Easter egg... wine

3/17/21

What does wine have to do with Easter eggs? The egg. The egg-shaped vat is used by many winemakers. Gault&Millau has selected 6 winegrowers who use these wine eggs.

Egg-shaped wine vats

The egg, or rather the ovoid shape, has particular characteristics that have inspired the creation of vats. Essentially, this is because inside an egg-shaped vat, the wine's natural "Brownian" movement creates a spontaneous vortex, bringing the wine and its lees into natural circulation. In a conventional barrel or vat, this movement doesn't exist, so the lees have to be artificially suspended with a stick. This is called "bâtonnage".

Over the last few years, many estates have adopted this technique. They vinify or age all or part of their wine in these concrete clay eggs. They are like terracotta jars, micro-porous and allowing slow oxygenation of the wine inside. There are also egg-shaped vats in plastic, concrete or wood.

The origins of the ovoid shape

The Romans were already making their wine in amphorae, ultimately more akin to eggs than barrels. Whether they had mastered the techniques of suspending fine lees is doubtful. Nevertheless, winemakers who use eggs find that their wines are fuller and smoother. They also benefit from using less sulfur in their wines.

Decorating wine eggs

Aesthetics versus practicality: while it's true that these eggs are more aesthetically pleasing (some estates use artists to paint their containers), they are far less practical than barrels, since the winemaker can't stack them like barrels. What remains to be invented is the equivalent of the cardboard box...but for vats.

Easter gift

A gift box of 6 cuvées (among dozens) that use these eggs, and where you can taste the closed eggs:

Domaine Gayda

For the Freestyle cuvée, the domaine has brought together several grape varieties, two of which (Marsanne and Grenache Blanc) are vinified in these egg-shaped vats. A singular, succulent expression.

Domaine les bruyeres

David Reynaud, certified biodynamic since 2005, produces racy, expressive wines from their youth. In his cellar, it's the whites that rest in the concrete and terracotta eggs. Expressions of Marsanne and Roussane that must be tasted.

Mas des caprices

A desire to make wine in the sun, a caprice for native Alsatians? We invite you to taste the result, and in particular the cuvée Blanc de l'œuf, a blend of southern white grape varieties offering fruit and flowers with finesse and tension. Cuvée matured in eggs, of course.

Mas combarela

Organic wines from the slopes of the Larzac terraces, authentic and fine: a wide range to discover, some of which are also aged in eggs.

Mas del périé

An absolute star of the Cahors revival, Fabien Jouves works his vines biodynamically and adapts his containers to the type of wine. Among the vats and barrels are a few eggs...

Fabien Jouves offers a wide range of thirst-quenching, terroir-driven wines that can be found in many a wine bar, as drinkability is his watchword. Try it all! And for Easter, linger over cuvées B753 and RAYS matured in ovoid vats.

Domaine du coulet

Matthieu Barret is one of the Rhône's leading names, producing deep Cornas and beautifully crafted Cotes du Rhone. The estate works biodynamically, drastically limiting inputs into the wines, which are aged in ovoid vats. The "brise cailloux" cuvée is a perfect entry into the domaine's range.

Happy Easter tasting!

Editor: Laurent Vuillaume - Gault&Millau Wine & Champagne Expert

These news might interest you

News & Events

Aube, a den of gastronomes

If you think of Champagne, do you think of the bubbles from the great houses of Reims or Épernay? And yet, further south, an intimate, winegrowing and gastronomic Champagne is available to gourmets with a fine nose.

News & Events

Follow the chenin

The king of the Loire grape varieties, also widespread in South Africa, "ch'nin", as the people of the Loire pronounce it, has the extraordinary ability to produce dry white wines as well as semi-dry, sweet, syrupy and even sparkling wines, commonly known as fines bulles. Complex and demanding, it is nonetheless endearing.

News & Events

What temperature should I serve my wine at?

If you break out the ice bucket at the slightest bottle of white and the reds never leave your kitchen, here's a simple guide to avoiding these wine temperature faux-pas.

Wines & Spirits

Top 10 wine bars in Bordeaux

To coincide with primeur week, we've put together a selection of great places to taste Bordeaux wines.

News & Events

Should we trust the medals on the bottles?

On a supermarket shelf, similar-looking bottles of wine are lined up at slightly contrasting prices. Without a salesperson, in a time-constrained food shopping area, a sticker placed like a jewel cuts through the act of purchasing. Gold, silver or bronze medals flash more brightly than a label that's not always easy to decipher. Award-winning wine, featured wine An award-winning wine is one that has been presented by the winery at one of the 127 competitions that award these precious badges (in 2024, according to the DGCCRF). The famous Concours Général Agricole, founded in 1870, the world's best Chardonnay or Sauvignon competitions, the Brittany or Mâcon wine competitions, the Millésime Bio challenge... There's an embarrassment of riches to choose from, with no limit on participation, but not without a heavy hand in the wallet. For each cuvée entered, you'll need to pay between 10 and 150 euros, depending on the competition, not including postage and packaging costs and the purchase of macaroons in the event of victory. Attractive spin-offs A potentially interesting calculation, given the commercial visibility these awards bring. In the year following the award, sales of the vintage tend to increase by between 20% and 40%. A boon for the estate, event organizers and supermarkets alike. All the more so as the medals are pouring in. In 2025, at the Concours Général Agricole, of the 12129 wines entered, 3361 were awarded medals, almost half of them gold. French legislation prohibits the awarding of more than a third of the samples presented. A quota with which most competitions flirt. Amateur jury Who awards these accolades? A volunteer jury, at their own expense. Mostly amateurs. The great need for people leaves little room for rigor or traceability. In 2025, at the Concours Général Agricole, over 7,000 people were needed to taste charcuterie, cheeses, jams and wines. At this year's Chardonnay du Monde competition, more than 300 jurors took part, with a limit of 20 samples per person. The most famous estates, which don't need to boost their sales, tend to neglect these competitions. Artisanal wineries, on the other hand, may shy away from these competitions as a matter of distinction, since the shiny stickers are associated with supermarkets. A place where it takes the place of good professional advice. A wine merchant, for example, capable of selling the uniqueness of a cuvée he has followed over the years.

News & Events

Fabrice Pouillon: his champagne method

Fabrice Pouillon is the third generation to run the family domaine at Mareuil-sur-Aÿ in the Marne region of France, and he has an intrinsic respect for the heritage he has inherited: respect for the vines and for fine work. Constantly questioning himself, curious and eager to experiment, the Champenois celebrates his 26th harvest this September.