Vineyard
4 min read
Picking at dawn, by the row
Why our pickers start before sunrise, and why every row is tasted the evening before it is picked.
Written by
Hélène Marchal
Vineyard manager
Harvest at Calcaire begins in the dark. By the time the sun clears the ridge, the first crates are already in the cool of the press house, and the grapes have not had time to warm.
Tasting the night before
We do not pick by calendar. Each evening we walk the rows due for the next day and taste the berries: the skins, the seeds, the balance of sugar and acidity. If a row is not ready, the team moves elsewhere.
Small crates, short trips
Every bunch travels in a 12-kilo crate so that nothing at the bottom is crushed.
crates leave the row within twenty minutes
the sorting table sits in the shade of the wall
the press is three hundred metres from the furthest vine
It is slower and more expensive than picking by machine in the afternoon. It is also the reason our wines keep their freshness in warm years.
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