This morning was quite fresh at 9 degrees so I got to the Chai early to open the doors and let the cool air flow in amongst the barrels to cool the ferments down. Cold nights will also slow down the sugar ripening in the La Clarière vineyards and allow the skins to play a little catch up.
Barrels everywhere! I spent most of the morning tasting the ferments in the vats. Next task is to unwrap all the new barrels and allocate the different types and wood flavours to the correct wine – it’s like Christmas Day for a winemaker!
Once unwrapped, the barrels need to be swelled by putting water in the head of the barrel for 3 hours. This is done to tighten up the staves and prevent leaks once they are filled.
The VO Verdejo juice arrives from Rueda in Spain in the tanker that Jean-Marc loaded yesterday and the juice is a beautiful, bright luminous yellow/green!!
I am using a special yeast developed by the winemaking university in Rueda especially for Verdejo called WAM. The yeasts stays active at low temperatures and carefully protects and preserves the very individual aromas of the Verdejo grape variety.Visit laithwaites.co.uk
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