about the work that has already been done to prune, de-bud and support the vines using the training wires as we continued our walk through the vineyard.

Opposite the winery buildings, there is a plot of young Grenache vines that had been planted last year, and that will not come into production until the 2019 harvest.  Lots of grapes have already started to form on these small vines, but the priority for now is to help them develop their root system.

So armed with a pair of harvesting secateurs, we cut the bunches of un-ripened grapes from the vines.  Sacrificing this tiny harvest this year will help the plants become stronger in anticipation of better harvests later.

After the effort, the reward.  During lunch prepared by Delphine, we tasted different wines from the winery.

We visited the cellar after lunch to discover the vinification hall where the grapes are received at harvest time, and the barrel room where the wines age before being ready for bottling, but we’ll talk more about these aspects during the Harvest and Vinification Experience Days.

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After the introductions we ventured out into the Clos de la Bonnelière vineyard to meet our adopted vines and to see the grape bunches that have already started to form! 

Marc talked about the work that has been so far to get the vines to this stage. The flowering period had gone well despite the wet spring, and we can start to hope for a good harvest, as long as the weather doesn’t have other plans between now and the moment when the grapes are picked.

The task for the day was de-leafing, which involves removing the leaves from in front of the vines. The principal reason is to allow the grapes to dry more quickly after any rain, thus limiting the spread of diseases such as mildew. A simple, but important task, expertly carried out by our adoptive vine parents!

Mission accomplished, and after a question and answer session on organic wine-making, the daily life at the winery, and the work left to do in the vineyard, we sat down to enjoy the lunch which had been prepared by Mme Plouzeau. Her great specialty, the strawberry Chantilly proved to be a big hit once again. And of course, we enjoyed a selection of wines from Château de la Bonnelière.

After lunch, we visited some of the other vineyards to get a better idea as to the different terroir that make up the winery. We talked about how the work varies in the different plots, and discussed the organic practices used, many of which can also be used in the garden back home!

We’ll next be back for the harvest, and so have to wait patiently to see the fruit of our labour. In the meantime, we wish Marc and the vines a great summer!

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The sun was shining brightly, and so we made ourselves at home in the winery’s garden, overlooking the Clos des Cornières vineyard where our adopted pinot noir vines are located. 

Jean-François, the winemaker and owner at Domaine Chapelle introduced us to the winery and gave us a recap of the 2017 vintage. He also pointed out the different terroir found in the surrounding vineyards to get a better understanding of the geology and its impact on the hierarchy of the Burgundy AOC system. The surrounding area is recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage site.

We then split into two groups, one of which went first with Jean-François for a visit of the cellar and to taste the 2017 vintage directly from the barrel, and the other group stayed with Yvette, Jean-François’ wife, to develop their senses that would be put to the test during the wine tasting to come. The groups then swapped over.

Jean-François explained how the sugar in the grapes is transformed into alcohol during the first fermentation phase after the harvest.  We also had the honour of tasting some of the 2017 wines that are currently still in the ageing process, drawing them by pipette directly from the barrel.

Yvette helped us discover and identify the aromas that can be found in Burgundy wines, and explained where they come from, whether it’s from the grape and quality of the grape, or from the vinification and ageing process. 

We then put our new found knowledge to the test as we tasted different wines from Domaine Chapelle, starting with a glass of the chardonnay AOC Santenay Saint Jean white wine.

During lunch we enjoyed some local dishes of jambon persillé, Gaston Gérard chicken, local cheeses and a chocolate and blackcurrant entremets desert, accompanied by three red wines from Domaine Chapelle, the 2014 Santenay Clos des Cornières, the 2011 Santenay La Comme Premier Cru and the 2013 Chassagne Montrachet Morgeot Premier Cru.

After lunch we headed out into the vineyard to meet our adopted vines, and see how they are preparing for the 2018 vintage. We encouraged them to continue their good work, and passed the baton to the adoptive owners of the 2018 vintage!

Jean-François explained the three different ages of vines that are used in making the Clos des Cornières wine. The 2017 vintage will be the last for a while to use the three different aged vines because the oldest plot of vines was uprooted earlier in the year.  It will be replanted with young vines, but it will take a few more years before any grapes will be produced.

Back at the winery, we tasted the wines that are currently ageing from these three different aged vines, and so could see for ourselves the difference in quality. Each of the three plots is picked, vinified, and aged separately before being blended when it comes time to bottle the wine.  We noted that the tannins were much softer for the oldest vines, whilst they were still marked for the youngest plot. The winemaker can balance these different styles when blending the final wine.

We had spent a very enjoyable day in Santenay at Domaine Chapelle and can’t wait to taste the 2017 Clos des Cornières wine when it is finished!

