aoc corbières
a.o.c. corbieres
AC
Corbières
A.C.
corbiere

Our cooperative has been at the forefront of progress since the 1980s and we now apply selective methods to all our parcels in the AC area. Launched a number of years ago, this work is taking us closer to our ultimate goal of traceability for the wines we produce.

The first inspection takes place at the end of pruning. If a grower has failed to respect the regulations laid down in the "décret" (the code of practice governing the appellation) or the defined pruning method, he is warned to correct his behaviour or risk having the parcel classed in an inferior category.

The second inspection takes place before veraison to check:
. the health of the vines
. the yield of each vine with a view to green pruning if necessary. This is when confirmation is given to growers as to whether or not they will be maintained in the chosen category.

The second inspection takes place before veraison to check:
* the health of the vines
* the yield of each vine with a view to green pruning if necessary. This is when confirmation is given to growers as to whether or not they will be maintained in the chosen category.

The final check is carried out when the grapes are brought to the cooperative for vinification.

The grapes are vinified
separately by terroir,
appellation, category,
degree, variety
and type of vinification.

The different possible types of vinification are :

CARBONIC MACERATION
On arrival, the grapes are transported uncrushed into the vats on conveyor belts Fermentation takes place inside the whole grapes in an atmosphere saturated with CO2 for 12 to 21 days. Skin contact varies from cuvee to cuvee depending on the type of wine we wish to obtain.

FERMENTATION OF DESTEMMED GRAPES
On arrival, the grapes are put through the destemmer and vat-fermented for 12 to 16 days. The fermenting juice is temperature-controlled; extraction by rack and return.

SAIGNEE
This is practised for the rosé and white wines: juice is run off the grapes six to eight hours after vatting.

IMMEDIATE PRESS The grapes are pressed on arrival in pneumatic Vaslin Bucher presses , and the juice run off into vats for fermentation.

All these operations take place under strict temperature control, the temperature depending on the type of vinification.

The various wines are aged from late November, when they are racked into oak barrels. Aging lasts 6 to 12 months depending on the vintage and the type of barrel.

The cellar master and oenologist taste the wines to decide when is the best moment to rack and blend the various cuvees before bottling.