News

Before the harvest : Maturity controls

The harvest of the Cremant d'Alsace grapes is permitted since this Monday September 15th. The first pickers have started to work in the earliest places of the region.

We, at the domain Paul BUECHER, are currently making our preparations for the picking : cleaning of the tanks and the presses, maintenance of the tractors, hiring of the seasonal workers... The first grapes should arrive in the cellar the 18^th of September.

In order to decide which parcel will be harvested at first, we are carrying a last maturity control. So, this morning we have taken a turn round the vineyard.

This overview helps us to estimate visually the progress of the ripening and the sanitary state of the crop. We also taste a few berries to know the richness, the acidity, the bitterness and above all the aromas of the grapes.

To confirm this first feelings, we also sample 100 to 200 berries on each parcel and we write the name of the plot of the bag.

Back at the cellar, all the bags will be delicately crushed to extract the juice of these grapes. Then the musts will be filtered.

The measuring of the sugar level is taken with a hand-refractometer. We read this level in potential alcohol : for example here, 10.3% represents 175 grams of sugar pro litre ( 16-17g sugar are transformed in 1% alcohol during the fermentation).

Testing of the total acidity and the pH. These data help us to estimate the sugar/acidity balance of the must and to follow the ripening of the grapes.

Visual state, tasting, analysis, weather forecast... We will establish the order of harvest thanks to all this information gathered. We will have to carry such maturity controls all along the harvest period to determine our picking program.

This evening, in the light of these last controls, we have decided to start the picking slowly. The grapes are visually ripe but they can still wait a few days if the weather conditions are good. We will first harvest the 3 or 4 parcels whose sanitary state is worrying. So the pickers will have time to sort meticulously these grapes while the others take benefits of a few more days of sun.

September 16th 2008