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3.2.3.c Storing the grapes before processing

The winery may be equipped with a cold room. When the grapes are placed in this room, the time required and the ideal temperature will depend on production objectives:

  • Performing a cold pre-fermentation maceration. The time needed to cool the grapes to the desired temperature, which is generally between 8 and 10°C, will depend mainly on the power of the cold room and the initial temperature of the grapes. 12 hours is typically sufficient to reach the desired temperature.

  • Facilitating the movement of ripe and/or fragile grapes on the sorting table and during destemming and to reduce crushing and bursting of softer berries due to heat effects. It is not necessarily required to lower the temperature to 8°C, especially if the objective is not to do a cold pre-fermentation maceration afterwards.

  • Finally, if the objective is solely logistical, time and temperature are relatively unimportant. Cold storage is then seen as a means to fluidify passage to the sorting lines according to the influx of harvested grapes into the winery. It is also possible to store the harvest at the end of the afternoon to adapt the sorting schedule for the following day.

At Domaine d'Eugénie and Clos de Tart, a cold room is used to preserve berry integrity during destemming, and before carrying out pre-fermentation maceration.

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