White Winemaking In Burgundy Explained

Burgundy is one of the most prestigious wine regions and home to some of the greatest white wines in the world from the northern outpost of Chablis all the way down to the southern sub-regions of the Cote Chalonnaise and the Maconnais, Burgundy's white wines have built up an undisputed reputation. The process of making these world-class white wines has been perfected over thousands of years In Burgundy a number of white grapes are permitted including Aligote, Pinot Blanc and even Sauvignon Blanc in specific appellations. However, the vast majority of Burgundy's white wines are made exclusively from Chardonnay Making a white wine in Burgundy can be quite different from making red wine as it normally involves a number of different steps. Like all winemaking, making white wine starts out with harvesting when the grapes have reached their optimal ripeness and balance between sugar and Acidity levels. In Burgundy many of the top producers will harvest by hand However machine harvesting is also allowed for all wines, except Grand Cru. The harvested grapes will then go through a rigorous sorting process to make sure that only the best berries are sent for production When your hands are in the graves, what are you looking for? This sorting can be done either by hand or with a high-tech machine that removes the unwanted berries. Once the grapes have been sorted they will be ready for pressing Grapes will be placed into a press which in Burgundy is most commonly a bladder press This is a type of steel tube that has a large bladder inside, the bladder will slowly inflate Expanding and pressing the grapes gently. The juice then runs out and is stored in large vats or oak barrels While stored the unfermented grape juice known as must will settle with any sediment resting at the bottom Once settled this sediment is removed and the wine can begin fermentation The first phase of fermentation is the alcoholic fermentation This occurs either naturally or through the addition of selected yeasts to the vat. Alcoholic fermentation is the process of yeast consuming the grapes natural sugars, and there are three natural byproducts of fermentation ethanol, carbon dioxide and heat So how long does the fermentation process last? Alcoholic fermentation can do two, three weeks and after we have a second fermentation called malolactic fermentation and this fermentation can doing 2-3 month during the winter this next step of malolactic fermentation Happens naturally as the sellers start to warm up in the springtime though It may occur before hand during malolactic fermentation Microorganisms naturally found in grape juice transformed tart malic acid found in green apples into soft lactic acid Which is found in milk this process softens the wine and helps to give a round and creamy texture Some producers may prefer to prevent the malolactic fermentation From occurring as a stylistic decision to maintain fresh crisp acidity in their wines This can be controlled by adding sulfur dioxide or keeping the wine at a low temperature where this fermentation cannot take place So what are the basic steps for fermenting a white wine? For the white wines Here in Burgundy will use Chardonnay, we need to have beautiful grapes in a good maturity. We do the press, we press the grape we obtain the juice and after, we put the juice in the barrel and we are waiting. After the alcoholic fermentation would change the sugar in alcohol and we do ageing between here, between 12 and 18 months. The dead yeast cells from the alcoholic and malolactic fermentation known as lee's maybe stirred into the wine This process is known as battonage and can add unique flavours to a wine such as nutty or bready characteristics. After malolactic fermentation, the lee's are removed and sulphites might be added to the wine to preserve it. The wine will then go through a maturation period and may be left in oak barrels or other vessels such as stainless steel tanks over a number of months Depending on the producers preference. This process is known as elevage. this step is critical to the development of flavours and aromas in a wine. In Burgundy, French oak barrels of 228 litres are preferred and act as the perfect vessel for maturing the wine Tiny pores in the word allow for micro oxygenation softening the wine in creating a smooth final product Maturation for top white burgundy is often around 12 months After the maturation phase the wine is transferred out of the oak barrels and back into a stainless steel vat. During what is known as racking and blending Wines that are made up of different vineyard plots will all be blended together into the tank The wine is often still cloudy at this point. So a process of fining may be done to remove the unwanted particles Thus clarifying the liquid Fining agents may be natural proteins such as those found in egg whites or fish though Synthetic products can also be used most commonly in vegan wines The final step of the process is bottling with the wines being transferred from tank to bottle in the final cork being added Bottles are then labeled and ready for sale This whole process can take anywhere from a few months to almost two years Whilst these steps are the basics of white wine making in Burgundy many producers will adapt and vary these processes to put their own personal signature on the wines Wine makers need to make dozens If not hundreds of decisions along the way to ensure that they end up with the best possible final product.

Channel: Elicité

Views: 80,052

Keywords: Burgundy, White Wine, White Burgundy, Wine Geek, Wine 101, Wine Education, Chablis, Chardonnay, Grapes, Grand Cru, World Class Wines, Wine Making, Wine Video Series, Learn About Burgundy Wine, Burgundy Wine For Dummies, Burgundy Expert, French Wine, Wine Learning, white winemaking, how white wine is made, winemaking process, wine fermentation time, how long to make wine, white wine making time, what is elevage

Id: Z_fIt80pMG8

Length: 7min 2sec (422 seconds)

Published: Sun Jun 23 2019