Flashback to one of the crucial steps in winemaking that took place a few weeks ago, the racking (called décuvage in French).
In cellar language, racking means the final stage of red winemaking.
As you know, to produce red wine, the tank must be filled not only with grape juice but also with its solid part called “pomace”: skins, seeds, and even stems. It is through contact with this solid part during fermentation and maceration that the wine acquires its red color and tannic structure.
Thus, at the end of this winemaking process, the tank contains both the wine and the grape pomace: racking consists of separating them.
To do this, I start by letting the wine flow out of the tank, then I enter it through a narrow hatch to extract the grape pomace. It is an extremely physical task that can only be done by hand.
But it is a unique opportunity to have contact with such an exceptional raw material, with such aromatic complexity! For this reason, I would not give up my place to anyone…
Finally, the grape pomace is sent to the press to gently extract the wine it has absorbed.
It is a relatively unknown task that I wanted to share with you through this unusual video and these beautiful photos taken by photographer Olivier Lebaron, who kindly paid us a visit.
