How to turn a humble cellar into a Roman temple

Oak barrel aging and fermentation cellar. Chateau Nenin, Pomerol, Bordeaux, France

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The ripper

Soon time for this.

Removing unwanted branches and leaves, epamprage, efeuillage. Domaine Chateau de la Roche aux Moines, Savennieres, Anjou, Loire, France

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Cataloguing, listing, describing - a DAM thing to do

This post is mostly for the photographers who happen to read this blog.

Having a large number of photos makes it imperative to have some way of managing them. I have close to 100,000 raw images and currently about 30,000 "developed" (processed) photos. It's more than what I can keep in my head.

For quite some time I have been using a digital asset management software (DAM sw) called Extensis Portfolio to manage both my raw files and my "develops". The DAM sw helps you organise, classify and find your images. For example, you can use it to assign keywords to the images. These images makes it possible to do searches and then find your images.

[There's a distinct difference between a cataloguing solution, such as Portfolio, and an "image browser" application. An example of the latter is Photoshop Bridge or ACDSee. They don't really create a catalogue with the image information but simply displays what happens to be in the folder that you have browsed to. That is really not sufficient for larger number of photos, or professional use.]

Extensis Portfolio is a solution that I have been using for quite a long time and invested a lot of time and effort in, as well as recommended to many others. However, lately (over the last year and a half actually) it has become increasingly clear that Extensis does not see photographers as a key part of their market. An example: Their product is not able to read and display raw files from Canon EOS 5D Mark II cameras - a hugely successful professional and semi-professional camera that came on to the market 15 months ago.

Conclusion: It is time to move away from Extensis Portfolio and find a better, more modern Digital Asset Management solution.

I am looking at a couple of different solution. Mainly:

Microsoft Expression Media: what used to be iView Media Pro before it was bought by Microsoft. A product that is very similar to Portfolio but seems to have stayed more in touch with the professional photographers market.

iDimager: a new-ish DAM sw that have been enthusiastically recommended to me.

Adobe Lightroom: which in its latest incarnation seems to have the potential to be a real DAM and cataloging tool.

Over the next month or so I will be testing these and perhaps other solutions.

If you have any experience of them I'd be very interested to hear!

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Bubbling

Fermentation in barrel. Oak barrel aging and fermentation cellar. Chateau Reignac, Bordeaux, France

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Oak barrels and cooperage, stock photography samples, by Per Karlsson, BKWine.

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Oak barrels play an important part in the life of many wines. It can also be cherry wood, acacia or other types, but in 99% of the cases it's oak. The barrels come in different sizes: a barrique of 225 litres in Bordeaux, a pièce of 228 l in Burgundy, the increasingly popular demi-muid (600 l) for those who want to be careful with the wood character, etc.

The barrel can be used in various phases of the vinification. Most common is that the wine is aged in barrel after fermentation. Sometimes, esp. for white wines, fermentation is done in barrel. Even red wines can be fermented in barrel, a complicated process which sometimes seems to verge on being a gimmick, often called vinification intégrale. The tendency seems to be to use less new oak than before and putting more emphasis on the fruit character from the grapes. At least in some regions.

Important is also if the barrel has been used before or not, i.e. if it is "new wood". New wood imparts its own character on the wine, a sort of flavouring if you will. Barrels that have been used once or several times looses that flavouring character. The same can be said of tannin: a new barrel adds tannin to the wine, but less with time. Another aspect of the barrel is a slow oxidation of the wine. This can be through the somewhat porous wood, or by the ullage in the barrel. Also important is how the barrel is made, what the cooper does in the cooperage. E.g. what "toasting" (or chauffe) the inside of the barrel gets; a certain charring over fire of the inside, that changes the flavour profile.

Barrels can cost 500 euro +; no cheap wine goes in barrel.

All images © copyright Per Karlsson, BKWine. Images may not be used without our permission.


Winery: barrels and barrel making - Images by Per Karlsson

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Move it, move it

Hand selecting the bad grapes at a sorting table. Chateau Kirwan, Margaux, Medoc, Bordeaux, France

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Winery: grape sorting and selection stock photography samples, by Per Karlsson, BKWine.

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Grape sorting is a technique to improve the quality of the wine. It can take place in the vineyard, on the vine, or after harvest. Here we look at the grape sorting and selection after the harvest, at the winery.