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By adopting some vines, your Dad will follow the progress of his vines and the making of his own French organic wine for a wine-making year at one of our acclaimed organic wineries in France. Through our newsletters and photos, your Dad will learn about all of the key stages in making a great organic wine, from the work in the vineyard to the choices the winemaker takes in the cellar to ferment, age and prepare the wine before it is ready to be bottled.

At the end of the wine-making year, your Dad can choose the name of his wine, and will receive one personalised bottle of wine for each adopted vine.

To make the experience even more interactive, you can add one or more Wine Experience Days at the winery so your father can visit his adopted vines, meet the winemaker and get involved in working alongside him in the vineyard to nurture the vines or pick the grapes, or to learn about the work in the cellar.

Each Wine Experience Day lasts a full day from 9:30 to 16:00 and includes a wine tasting and full lunch at the winery. These fun days are valid for two people, and are an eye-opening immersion into the real life of a wine-maker!

All of our partner wineries are organically or biodynamically certified and produce wines that are often awarded medals or selected by the main wine guides. They take pride and pleasure in sharing the ins and outs of their profession with you.

Our Wine Experience Father’s Day gift begins with the reception of a welcome gift box containing a wine cooler bag, a re-usable glass wine-stopper, a Drop Stop and a personalised adoption certificate. Your Dad then starts his Wine Experience as soon as he activates his customer portal using the code contained in his welcome pack!

Delivery of the welcome pack takes two working days in France, and between 3 and 6 days for the rest of Europe. For any last minute Father’s Day gifts, we can send you the certificate by email.

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Why age wine?

Once the grapes arrive in the chai and are put into the vats, the fermentation process begins naturally thanks to the yeast cells that are present in the grapes.  This stage finishes when all of the sugar has been transformed into alcohol.  If you taste the wine at this time, unless you are a trained professional, you will be disappointed because the wine is still very hard and closed, and therefore difficult to enjoy.

The next stage in the wine-making cycle is to allow the wine to soften, improve its structure and develop its tertiary aromas, those that appear during the ageing process.  The aim is to obtain a wine that is mature enough to be bottled and stored, the time varies depending on the type of wine being produced.  To age a wine there are various different containers available to the winemaker.  One of which is the barrel.

 

What role do the barrels play?

A barrel is a wooden recipient, made out of staves which are bowed and held in place by metal rings.  They have been used for over 2000 years, at first to simply store and transport wine, but they are now used primarily for the ageing of wine, and other alcoholic products.  Wine is no longer stored indefinitely in barrels, as once the ageing process has finished, it is bottled for storing.

How does a barrel bring structure to a wine? The wood from which it is made is a natural product, and allows a tiny amount of air to pass through the barrel, allowing it to breathe!  That brings oxygen to the wine and makes the wine fuller and more rounded.

And what about the aromas and tannins?  As the wine is in constant contact with the wood of the barrel, a tiny amount of particles from the wood dissolve into the wine, and transfer some aromas to the wine that vary according to the type of wood and the way in which the barrel was heated, or toasted, when being made.  Tannins are also present in wood as within wine, and when put into contact with one another, they combine to give a more delicate structure.

How are barrels made?

The foundation for a good barrel is the wood, and in most cases is made of oak.  Their trunks are first of all split and dried for several years.  Then they are split again to create the staves.  These are placed in a circle in a first metal ring, and heated so as to make the curve.  The heating can be done by burning them, by using hot water, or steam.

Then the staves have another belt applied and another circle is fixed at the other end. One of the staves has a hole put in it and the water and air tightness is tested.  The barrel is also heated a last time to change its chemical composition and bring the desired aromas that are wanted for the wine.

The aromas and the structure brought to the wine by ageing it in barrels can have a marked difference on the wine, as the clients of the Gourmet Odyssey Vinification Experience days can attest to!  Why not join us for your own Wine Experience?


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The role of vats, barrels and other types of container in making wine

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After the introductions to the day by Mark, the founder of Gourmet Odyssey and to the winery by Arnaud, the winemaker at Domaine de la Guicharde, we set off out into the vineyard.  On the way we passed the olive grove which Arnaud nurtures to produce biodynamic olive oil.  Arnaud had started working at 5:30 to prepare and dynamise a biodynamic silica treatment used to strengthen and invigorate the leaves.  The vines had already been treated and as we walked by, we watched the olive trees being sprayed with the same dynamised water.

Arnaud explained the geological history of the Massif d’Uchaux wine-growing region, and how the surrounding area was covered in water during the Miocène era.  He showed us the remnants of the ancient beach where shell fish can still be seen in the soil.  Difficult to believe when you are looking out over the vines and garrigue towards the pre-Alps and the Mont Ventoux.

We then arrived in the vineyard where our adopted vines are located.  The grapes picked in this plot are used to make the Terroir du Miocène red that is the wine chosen for the personalised wine bottles included in the Gourmet Odyssey Wine Experience.  A name plate had been put in front of each micro-plot of vines and we took a few minutes to find our vines, take a few photos and encourage them to produce a good harvest this year!

