Cellar & Crafts
From racking to the ageing vessel — the interventions that shape a wine.
Every move in the cellar is a decision. Here is what it does in the glass.
Every move in the cellar is a decision. Here is what it does in the glass.
Sulphites
Sulfites are sulfur compounds that protect wine from oxygen and unwanted microorganisms. Almost every wine contains some, as fermentation naturally produces sulfur. How much is...
Racking (soutirage)
Racking – soutirage in French – draws the clear wine off the sediment of yeast and lees that has settled in the vessel. It clarifies...
Malolactic fermentation
Malolactic fermentation converts the sharp malic acid in wine into the milder lactic acid. After alcoholic fermentation it is triggered by lactic acid bacteria, usually...
Filtration of wine
Filtration is often discussed along moral lines: filtered or unfiltered, "pure" or "manipulated." This juxtaposition misses the point in practice. Filtration is not a question...
Haze in wine
A cloudiness is initially just a visual state: the wine is not clear but slightly milky or contains suspended particles. In itself it says nothing...
Lees ageing (sur lie)
Lees aging – French sur lie – means that after fermentation a wine stays in contact with the spent yeast cells for an extended time...
Press wine
Press wine is the part of a wine that does not run off the must by itself, but is obtained only by pressing the skins...
Closure & ageing
The bottle closure does not determine a wine's taste, but rather the pace of its development. Natural cork, technical cork, and screw caps differ primarily...
Spontaneous fermentation
Spontaneous fermentation is considered by many to be the epitome of artisanal authenticity. At the same time, it is seen as an incalculable risk. Both...
Low intervention
Low intervention means intervening as little as possible in the cellar, and only when there is a clear reason to do so. The term does...
Ageing vessels
A fermentation and aging vessel does not determine how a wine tastes, but rather the conditions under which it matures. Whether wood, concrete, clay, or...
Yield per hectare
In viticulture, yield is often understood as a mere quantity. It refers to the number of hectoliters per hectare that a vineyard produces. This number...
Limited editions
Limited production in wine is often understood simply as a signal of scarcity. A small number of bottles is perceived as a promise of exclusivity....
Analysis values
Alcohol content and pH value appear on technical data sheets like dry facts. They seem precise, measurable, and objective. Yet they are frequently misunderstood.Analytical values...
Tannin
Tannin is the astringent substance in wine: a group of polyphenols that come mainly from grape skins, seeds and stems and, during ageing in wooden...
Acidity in wine
Two acids determine almost everything that reaches the glass as freshness: tartaric acid and malic acid. Both are already present in the green berry, but...
Blending
Die eigentliche Entscheidung fällt nicht bei der Lese, sondern Monate später an einem Tisch, auf dem die getrennt vergorenen Partien eines Jahrgangs nebeneinander stehen. Eine...
Bottle shape
Anyone who carefully brings a mature Sarabande 2015 up from the cellar and tilts it against the light will often see a dark veil at...
Crystals in wine
Man zieht den Korken einer gut gereiften Flasche, und an seiner Unterseite glitzern feine, fast durchsichtige Kristalle. Bei einem Weißwein sitzen sie manchmal als heller...