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The cellars | |
Un savoir-faire |  |
1. The grape harvest
The grape harvest begins in mid-September and lasts around 3 weeks
2. Pressing the fruit
The pressing process depends on the appellation. To produce 100 litres of juice for our Saumur A.O.C., we need at least 130 kg of grapes. For the Crémant de Loire A.O.C., we need 150 kg of grapes for 100 litres of juice.
3. The first fermentation
This takes place in Gratien & Meyer's cellars in temperature-controlled stainless steel vats (set at 18° to 20°C), and lasts for around 9 to 10 days. It brings out the aroma of the grapes.
During this fermentation, the sugar in the grapes is converted to alcohol. For this reason, this process is also called alcoholic fermentation. After filtering several times, we are left with a basic wine, which is not yet sparkling.
4. Composing the cuvees
In the spring, the basic wines are tasted by the cellar master and the required cuvée is blended.
5. Bottling
When we bottle the wine, we also add some sugar and yeast to each bottle. The bottles are then sealed with temporary corks and are left in the darkness of our cellars to mature.
6. The second fermentation
The yeast converts the sugar into alcohol. This process produces carbon dioxide, which creates the sparkle in the wine.
By law, the Saumur wine has to be cellared for 9 months, and the Crémant de Loire for 12 months.
At Gratien & Meyer, we allow our wines to mature in our cellars for longer than the statutory periods. Our famous Cuvée Flamme is cellared for up to 3 years.
7. Riddling
The purpose of riddling is to collect the residual yeast (which is called lees) in the neck of the bottle so that it can later be removed. We use two methods of riddling.
The first is done by hand. The bottles are laid horizontally on wooden racks. There they remain for 3 weeks without being touched - this allows the wine to settle. A riddler then turns them every day for 4 weeks - an eighth of a turn to the right and then to the left. As he does so, he tilts the bottle slightly upwards. A riddler can turn 65,000 bottles a day.
The second method uses automated riddling racks. The principle is the same as with manual riddling. Racks which hold a total of 504 bottles are turned to the right or left and tilted at the same time.
8. Disgorging (dégorgement)
Disgorging removes the sediment from the bottles. The neck of the bottle is dipped into a freezing solution at -24°C, which shock-freezes its contents into an ice-cube. The bottle is then opened and the internal pressure causes the frozen yeast plug to be expelled. The wine is now totally clear.
9. Dosage
The bottles are topped up with a blend of wine and sugar solution known as "liqueur d'expédition" (literally "dispatch liqueur"). This determines the level of sweetness in the finished wine, depending on whether it is to be very dry, dry or medium-dry. The bottles are sealed with a cork and a wire cage, and labels are attached. Now our wine is ready - all that remains is for you to pour it!
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