Arnaud then explained the work that had been carried out in the vineyard during the winter to work the soil, prune the vines using the cordon de royat method, and repair the trellis system used to train the vines.

With the hot weather of the past couple of weeks, the buds on the vines had burst into life, and were starting their growth phase when the branches can grow several centimetres per day.  Sometimes the vines get a little over excited with all this growth, and stems grow from lower down on the vine stock, two branches grow from the same bud, or there are simply too many branches appearing on the vine.  To limit the number of grapes that the vine will produce and improve the quality, it is necessary to remove the unwanted branches.  This is known as de-budding, and Arnaud explained how to select which branches to remove.

We then spread out in the vineyard, two to a row, and had a go at de-budding ourselves.  As with pruning, it is very easy to understand in practice, but more difficult when you have to make the decision yourself!  Each vine is unique, and sometimes you need to leave a branch that in theory you would remove, but that might be useful in the future to reshape the vine or bring the fruit-bearing branches back close to the vine stock.

Arnaud then took us on a short walk through the vineyard to show the different grape varietals and how to identify them just by looking at their leaves.  The Grenache vines that we had been working on were a lot greener and had a shiny coat, compared to the adjacent plot of Syrah that was slightly yellower, and had a soft velvet duvet on the underside.

It wasn’t just the vines that were enjoying the good weather.  The grass and wild flowers were also flourishing in the vineyard, and we admired the beauty of the poppies dancing in the breeze.

 

After the morning’s activities, we made our way back to the winery, and convened in the shade of the courtyard for an aperitif and lunch, which had been prepared by the excellent local restaurant, Le Temps de Vivre.  The first wine that we tasted was the Cotes du Rhone white, Au tour de la Chapelle 2017.  During the starter, main course, cheese and desert courses,  we then tasted Le 17 rosé 2017 wine, the Cotes du Rhone Pur Rouge 2017 red, followed by two Cotes du Rhone Villages Massif d’Uchaux red wines, the Genest 2016 and the wine chosen for the Gourmet Odyssey Wine Experience, the Terroir du Miocène 2015.

In the afternoon, we ventured back into the vineyard.  Arnaud explained the work to come between now and the harvest to raise the training wires, treat the vines, control the growth of the grass and wild flowers, potentially remove some of the leaves from the vines depending on the weather, and how to choose the date for the harvest.

We then spent a while talking about what is involved in organic and biodynamic wine-making.  Arnaud is a passionate advocate of biodynamics and explained how he converted the winery and his reasons for doing so.  He told us about the different preparations that are used to treat the vines and how the work in the vineyard is managed in coordination with the lunar calendar.  We stopped to have a look at the dynamiser used to prepare the biodynamic tisanes.

We ended the day with a quick visit of the chai to see where the wine is made once the grapes have been picked.  We’ll spend more time here during the Harvest Experience Day in September and the Vinification Experience Days next year.

Many thanks to Arnaud and all of the participants for making this such a great first wine experience day at Domaine de la Guicharde!

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Simon, the son of Jean-François and Yvette and who will one day take over from them in the running of the winery, was with us for the day, joined by the Technical Director, Yannick.  Simon began by explaining the history of the winery and of the Burgundy wine-growing region.

We then ventured out into the vineyard where we divided into two groups to learn about the work to nurture the vines.

We learnt how the vines had been pruned and the remaining branches attached to the training wire. This vital work had been finished in March. The first buds then burst into life in the third week of April, and we could see how the branches had started to grow, already revealing several leaves per branch and the formation of the clusters from which the flowers will appear to produce the future grapes.

The principal activity in the vineyard at the moment is de-budding, and we learnt how to reduce the number of branches to limit the quantity of grapes that will be produced. This is an essential step to control the yield and produce the best possible grapes.

We then had a go at de-budding ourselves under the watchful eye of Simon and Yannick. We proved to be a very conscientious team of de-budders being very much aware of the impact of our actions on the future harvest, and we came away from the day as confirmed specialists!

By now, we had reached the hour for the aperitif, and we enjoyed a Santenay Saint Jean 2016 white wine in the courtyard, accompanied by some delicious Burgundy gougères.

We then sat down to lunch of a perch terrine, beef bourguignon, a selection of local cheeses, and a delicious chocolate entremets for dessert, accompanied by a 2014 Burgundy red, the 2014 vintage of the Santenay Clos des Cornières wine, chosen for the Gourmet Odyssey Experience, and finishing with a  2011 Santenay La Comme Premier Cru red wine.

After lunch we had a quick tour of the fermentation hall and cellar with Yannick. We will be spending more time here during the Harvest and Vinification Experience Days to come.

Many thanks to Yannick and Simon, and to all of the participants for making it such a great day.

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