Blanquette Beirieu
Jean-Claude Beirieu
11 300 Roquetaillade
The jewel of Limoux
If I go to Limoux I see on the left side of the road always the big sign: "Blanquette, in the traditional manner, Fiorotto Tournier, tasting room and sales ". A few minutes later, another sign in the same manner. It then goes further to Limoux. In fact, this city is the center of the conventional type to Blanquette Oh, Blanquette of Limoux? No, I do not speak of the Blanquette of Limoux, this is a well-known wine shop, the type of champagne. No I am referring to the Blanquette to conventional Art is a sparkling wine of the natural light, is older and less well known, in short, a gem. That he so little is known can not be avoided, for it is only very little of it produced in 2005 there were about 800 000 bottles. In the Champagne, for example, the production was about 350 million bottles, and also from other Blanquette of Limoux, there were 4.5 million bottles. be produced in a world in which most sparkling wines equal to (the type of champagne), it is a pity that this sparkling wine is so little known because the Blanquette in the traditional manner is different. It is produced in a different way, (ancestral country, or Diois Gallo), namely to the so-called conventional method, and the alcohol content is very low (6-8 °). They are interested in? Very good because we made a visit to Jean-Claude Beirieu, a manufacturer of Blanquette oh conventional type and a pioneer of organic viticulture in the Aude.
champagne
sure you know the word "champagne"? What do you associate with it? The city of Champagne, the wine from the Champagne or the geographical designation "quality wine from the Champagne? There is also the "small Champagne", the "big Champagne3 the" Fine Champagne ", and more of it. Maybe you know prepared as the sparkling wine from Champagne is? This is a bit complicated. First, you build from a normal wine, a still wine. Then the wine is bottled and it relies a "liqueur de tirage", that is a mixture of sugar and yeast. This mixture causes a second fermentation: the added yeast to the sugar into alcohol and CO2 (the pearls), transforms it dies from the yeast and their residues form the depot. For several months, the bottles are now stored in the neck down, and they are rotated every day so that the deposit settles in the throat. Then the bottle necks are frozen and the frozen storage is removed. Then some wine and some sugar is added, this is the "dosage liqueur.
Blanquette in the traditional manner
The method begins in the traditional manner exactly like this: you win a still wine. However, then the fermentation is stopped. The wine is bottled before the completion of fermentation in the bottle. This does not prevent that the yeast begins to work, AlSiO here it turns the sugar into alcohol and CO2 (the pearls). The pressure in the bottle rises and eventually Stellet the yeast work. The result of this simple method is a very slight (6 °) and natural sparkling wine with no additives. The INAO speaks of a "wine with a yellow body, which looks more to cover us, it is characterized by fine and lasting Beads. A sensitive nose will perceive the slight smell of blooming lightly roasted nuts from trees, the white, this is the aroma of green apples, it behaves lively in the mouth with a certain structure (alcohol content is about 6 percent by volume). The method to produce
Blanquette of conventional type is very simple, so simple that many wine drinkers have previously made their own Blanquette. Jean-Claude Beirieu explains: "In the past, when the Blanquette was not yet sold in the bottle, gave it to the base wine for the traditional method is still open as to buy bulk wine. At that time it was so that the wine some tanks or barrels of which provide held and then sold them all in one week at the new moon in March. The customers, including my parents have yet done so, have the wine itself then bottled. At that time was called the wine "wine Blanquette", so it was a wine, with the sparkling wine Blanquette could be produced. After that then some winemakers such as Guy Mare Villelongue d'Aude and I started in Roquetaillade to sell the Blanquette in bottles and sell them. The market for bulk wine, a market that was common for the elderly has died completely and now it is sold only in bottles of Blanquette "
Blanquette Beirieu. Gyropalette
Foaming
The foam is the final phase in which pressure builds up in the bottle and form the beads. This phase is difficult to control, and the pressure varies from bottle to bottle, while the latter is more of a mystery.
"After the old man, the pressure varies depending on moon phase, ultimately, nobody knows exactly whether it has much or little pressure in the bottle. With funds from Europe has been trying to unravel the mystery of the foam, were involved in the region, the cooperatives, the Syndicate for the sparkling wine and a few independent winemakers. However, they have not found the key factor that can would make the pressure build to be limited to a certain strength. This is very irregular, approximately between 2 and 6 kg. The cooperatives have therefore decided to make it so like champagne, so the wine is filtered, yeast is added and when the desired pressure is reached, they pasteurize the wine to keep him stable. Formerly (1990), there were 150 wineries, the Blanquette to have made the traditional way, mostly old with a small amount. Now things are different, there are still many who offer their sparkling wine Blanquette than after conventional Are, but it is produced by the cooperative in their name. There are only a handful of winemakers producing the Blanquette themselves. "
Why are there less and less? If they are intimidated by national and European standards? It is quite possible, here is an example. Nicolas Sarkozy has a few years ago "cum suis" decided (modified decree of 19 August 2004, the Decree of 13 April 1981 and to the quality regulations for the "Blanquette by the conventional method") relates that from the 2007-2008 season "must be allowed the wine presses of the National Committee for wine and brandy production and by the National Institute for quality wines. This authorization, which is awarded by an expert commission, which is used by the said National Committee certifies compliance of the wine press with the quality standards that are set by the National Committee for wine and brandy production and by the National Institute for Quality Wines. "And Jean-Claude Beirieu, he holds state? After I heard his career I think I can guess that not giving up.
