The cycle
of the vine
The cycle
of the vine
A thousand-year-old ballet between nature and savoir faire
As the seasons go by, the vine follows an immutable cycle, marked by the precise work of winegrowers and the vagaries of the climate. In the Loire, this cycle shapes singular wines, reflecting a subtle balance between the hand of Man and the force of nature. Let's dive into this rhythmic dance where every gesture counts!
Winter, a time for quiet rest and structuring pruning
For Loire wines, winter is the time of vegetative rest. The sap sinks, the leaves fall and the vines go dormant. But for the winegrower, activity is in full swing: pruning begins, essential for controlling yield and preparing the vigor of future shoots. Depending on appellations and grape varieties, different methods are favored, from single or double Guyot to cordon de Royat.
In the cellars, the work doesn't stop : fermentations are completed and blends take shape. Some cuvées are bottled, while vins de garde begin their maturation in vats or barrels.
Spring, between rebirth and vigilance: the vine comes back to life!
With the first rays of sunshine, the vine comes back to life! Budburst heralds the birth of young buds, fragile and vulnerable to late frosts. Winegrowers in the Loire region keep a close eye on the thermometer, and use countermeasures such as burning straw bales, using candles or spraying with water to protect the future harvest.
Not long after, blooming starts: this is a key moment, as it conditions the potential of the harvest. Even at this stage, we can already estimate the date of the harvest, generally 110 days later.
Summer: ripening under close surveillance
With the summer heat, the bunches swell and begin to change color during the ripening. This is the beginning of the concentration of aromas and sugars. Leaf thinning and green harvesting optimize sunlight and improve grape quality.
Vinegrowers must also monitor the health of the berries, particularly for sweet and syrupy wines, where botrytis cinerea, the "noble rot", plays an essential role.
Autumn, a time of effervescence: the grape harvest
It's the long-awaited hour. Each plot is harvested with precision, according to phenolic ripeness and winemaking objectives. In the Loire, the diversity of grape varieties and wine styles leads to a fairly long harvest period spread over several weeks often between September and mid-November.
They generally begin in the first days of September for the earliest grape varieties (melon de bourgogne, folle blanche), then come successively, chardonnays, sauvignons, gamays, pinots noirs and chenins destined for the production of "fines bulles" wines, and finally cabernets and chenins destined for dry, semi-dry and sweet wines.
The harvesting is mechanized or manual depending on the appellation decree, the topography of the vineyard (some vines planted on very steep slopes, notably in the Coteaux du Layon, require manual harvesting) and the choice of producers.
In the cellar, the effervescence is in full swing: pressing, maceration, fermentation... The first cuvées come to life as the winemakers adjust, taste and sculpt the vintage.
Aperpetual cycle at the service of great Loire wines.
Behind every glass of Loire wine lies one year of painstaking work, a symbiosis between man and his terroir. This perpetual cycle, rooted in tradition but constantly optimized, gives Loire wines a unique identity, between freshness, elegance and character.
Discover the vintages of Loire wines
Learn to recognize and taste the great Loire wines according to their year of production.