Book Extract From Chateau Monty: A Corking Wine Adventure | 4Homes

Chateau Monty Chateau Monty: Book Extract

4. Monty sealing his grapes in concrete vats to begin fermentation

< Previous
Next >

Chateau Monty Wine Making. From Channel4.com/4Homes Chateau Monty Book Extract

< Previous
Next >

4. Monty sealing his grapes in concrete vats to begin fermentation (Image 4 of 8)

Once we got out of the cold and into the relatively warm surroundings of the winery I told Bill that I had tried to make my wine in a fruity, but not too simple, style and that it was mainly Carignan, with the other grapes like Syrah, Grenache and Maccabeu that also grow in the vineyard thrown in.

‘It’s still on skins, is it?’ asked Bill, meaning the wine was still fermenting and in contact with the skins. ‘So malo hasn’t started yet then, I presume,’ he added to himself. These were the kind of comments and questions I’d have made as a wine writer. Malo meant the malolactic fermentation, which all red wines (and some whites) undergo. It’s a natural process that usually happens when the yeast have done their work. Malo is more a transformation than a fermentation as no alcohol is produced, although the wine does bubble a bit. This is because bacteria are softening appley-tasting acid (malic acid) into softer, more buttery-tasting lactic acid. If this natural process didn’t happen all red wines would taste really harsh.

More From Chateau Monty
Back to the Chateau Monty Homepage
Chateau Monty Interview: What Happened Next
Win a copy of Chateau Monty: A Corking Wine Adventure

More On France
How To Start A Business In France
A Place In The Sun's France Country Guide
Grand Designs Abroad: Creuse: The French Manor House

From 4Food
What Is Biodynamic Wine?
4Food Wine Homepage