A page turns, the new generation arrives. We have decided to switch production to organic farming. The organic conversion is done gradually over a period of 3 years during which there will be controls. The purpose of this conversion being to preserve the soil, animal species and respect the environment, we made the decision in 2021 to get rid of part of our land and keep only 13 hectares. To work them better and have a quality approach. We had to invest in new equipment, particularly for tillage and weeding. Soil analyzes of shoots and petioles allow us to precisely adjust organic matter requirements in particular. In organic farming, we no longer use chemical fertilizers or chemicals for the treatment of diseases. Our harvest will be officially organic from the 2023 harvest.
Wine making
Once harvested, the grapes must be treated well. This is the concern of a good winegrower who must do everything to make the most of what nature has to offer. As soon as it arrives, the grapes are stripped of various plants that are useless in making the wine, in order to have only fruit in the vat. The grapes are put in the vat with the juice for a period of maceration. Indeed, it is the skin that gives color, tannins and all the other subtleties to the future wine.
White wine production
The white grapes are placed directly in a press to separate the juice.
This juice, called must, is cooled to around 7° before being pumped into a tank.
This operation, called "settling", makes it possible to obtain a refined and perfectly clean juice necessary for the production of a quality white wine.
Rosé wine production
For rosé wines, the red grapes are put in the tank but the must is removed after only a few hours of maceration.
This is called bleeding.
Once in the vat, the must will naturally turn into wine under the effect of the yeasts. It only takes a few days for these microorganisms to absorb the sugar and produce alcohol.
Every day, we control the fermentation tanks to monitor the consumption of sugars as well as the temperature which must be controlled to avoid any overheating because the yeasts produce a lot of heat.
Red wine production
Once the fermentation phase is complete, the particularly fermented wort is removed. This operation is called pouring.
It is placed in another tank where it will complete its alcoholic fermentation. It remains to process the solid parts and deposit the pips which constitute what is called the marc. Care should be taken when entering the vat as there is always a risk that deadly gas produced by the yeast may be present in this enclosed space.
The spark plug test checks whether there is enough oxygen. The devatting operation can begin. The pressed grapes will give a press wine and a very dry marc which will be sold to the distillery to remove the alcohol.
For 6 to 12 months, the wine is kept in vats or in oak barrels when it is a high quality wine. At the end of winter, it will be clarified and filtered. It is then ready to be bottled.
At Domaine de Saint-Pierre, we carry out this operation ourselves, which we have mastered for several years. We must be very rigorous in the choice of packaging, labels and especially caps.
