French Wine Archives

Harvesting White Wines of Bordeaux with Jean-Christophe Darriet of Château Dauphiné-Rondillon

Some History
Château Dauphiné-Rondillon has been in the hands of the same family for eight generations. The Darriet Family history began in 1798 when Alfred Darriet started making sweet wine on the Loupiac property, using grapes affected by botrytis. Eight generations later, siblings, Sandrine and Jean-Christophe carry on the family tradition.

Vignobles Darriet currently own six châteaux: Château Dauphiné-Rondillon, Château Rouquette, Château Moutin, Château des Gravières, Château Les Tourelles and Clos du Château de Cadillac.

I had the amazing experience to harvest with owner/winegrower Jean-Christophe Darriet to hand-pick a few rows of vines of botrytized Semillon from the Château Dauphiné-Rondillon property.

Botrytis Cinerea or Noble Rot
I learned that harvesting botrytized grapes is a rigorous process that includes several passes to ensure that the grapes have the maximum noble rot when harvested. The grapes should contain over 45 g/L of residual sugar. Botrytis cinerea, or “noble rot” – is a necrotrophic fungus that helps concentrate the sugar in the grapes which increases the intensity of flavors through the wines. Depending on the location of the vineyard, some grapes could have higher acidity which makes the wine seem less sweet – this is all measured. The goal is to balance the acidity and the residual sugar. When this is accomplished, it makes the wine more favorable to be a versatile food wine.

Some of the yields are lower throughout the region following heat, drought, and hailstorms during the growing season. The CIVB cited ‘attractive but small berries’ and healthy vineyard conditions during the crucial flowering period and for harvest.

After experiencing this traditional method of handpicking we headed over to the historic tasting room to savor and experience the Cuvée d’Or Château Dauphiné-Rondillon 2015. What an amazing experience!

#vignoblesdarriet #loupiac #sweetwines #cadillac #bordeaux #winetasting@charmeu_usa @charmeu_canada and @vinsblancsdebordeaux_usa #enjoyitsfromeurope #euAgriPromo #MadeintheEU #thecharmingtasteofeu #charmeu #loupiac #cadillac #saintmacaire #cerons #saintecroixdumont #bordeauxsuperieur #premierescotesdebordeaux #bordeauxmoelleux #bordeauxwine#bordeauxlover #madeinfrance #wine #winelover #travelling #traveldiaries #winelife #winetourism #winedestinations #winetasting #sweetbordeauxwine #sweetbordeaux #stunningviews #harvest #harvesttime

Sweet Bordeaux Wine and Food Pairing Master Class

Ms Emma Baudry of Union des Vins Doux de Bordeaux gave an amazing Master Class tonight at a charming historic chateau in Cadillac on Sweet Bordeaux wine along with food pairings – what a wonderful experience and a great surprise. Watch this space for the full report.

@charmeu_usa @charmeu_canada and @vinsblancsdebordeaux_usa

#enjoyitsfromeurope #euAgriPromo #MadeintheEU #thecharmingtasteofeu #charmeu #loupiac #cadillac #saintmacaire #cerons #saintecroixdumont #bordeauxsuperieur #premierescotesdebordeaux #bordeauxmoelleux #bordeauxwine#bordeauxlover #madeinfrance #wine #winelover #travelling #traveldiaries #winelife #winetourism #winedestinations #winetasting #winepairing #sweetbordeauxwine g #sweetbordeaux

How to start off an evening in London ….

How to start off an evening …… with a coupe of Barons de Rothschild ‘Reserve Ritz” Brut NV, at the Rivoli Bar at the Ritz London – what can I say?

This is one of my favorite cocktail lounges in London. It’s intimate and decadent with an art deco interior inspired by the Orient Express.

#champagne #champagnelover #champagnelife #instachampagne #wine #winelovers #aboutlastnight #travelling #onlyinlondon #winetravel #winetravels #traveldiary #traveling #theritzlondon #RivoliBar #drinks #londoncalling #michelin #luxuryhotels #champagnebaronsderothschild #baronsderothschild #metime

Wine News: Champagne Approves Lower Planting Density

One year after Champagne growers voted to change the needed distance between vines, the Champagne initiative ‘vignes semi-larges’ has been finally approved by the Institut National de l’Origine et de la Qualité, but with considerable opposition.

This means that the necessary distance between rows of vines will soon be increased to 2.2 meters, up from the current maximum of 1.5 meters, a measure which has stood for more than 100 years.

Last year, Maxime Toubart, President of the Syndicat General des Vignerons del la Champagne (SGV) said the apparent environmental benefits of such a move, “it will help us to achieve our objectives of zero herbicides, 50 percent fewer pesticides and 25 percent fewer carbon emissions by 2025.”

Some members feel that the main objective of the initiative is to cut costs associated with cultivation. And there are fears that VSL is paving the way for mechanical harvesting in Champagne.

Though the environmental benefits states Toubart would certainly be worth celebrating, it’s worth noting that the VSL initiative is optional and thus the extent of carbon emissions reduction will depend on how many producers actually choose to replant.

Having said that, a study conducted by the SGV over the course of 15 years in conjunction with growers, Champagne houses and scientists which found that larger spacing between vines could lead to a 20-percent reduction in overall greenhouse gas emissions.

The NoVSL collective, which as its name suggests is against the initiative, believes that the adoption of VSL will lead to a decrease in quality.

“Under the cover of environmental concerns they are implementing a business project of cost-cutting,” said Patrick Leroy of the CGT-Champagne trade union at the time of last year’s vote among Champagne growers.

#champagne #champagnelovers #wine #winenews #winelovers #champagnegrowers #vineyards #vines #champagnelive #winetrends #climatechange #winetrends

Climate change forces an early start to Champagne Harvest

Picking officially commenced in Champagne last Saturday with start dates spread between August 20 and September 6^th, depending on the location of the vineyards in the 34,000-hectare region.

The timing of the harvesting is guided by the Réseau Matu, which is a network of hundreds of representative vineyard plots spread across the appellation.

The harvest has begun far earlier in the season than normal. This is a result of the extreme heat seen across Europe this summer. August harvests used to be extremely rare, they are now becoming common due to climate change. This warming weather may start forcing changes to how the famous sparkling wine is produced.

These high temperatures and the worst drought on record have also caused massive wildfires and led to restrictions on water usage across France, but they also boosted grape maturity.

The pickers are paid on what they pick and are rushing around in temperatures well above 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit) as they have to pick the grapes before they become over-ripe and supercharged with sugar.

“I think we’re at the turning point,” said Charles Philipponnat, President of Philipponnat Champagne, “So far, global warming has helped: harvest in good weather conditions without rain, without too much cold, with ripeness and little rot.”

Producers across France are expecting this year’s harvest to yield a good quality vintage when it makes its way to market, a relief after frost and mildew fungus attacks in 2021, something dry and hot weather helped prevent this year.

“Following the remarkable rebound of Champagne shipments in 2021, including record shipments to the United States, Champagne is expecting an excellent yield in 2022,” said Jennifer Hall, director of the Champagne Bureau, USA.

Champagne shipments in the first half of 2022 were close to 130 million bottles globally, representing an increase of 13.8 percent compared to the same period in 2021.

#champagne #champagneregion #champagneharvest #champagneharvest2022 #harvest #Reims #champagnelover #champagnelife #epernay #champagnetourism #wine #winelovers #winenews #winetrends #climatechange