The grape harvest - from the vine to the cellar :
- September : the grapes have ripened
- The harvest can beginning
- The harvesting machine...
- ...swings into action
- First bin-load
- Testing ripeness with a refractometer
- Where pressing takes place
- Loading the wine press...
- ...by conveyor belt
- And the grape juice...
- ...runs by force of gravity
- ...to the settling vat
The grape harvest’s yield in the cellar :
- After a day, any impurities will have settled...
- ...and are removed : this is called racking
- The clear juice is ready to be fermented
- Estimating the wine's potential alcohol content and fermentation monitoring
- ...by measuring must density using a mustimeter
- Adjusting the alcohol content by chaptalization
- Yeast hard at work
- Grape must aeration...
- ...supplies extra oxygen to the yeast
- Fermenting must
