29 September, 2004

Maaske Millesime/Maybe Millesime


The winepresses at the cooperative are filled around the clock.Posted by Hello

Efter fyraften paa den tredje dag besoeger vi kooperativet. Det er her de nyplukkede druer bliver koert hen for at blive presset. Der er travlt som i en myretue. Det er aarets helt store uge her paa stedet, og mandskabet er i den anledning femdoblet til godt 30 De arbejder doegnet rundt for at foelge trop med maengden af traktorer og varevogne, der koerer dagens hoest ind.

Hver ejers druer bliver vejet og faar et nummer, som siden vil identificere saften. Kooperativet har lidt flere end 200 ejere, og nogle af dem laver champagne under eget navn og ikke kooperativets faelles. De forskellige landsbyer er heller ikke ens klassificeret. Vertus, hvor kooperativet ligger, er premier cru, mens Soulieres, hvor vi bor lige nu, ingen har. Derfor blander man ikke de forskellige presninger.

En klokke ringer naar en ny presning kan begynde. Saa tager to maend opstilling for hver ende af de firkantede presser for at haelde druerne ned, 50 kilo ad gangen. Naar pressens store gab har slugt 8000 kilo, bliver den sat i gang. Fire timer og tre-fire presninger senere er den faerdig med at tygge sig igennem skallerne, og druesaften bliver haeldt over i store staaltanke, hvor den skal bruge det naeste halve aars tid paa at udvikle sig til vin. Foerst til foraaret bliver den haeldt paa flaske. Heri gaerer den anden gang, og saa kan den 2,5 aar senere kalde sig rigtig champagne.

Kooperativets daglige leder er foreloebig vaeldig fornoejet. Den lokale avis l’Union skriver i dag, at aarets hoest har potentiale til en Millesime – en ublandet champagne - og Laurent er enig. Tegnene er gode. Den nypressede druesaft har en surhedsgrad paa 2,9 og der er sukker nok til at naa op paa en alkoholprocent paa 12. Mere sikre tegn vil vise sig i loebet af efteraaret, efterhaanden som vinen udvikler sig. En champagne skal altid smage ens fra aar til aar, og hvis den ikke kan klare det selv, maa den hjaelpes.

Dagens melding fra marken lyder paa overvejende mindre oemme muskler, stigende grad af loessluppenhed og et resultat paa godt 6200 kilo. I morgen ved middagstid skal vi helst have hoestet halvdelen, saa normannerne kan rejse hjem til Le Havre soendag aften.


After the work of the day is over we visit the cooperative. This is where the grapes is taken to be pressed. It is busy as an ants nest. This is the big week of the year here and the staff is five times bigger than normal, that is around 30 persons working more or less around the clock to keep up with the many cars and tractors that arrive with todays result.

Every member has his grapes weighed and given a number that later will identify the juice. The cooperative has a bit more than 200 owners , some of them make champagne under their own name instead of the common one of the coop. The different villages also dont have the same classifications. Vertus for instance, where the coop is placed, is premier cru whereas Soulieres where we live at the moment not is classified. That is why they dont blend the different juices.

A bell rings like in the school yard when a new load of grapes is to be pressed. Two men in each end of the big square presses will throw the grapes down the press, 50 kilos at a time. When the big mouth has swallowed 8000 kils the process will start. Four hours and after beeing pressed three to four times the machine is finished chewing the skin, and the grapejuice is led to big tanks of steel, where it will develop to wine. In spring it will be put in bottles where it will ferment for the second time. Only after 2,5 years further the grapejuice has developped into a real bottle of champagne.

The every day leader of the cooperative is a happy man. The local paper l'Union writes today, that the harvest of the year shows potential to be another Millesime - a champagne that does not need to be blended to have the perfect taste - Laurent agrees. The signs are good. The new juice has an acidity of 2,9 and there is enough sugar to reach an percentage of alcohol of 12. More signs will show during the autumn as the wine develops in the tanks.

Todays news from the fields says generally less sore muscles, more fun, teasing and throwing grapes at one another, and a result of 6200 kilos. Tomorrow at noon we better be halfway through so the normans can go back to Le Havre sunday night.

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