Small technique, big influence
Small technique, big influence
If you look closely at the technical notes on our wine descriptions, you’ll see frequent references to grapes being either “destemmed” or kept in “whole clusters” for fermentation. This refers to a decision our Winemaker deliberates for every variety she handles.
The question is whether to break grape skins by pulling the berries off their stems, or leave them unbroken, just as they came from the farm.
Which way that decision goes depends on the variety, and the characteristics she wants the wine to have. The choice to use one, the other, or some combination of both for any wine, may vary from crush to crush, but there are some rules that generally apply across the board.
First, if whole clusters are called for, the machine-harvester stays home. A machine means the grapes are coming off the stems, no way around it. Therefore, a call for whole clusters requires picking by hand. As an aside, hand-picking is sometimes done even when the grapes are intended for destemming, as extra protection against spoilage or damage.
Now, some considerations for white wines. We tend to harvest all our Estate white varieties by hand, so whole-cluster treatment is almost always an option for these. However, destemming is often chosen, sometimes followed by extended soaking of the grapes in their juice, to free flavour and aroma compounds from the skins. In the cases of pinot gris and gewürztraminer, soaking can also add exotic colour to the wine.
We find that chardonnay benefits from both. While a little less than half our chardonnay harvest is typically whole cluster pressed, we’ll destem slightly more of it, to introduce light tannins that add firmness to the wine’s structure.
Since we’re looking for juicier structure from our melon de Bourgogne, we’ll press whole clusters, a technique that also adds a character of fresh fruitiness.
When it comes to rosé, colour plays a role in determining whether to destem. When the skin of a grape is broken, the juice, exposed to oxygen, may start to brown slightly. This is no concern for a full-coloured rosé, so Ladybug grapes are for the most part destemmed and soaked, which also pulls lots of fruit flavour from the skins.
Direct-to-press rosés, like Moira, avoid destemming, as we do not want oxidation to alter their pale pink hue. Plus, direct pressing adds a component of freshness to their delicate flavours.
As-gently-as-possible is the way to go for Traditional Method sparkling wines, so whole-cluster pressing is used for almost all, unless more colour is desired. A slow and gentle approach also helps achieve the intricate precursors to the fine effervescence that lifts these wines.
Red wines go by different rules, with one notable exception. Some reds may be supplemented by whole-cluster fruit to add aroma and flavour complexity, but for the most part, they want the more generous colour, flavour and structure that come from destemmed berries.
The notable exception is gamay. Here, larger fractions are devoted to whole cluster, all the way up to a wine like our Gamay 'Le Cœur', which uses 100% whole cluster fruit for full carbonic maceration. Although for a winemaker the method can be capricious and high-maintenance, the reward is a wine that amplifies the bright, juicy, easy-on-the-palate fruitiness that gamay is cherished for.
In fact, whole cluster fermentation can even extract a surprisingly delicious accent from those common stems we normally look askance at.
For these and other reasons, whole cluster treatment has migrated beyond gamay and is being used with increasing frequency on other grape varieties. This is encouraged in part by a growing consumer demand for red wines that are softer and juicier than heavily-extracted “big” reds.
Like the wine it makes, the future for whole cluster is bright.
