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L’œnologie est un domaine complexe et passionnant, qui reste pour celles et ceux qui s’y intéressent, une vraie source de découvertes et de plaisirs. Si la vinification des vins blancs et rosés est différente de celle des vins rouges, les principes de base qui participent à leur élaboration s’avèrent très similaires.
CLOSED TANKS
The production of some of our Baccarat products, particularly Brut Blanc de Blancs, Brut Rosé Prestige and Demi-sec, requires the use of specific thermo-regulated stainless steel vats. With a capacity ranging between 5,000 and 20,000 liters, these tanks have the capacity to withstand a pressure of 10 bar.
WHITE AND ROSE WINE TANKS
To ensure fermentations of its white and rosé wines, La Cave de Genève has a large tank park. For vinification and cold storage, 77 of them are thermo-regulated. The thermoregulation is essential to control the temperature of the wine during fermentation and allows, among other things, to refine its structure and its aromatic profile. It is also necessary for cold setting (tartaric stability). The capacity of these tanks varies from 1,250 liters to 50,600 liters.
RED WINE TANKS
In September 2012, La Cave de Genève inaugurated its new red wine tanks, which benefit from the most advanced technological developments. The 10 old steel tanks (18’000 liters) gave way to 14 thermo-regulated stainless steel tanks: 7 19’000 liters tanks of frustoconical shape, and 7 tanks of 22’000 liters of cylindrical shape. These 14 tanks are divided into 2 blocks of 7 elements. Each block is 10 meters high and weighs more than 3 tons. All these tanks are thermo-regulated and equipped with a pump dedicated to pumping over.
BARREL CELLAR
The aging of wines in barrels requires a very careful oenological follow-up and an important work when it comes to intoning, extracting and washing the barrels. With a capacity of more than 450 barrels, La Cave de Genève has one of the largest barrel cellars in Switzerland. It is in this cellar that the wines of the Clémence range are vinified and aged. Fully air-conditioned, this room has a hygrometry adjusted automatically to prevent excessive evaporation of the wine. An ingenious storage system optimizes storage height, and reduces handling. Barrels spend their entire life on the same support, without the need to be moved. Drums are usually used for 3 or 4 years.
OAK BARRELS
The winemakers of La Cave de Genève choose French oak barrels, renowned for the quality of their wood, their manufacture and their aromatic finesse. The expertise of the coopers and the adequacy between the type of casks and the profile of the wine to come dictate these choices. The main grapes grown in wood are Chardonnay, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Gamaret. Farms last an average of 10 to 12 months. In addition to adding woody aromas that will be married to those of the grape in question, barrel aging allows micro-oxygenation of the wine which ensures a stabilization of the color, and gives more roundness to the tannins.