The idea is to eliminate undesired grapes, for examples unripe or rotten grapes, and other material (branches, leaves, snails etc, sometimes called MOG, material other than grapes), and keep only the best grape raw material for the vinification. Thus it is also a way to somewhat reduce the yield.

Grape sorting is usually done by hand at a sorting table (table de trie). It can be done by sorting grape bunches, or by sorting the individual grapes (berries) after destemming. Some chateaux / wineries do both. The grapes are emptied onto a conveyor belt: the sorting table. On each side of the sorting table people inspect the grapes and remove those that are not of top quality. The grapes then continue to the crusher (fouloir) and to the normal vinification process to, hopefully, produce a better quality wine.

The latest generation of sorting machines are automatic. There is one model that separates the berries (grapes) in a liquid (must) with a well defined density, some grapes float, others sink (Tribaie or Triebaie). Another type of machine uses high speed image recognition to analyse an electronic image of the grape. If the grape is not "good looking" it is ejected by a pulse of compressed air. An older generation of automated sorting table simply sorts the grapes according to size.

The grapes that are removed in the sorting are simply discarded. They are never used for vinification.

Some argue that sorting is needed only if one has not tended the vineyard properly.

All images © copyright Per Karlsson, BKWine. Images may not be used without our permission.


Winery: grape sorting table stock photo samples - Images by Per Karlsson

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Disgusted to put it in your mouth?

Noble rot grapes. Semillon. Chateau Nairac, Barsac, Sauternes, Bordeaux, France

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Noble rot or botrytis cinerea, stock photography samples, by Per Karlsson, BKWine.

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Noble rot is what makes some sweet wines what they are. Noble rot, or botrytis cinerea (pourriture noble), is a kind of fungus, a mushroom, which can develop on the grapes in the vineyard under certain conditions, when the weather is humid.

In the right conditions it becomes noble rot. The winemaker lets the grapes hang on the vines in the vineyard for a little bit longer so that the rot has time to develop. It starts with the grape looking a little bit darker, brownish yellow. Then it changes colour completely to brown, reddish or even purple, and something that looks like mould develops on the grape skin. The grape then starts shrivelling and may end up looking like a mouldy raisin. During that process several things happen, the two most important being that water evaporates from the grape (the mould is said to make tiny perforations in the grape skin that quickens evaporation) and the rot also affects the taste of the grape juice, giving a much more concentrated, sweet and flavoured grape juice.

The rotten grapes must be harvested by hand. The harvesters, the pickers, may go over the same vines in the vineyard several times, only picking parts of the bunches or even individual grapes, that have developed sufficient noble rot.

The noble rot attacks different grape varieties to different extent. The semillion grape, the dominant grape in Sauternes, is prone to this rot. Noble rot appears in various districts: Sauternes, Barsac, Loupiac & Cadillac in Bordeaux, Tokay in Hungary, Anjou and Vouvray in the Loire Valley, and many more.

If the fungus is unwanted it is called grey rot. This is a common and dangerous vineyard disease but technically the same thing.

All images © copyright Per Karlsson, BKWine. Images may not be used without our permission.


Vineyard: noble rot botrytis harvest stock photo samples - Images by Per Karlsson

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Ripped off?

Stems left on the vine after mechanical harvest. Chateau des Vigiers, Monestier, Bergerac, France

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Vineyard: mechanical wine harvest stock photography samples, by Per Karlsson, BKWine.

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A winegrower can either harvest manually with people in the vineyard, or do mechanical harvest with a machine. Mechanical harvest is done with a dedicated harvester or with a module attached to a vineyard tractor.

Is manual harvest better than machine? The received wisdom is that manual harvest is better. The romanticism around vineyards often makes people think so. We have even heard some supposedly serious wine taster claim that he could taste the difference between hand-harvested and machine-harvested wines. Many vine growers say that it is better to harvest with machine. In reality it is not simple. It is a question of circumstances and the conditions under which the winery works. Manual harvest can be gentler with the grape bunches and permits for some selection in the vineyard. Machine harvest also permits a selection of the grapes, both because the machine, if well adjusted, can leave unripe grapes on the vine; it can also be equipped with a grape sorting mechanism. A machine makes it possible to harvest much faster, at optimum ripeness and you can even harvest grapes at night, a benefit in very hot climates (difficult with manual harvest). The machine is expensive but if the vineyard is big it can be much cheaper to harvest with tractor. 60% of French wine is machine harvested.

