Growing Wine in France

Wine growing and harvesting: A grapevine produces for 30 years. It takes three years for a young grapevine to begin producing and six years to reach its normal production. Pruning takes place in winter and the vines are sprayed several times a year in order to eradicate the grapevines' enemies: mildew, phylloxera, oidium and vicoses. Artificial clouds protect against frost.

Winegrowing methods vary from one region to another. In Burgundy harvesting the stems begins without delay. In the Bordeaux region, however, harvesting takes place over three weeks, especially for the sweet white wines, and the grapes are harvested as soon as the grape reaches absolute maturity, and not before. The workers go from grapevine to grapevine each day picking only the fully ripe bunches to ensure the sweetness of the grapes. They are called "rotis" (roasted by the sun.)

In Champagne, the grapes are carefully cut off the vine with scissors and any grape that isn't perfect is removed. The grapes are then transported in special carts equipped with springs. Once they reach the winegrower's facility the grapes are stripped from the stems, either totally or partially depending on the region and placed into vats where the grapes are pressed to burst the skins; certain wines, however, retain their grapes intact, with the skin on. The pressing (foulage) is now done by machines, except for very small private wine growers. For centuries this was done by men. The author remembers spending hours under a hot September sun, jumpings in vats with several other little girls, squashing the grapes. It took months to get rid of the stains on our legs. The skins were collected and thrown to the side and chicken gorged themselves, until they were drunk, falling and running in circles. They loved their "vin nouveau."

Once the skins are removed, the grapes are placed in vats where they will ferment. For many centuries these vats were made of wood, but these days they have been replaced by stainless steel vats, with the exception of certain grands crus wines.

The legal definition of wine: The product of the fermentation of fresh grapes. Fermentation occurs spontaneously due to the yeast contained naturally in the grapes. According to Pasteur, the temperature required for fermentation must not exceed 35 degrees Celsius and never reach below 19 degrees. The ideal temperature is 25 degrees. The length required for fermentation varies according to regions, from twenty four hours to fifteen days. Modern tendencies seem to prefer shorter periods. In Burgundy, for example it is now only one or two days. The wine is then filtered and put into oak barrels where fermentation continues at low temperatures. Ordinary table wine is then delivered for consumption and quality wines are allowed to stay in barrels for three or four years before being poured into bottles where they will continue to age.

Our next article will be dedicated entirely to Champagne. See you then.

Francine Fuqua - author, artist and lover of life. Born in war-torn France at the beginning of World War II, I have experienced and remember the horrors of war. Having witnessed the pain and suffering of so many, I have a true love of life and appreciate the freedom I now have living in the United States of America. Join me in a celebration of art, french cooking, my family's rich history and my native country at.

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Starting Your Own Winery

Anyone who has always wanted to start a winery needs to do a lot of research prior to taking that big step. If the money is available, whether it is from investors or personal money or even grants, the person considering the venture needs to make certain that the numbers balance out. No one wants to invest in a proposition that is going to lose money.

Owning a winery is not easy. There is no such thing as "immediate return on the money" in a winery. The perfect land must be found prior to making any other plans. While looking at land the buyer has to consider the condition of the soil and research the grapes that will be planted there to see if they will grow and thrive in that type of soil. Altitude, soil type, and temperatures should be investigated. A new winery owner should know what sort of pests might attack the grapes in the vineyard and how to kill them. Is there sufficient water for a new winery in this area? Water quality and rainfall should be tested prior to purchasing the property. You should also know if there are other small wineries in the area and visit them to see what sorts of problems they might have had.

Then, the potential buyer should check with other area land owners to see if there would be any possibility of expanding the winery at a later time if the venture were a success. If not, then he/she should check to see if there was a potential for area land to be leased later on for planting more grapes or if area farmers would be willing to assist with growing specific grapes at a later time.

A lot of research is required to find out if a winery will be productive and if it will be financially successful. A person who wants to start a winery needs to know all there is to know about grapes before he/she even decides where it is to be. He/she must know how the varieties differ and understand the skin colors and what they mean to the flavor of the grape. Then he/she needs to learn about the thickness of the skins and the size of the grapes and how they ripen. While studying these variables, it is important to consider why some types of grapes perform so well in certain places and which sort of variety grows best in which type of soil. If this isn't enough to totally confuse the person, he/she needs to decide which type of wine will be made from the grape planted.

A person who wishes to start a winery should also consider if there are grants to assist in financing the winery. Some areas might actually be willing to make a small business loan to the owner of a new winery just to be able to bring new business into the areas. New wineries also bring in many visitors who want to find a good new label wine.

Starting a winery involves purchasing things like fermentation tanks, barrels, storage tanks, crushers, steamers, and machinery like tractors. A new owner will want to hire people who are knowledgeable about all areas of wine growth and production. It will also be necessary to know where to get the cuttings and new vines that will become the special wine to be produced.

Some people decide to purchase wineries that are already in operation in order to have personnel already at work that know the grapes, the soil and the processes. Sometimes this is a good move but for the person whose dream is to start his/her own winery the process is a long and detailed one.

Some people begin by learning the history of grape growing and wineries in the area in which they wish to locate the winery. If the winery is to be in a well known wine making area of a particular country, the person should learn the history of the area and of the wine made there. The very first grape grown in the "New World" is still in existence and bearing grapes.

 It was first noticed by Sir Walter Raleigh's passengers who found the massive prolific vine on Roanoke Island, N.C. It is known as the Mother Vine and is thought to be about 400 years old. The vine was an indication that the Native Americans actually cultivated the white grape to make wine. If a person were to decide to begin a winery in North Carolina, cultivating the Mother Vine grape and making a version of that historical wine would be one of the best marketing ideas the owner could have and would create an instant interest in the winery from the very beginning. Maybe it was good grape juice or wine that got the people through those cold winters of the 1600's.

A new winery will need people to take care of the day-to-day operations of the business as well as the plants. People will have to be hired to plant the vines and to pick the grapes. Then someone will have to be in charge of making the wine. No one person can do it all but a person with a life long desire to own a winery should be prepared to do as much as possible on his/her own to learn the business from the "soil up".

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