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Easter egg... wine
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
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