The harvesting machine works by straddling the row of vines and then shaking the vines with bars mounted on each side of the vine. Ripe grapes fall off the vine and land on a plastic or rubber conveyor belt close to the ground. The conveyor belt works a bit like a zipper. It transports the grapes to a container. The grape stems ('la rafle') are left on the vine.

All images © copyright Per Karlsson, BKWine. Images may not be used without our permission.


Vineyard: machine harvest stock photo samples - Images by Per Karlsson

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Babies

Vine nursery with newly grafted plants. Touraine, Loire, France

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Vine nursery, stock photography samples, by Per Karlsson, BKWine.

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Virtually all vines come from a vine nursery today. Vine nurseries (pepineriestes in French) produce young vines and deliver them to the wine growers.

The nursery men (if you can call them that) start by growing plants for the rootstocks and the scion (the future upper plant). Bar a few exceptions, all vines are grafted: a rootstock of a variety that is not Vitis Vinifera (often called “American”, e.g. Vitis Rupestris), carries the scion, the upper, fruit-bearing part that is a Vitis Vinifera of the grape variety that is desired.

At the nursery the two parts are joined together and then planted on a field to grow the initial roots. They are then uprooted and trimmed before they are delivered to the vine grower who plants them in the vineyard to make wine.

There are several other important things that the nursery does, e.g. make sure that the plant material is virus-free and also select the appropriate clones of the varieties to deliver to the buyers.

All images © copyright Per Karlsson, BKWine. Images may not be used without our permission.


Vineyard: Vine Nursery stock photo samples - Images by Per Karlsson

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Of general interest? (Rivesaltes)

Village square with woman walking dogs and Marechal (general) Joffre statue. Rivesaltes town, Roussillon, France

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Rivesaltes, Roussillon, stock photography samples, by Per Karlsson, BKWine.

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Rivesaltes is a small town just north of Perpignan in Roussillon in the south of France. It is not on the coast, not on the hill slopes but on rather flat land and perhaps not in the most beautiful location, but it is on the river Agly and it is very close to the Perpignan airport. It has an old town center with winding streets and old churches.

Rivesalt is also the home to (and perhaps most famous for) the Rivesaltes fortified Vin Doux Naturel (VDN). It exists in two versions: Rivesaltes and Muscat de Rivesaltes. The Rivesaltes "plain" is perhaps the most interesting of the two wines. It is made mainly from grenache grapes and can be vinified in many different styles. The Muscat de Rivesaltes is more straight-forward: it is made from the muscat grape and is a sweet and very aromatic fortified wine.

Muscat is also famous for being the birthplace of Maréchal Joffre, Joseph Joffre, a general who became famous in the First World War and who has given his name to many a street and town square in France.

Several wine producers have set up shop around the main square in Rivesaltes, selling both their Rivesaltes VDN wines and other wines from the Roussillon region.

All images © copyright Per Karlsson, BKWine. Images may not be used without our permission.


Roussillon Rivesaltes stock photo samples - Images by Per Karlsson

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Perpignan

Street in the old town. An old couple. Perpignan, Roussillon, France.

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Perpignan, Roussillon, stock photography samples, by Per Karlsson, BKWine.

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Perpignan is the main city in the region of Roussillon in the south of France. It has around 300,000 inhabitants in the metropolitan area. This is most likely where you arrive if you travel from far away and come to explore the wines of this beautiful region. However, you may want to choose a smaller place as base camp if you plan to travel around visiting vineyards.

There is a charming old city with many winding streets and alleys, restaurants and cafés, shops etc. The centre was once encircled by ramparts, only some ruins are left. There is a massive palace called "Palace of the Kings of Majorca" on one of the hills in the city.

The city is not on the coast but travelling less than half an hour east you will reach the beach. along the coast there are several small "fishing" villages, today more dedicated to tourism: Collioure, Banyuls, Port Vendres.

All images © copyright Per Karlsson, BKWine. Images may not be used without our permission.


Roussillon Perpignan stock photo samples - Images by Per Karlsson

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Making a better wine exposing it to sun, heat, cold, rain, wind

Demijohns with Rivesaltes and maury wine stored outside for aging. Mas Amiel, Maury, Roussillon, France

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Mas Amiel, Maury, Roussillon, stock photography samples, by Per Karlsson, BKWine.