His career
"I have a study completed in Toulouse generals and finished my degree in Civil Law in housing and urban development. Well, I was never really exciting, especially when I have met in workshops with companies, the environment, I have noticed that this is not my thing. My ecological Consciousness is the result of the resistance against the growing concrete jungle in the French cities. I wanted to go back to nature and the countryside. I wanted to build something positive, to grow crops for food, crops. Here in Roquetaillade I had my family here I know nothing about, in short, here I wanted to settle down. I started to fallow land of my father.
Blanquette Beirieu: Jean-Claude Beirieu
course, has brought nothing, so I also worked three days a week in Limoux. From 1972 to 1981 I worked there to prepare my business creation. I have old buildings purchased to set up a wine cellar, a small house next to it, I bought fallow and forgotten piece of land that are untouched by the chemistry of my neighbors. I've tried everything: beekeeping, cultivation and Mahen with the scythe, all or nothing and that was unsatisfactory. I then opted for the wine, I have bought, torn, newly planted, leased and in 1981 I had worked my start as a real wine. "
quality wines with denomination of origin 5 (AOC)
Jean-Claude Beirieu as the ancient people and that gives a special flavor of wine, an authentic. Perhaps because of it shall him the Certification Committee for Quality Wines obstacles in the way, for it to evaluate a wine if it is "typical" and therefore deserves the title. "This year I was denied certification for the first time. Why? We have a typical product stands in the middle of a huge default offering that natürlic out. Assessment is by professionals, winemakers and vintners, who are well versed in the wine industry and not by experienced customers, we interfere with natural as far as the taste of wine. Well, I have presented my wines a second time, but I still have no result. The problem is that I add no sulfur and am relying on the natural yeast and the other set of sulfur in each stage of winemaking. Before fermentation is dug into mountains of sulfur. Our wines are different now more and more of the industrial wines. "
And what will happen when your wine is rejected, Jean-Claude? He laughs and replies, may 'fears, asthma attacks, because then I tilt it either in the stream or released into the distillery. I can not sell it then. This region can be produced only two types of sparkling wine, Blanquette and Cremant, and also with the method of conventional type I do not have the right to produce another sparkling wine than this quality levels (AOC). "
The sale
Anne, the girlfriend of Jean-Claude does not mince his words when she speaks from the sale.
Blanquette Beirieu: Anne
"The problem is that we have too much work and the sale is always last. Our marketing is limited to organic trade fair and supplies to health food stores. But the organic food stores to sell anything. The Problzm of health food stores, is that the staff change constantly. If you call there is either the person responsible can not be there or is it someone else or he does not know the product. If you happened not call on anything. Last year there were 6 months, an exception in a health food store, there was a responsible person who called us when the product is low. This was the first time that a health food store has gemlacht that, and this guy is gone. The other problem is, that they want to store anything, they want only a few boxes. So, you do make enough for a meaningful health food stores can tour. Thus we have in Toulouse for example, 5 organic food stores. Last time there we have delivered a total of 15 cases, which has paid off for us only because we had something else to do in Toulouse.
Direct selling makes us of 60%, or organic trade fair, sales to health food stores and customers who come to us. We are a bit at the end of the world and so are the people to us are very motivated, they usually take several boxes, they do not come for 2 bottles. The export does not matter to us. Since 2000, we supply to the Japanese. That does not evolve, it remains stable at 600 bottles a year, that's all. "
recognition as a biological wine
make the logo AB (Agriculture Biologique) use may be the winemaker to control from a certification body can . Until now, the Ecocert with us and now makes the Ulas. "With Ecocert we have divided us a bit because of the story with the Flavescance dorée and our label.'s why I asked Ulas and Sethe everything runs smoothly. But the controls are the same ones that are good nothing and lead nowhere. If one wants to cheat you can do that easily. I work since 1981 together with Nature et Progrès, as there is real trust and exchange. Networking is much more effective than an idiotic control from above. "
Its production
" Blanquette Beirieu "which is the title of the Jean-Claude has given his brochure. The title is fitting, because its production is 80U Blanquette in the traditional manner and 10% are Blanquette of Limoux. The label's Blanquette is impressed us. Since 2005, the label must be "contains sulfite" where the wine is more as containing 10 mg per liter. Jean-Claude, it is important to know his customers that his wine does not contain sulfite, therefore, is with him on the label "no added sulfite" '.
His other wines are still wines, such as the rose that is named "Between 10 and 11". Why this name? "One fine morning have told us, now we have it pour into bottles. So I'm heading into the wine cellar, everything ready before and at 10 clock preparations are done. We start with the packaging and at 11 clock, we are fertig.Ausserdem he drinks also good between 10 und 11 clock, both in the morning but also in the evening. "His wines come 5 hectares of vineyards with an average yield of 30 hectoliters per hectare, it produces about 20,000 bottles a year. This is a modest production, just as the price increase is modest. On the old site of Jean-Claude Beirieu I've seen the prices of 2004, you may find that the price for its flagship product in four years increased by 8.3%, which I find very modest.
Blanquette Beirieu: the wines
0 comments:
Post a Comment