News from the Vineyard - Innovative Vessels
Daniel Johnnes
November 3, 2023
Just back from a two and a half week trip to France visiting Champagne and Burgundy. The timing was perfect to hear various assessments of the 2023 vintage just tucked away.
Overall, we got positive feedback about the vintage yet it will be variable due to when people picked and made decisions on a number of influencing factors such as harvest date, crop load, rot, sunburn, oidium, and drosophil suzukii (a nasty fly that infects ripening fruit and causes the development of acetic acid (vinegar).
Overall, the cellars were full, which in addition to a good size crop in 2022 promises to take some pressure off the market. Demand remains extremely high for both Champagne and Burgundy and with very high prices and limited availability there is fear of longtime consumers of these wines going into other wine regions to satisfy their thirst for fine wine.
The bad news: even with full cellars there is little chance prices will come down.
Going into numerous cellars in Champagne and Burgundy, I was struck by a vast array of different size tanks, barrels and all sorts of innovative vessels such as glass globes, ceramic globes, porcelain eggs, tronconic shaped wood tanks, clay amphorae and even titanium and gold cigar shaped recipients. It used to be a rare appearance in the corner of a cave but it now seems like everyone is experimenting with these different shapes, materials and sizes to learn how they affect the evolving wine. Oak barrels have been used since Roman times. Their primary function was to transport the wine to market but over time they realized the oak had an effect on it. It can impart a certain flavor but it’s main function then and today is to allow for a slow micro oxygenation which helps the wine develop to a point where it needs to go to bottle.
With this knowledge and science, growers found the beneficial effects of oak barrels and other recipients that have less oxygenation such as stainless steel, glass, cement and epoxy. The lack of oxygen will create a reductive environment and in a way freeze the aging process in time to preserve freshness and other reasons.
The egg shapes and the other spheric shapes are important in how they affect the suspension of yeast cells and thermal transmission, all of which contribute to how the wine ferments and then ages. All in all, it is a complex topic which is inspiring many producers to experiment with various formats all with a common goal of making the best wine possible.