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Mas Amiel is located near Maury in the beautiful valley Vallée de l’Agly, on the slopes of the Corbieres hills, almost in Fitou. But it is a decidedly Roussillon winery. A big part of their production is the VDN, Vins Doux Naturels, sweet fortified wines, made much like port wine is made. But they also make red “table” wines as well as white wines that are well worth discovering.

Mas Amiel belongs to the French business man, now winemaker, Olivier Decelle. He also owns three wine chateaux in Bordeaux. Mas Amiel is a quite substantial domaine with vineyard land of over 150 hectares. They have a variety of grape varieties planted, grenache, maccabeu, carignan. Grenache is the main grape though.

After the acquisition by Olivier Decelle in the late 90s the winery have been much modernised and the marketing effort (Decelle having made his fortune in retailing) has led to considerabl success in selling the wines. The full range of wines is of high quality. The table wines are quite powervful and somewhat modern in style. The white wines are very clean and refreshing which sometimes surprises people who think that hot climate whites are heavy.

Some of the VDN wines are aged for some time outside in glass jars, demi-johns, exposed to the sun, as is the tradition in this regions. This creates a very curious, distinctive and interesting wine with an oxidised touch. Very original.

http://www.masamiel.fr/

All images © copyright Per Karlsson, BKWine. Images may not be used without our permission.


Roussillon Mas Amiel stock photo samples - Images by Per Karlsson

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Burned soil (Domaine Piquemal)

Slate. Vineyard. The black soil. Called Terres Brulees, burnt soil. Syrah. Domaine Piquemal, Espira de l'Agly, Roussillon, France

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Domaine Piquemal, Espira de l’Agly, Roussillon, stock photography samples, by Per Karlsson, BKWine.

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Domaine Piquemal is a family property in the village of Espira de l’Agly in Roussillon in the south of France. It is in the Vallée de l’Agly valley just south of the Corbieres mountain range. The winery was established in its present form by Pierre Piquemal in the 70s. Today it is managed by Franck and Marie-Pierre, son and daughter of Annie and Pierre.

Piquemal has some 48 ha of vineyards. The vineyards are split up over several different plots with very different soil types. The terroir includes black schist, stones and pebbles, clay-limestone and others. The vineyards are planted with a variety of grape varieties. There are traditional Roussillon vines, such as grenache and carignan, as well as more international varieties, merlot, cabernet sauvignon etc, from which they make varietal wines.

The winery is equipped with modern vinification tools while still maintaining tradition. Fermentation is in stainless steel tanks, grapes are sorted if necessary on a sorting table, fermentation is temperature controlled etc. Some of the wines are aged in oak barrel before bottling.

http://www.domaine-piquemal.com/

All images © copyright Per Karlsson, BKWine. Images may not be used without our permission.


Roussillon Domaine Piquemal stock photo samples - Images by Per Karlsson

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This is not a departmental road (Domaine Olivier Pithon)

Wine tasting. Cuvee La D18. Domaine Olivier Pithon, Calces, Roussillon, France

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Domaine Olivier Pithon, Calces, Roussillon, stock photography samples, by Per Karlsson, BKWine.

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Domaine Olivier Pithon is located in the small village of Calces in the Vallée de l’Agly in Roussillon. The village is home to ha handful of very talented winemakers, one of which is Olivier Pithon. Olivier is originally from the Loire Valley where his older brother, Jo, has been one of the top winemakers since long.

Olivier Pithon created his winery in Calces in 2001. He has now 15 hectares of vineyards on schist and clay-limestone soil. As several other of the wineries in Calces he works his vineyards organically and also apply biodynamic principles, with plant infusions and manure preparations.

Olivier makes both red and white wine. The whites are made from macabeo, grenache gris and grenache blanc grapes. The cuvees are called Cuvée Lais, and D18. The red wines come from syrah, carignan, grenache noir and mourvèdre grape vines. The red wines go under the names Mon P’tit Pithon, Cuvée Laïs, and Pilou.

http://www.domaineolivierpithon.com/

All images © copyright Per Karlsson, BKWine. Images may not be used without our permission.


Roussillon Domaine Olivier Pithon stock photo samples - Images by Per Karlsson

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