Wine and Dine at Monte Creek
Concrete Wine Making!
Have you seen one of these humpty dumpty-esque looking objects brooding in the corner of your favourite tasting room or wine cave and thought to yourself: what the heck is that?”
Well, let us help.
These are called concrete egg-shaped fermenters. But now the question is, are these one of the newest trends in innovative wine-making or a doomed fad destined to go the way of the mullet?
Let’s find out!
When we think of cement, we generally think of the slow solidifying stuff on trucks and sidewalks. However, for a majority of winemakers, it’s a useful material that can impart special benefits to an evolving wine. Like most things, wine likes to breathe. Cement is porous, meaning air can permeate the material via countless tiny holes. As a result, winemakers these days prefer concrete barrels over traditional oak or stainless steel ones.
In 2001, Michel Chapoutier, a pioneer in biodynamic viticulture, collaborated with the French company Nomblot. Nomblot has specialized in the manufacturing of concrete wine containers since the 1920s. Together they produced the first modern egg-shaped wine fermenter.
What’s extra cool is that the egg does all of this on its own. A human hand is not required, as the shape creates a vortex that in turn pushes
the wine around gently on its own. With zero corners in the vessel and plenty of movement, every ounce of the wine, winemakers argue, is subjected to the same conditions. “I like the shape and material because it naturally stirs the wine in a gentle manner, leading to greater texture and mouthfeel”, says Anne Hubatch who uses a concrete egg for one of her Melon de Bourgogne, the grape famous for its starring role in Muscadet. She also crafts wine for her label, Helioterra, in her urban Portland winery.
Want to experience this in Kamloops? We’ve got you covered.
Monte Creek Ranch Winery is a large vineyard on the outskirts of Kamloops, British Columbia. It is situated on 1,200 acres of biodiverse property and 75 acres of vines. The winery offers plenty of activities for locals and tourists including tours of the breathtakingly scenic vineyards, event spaces, a terrace restaurant serving locally inspired gourmet menu items, and some fine wine tasting for only 5$ per wine.
Wine made from the freshest and purest grapes makes visiting Monte Creek a experience you cannot miss. Its interior offers a nice and straightforward counterpoint to its sprawling vineyards, decorated hanging basket lights, and wine ready to be bought and consumed.
From the quality of the wine to the beauty of the wine closets, there are many reasons why visiting Monte Creek offers the best wine-tasting experience. The vast amount of knowledge gained from the experience of growing grapes creates flexibility for the visitor and makes the experience smoother.
-With all that being said, we think its wine O’clock!-
References:
Howard, C. (2015). Concrete tanks: Concrete wine – first it was the egg, now it’s tulips and teacups. Wine & Viticulture Journal, 30(5). https://search.informit.org/doi/10.3316/informit.529217780091127
Villanueva-Rey, P., Vázquez-Rowe, I., Sun, S. Y., Salgado, C. M., Rossi, B., Ponstein, H. J., Pizzigallo, A. C. I., Negishi, K., Mueller, J., Meneses, M., Nguela, J. M., Martins, A. A., Marras, S., Margallo, M., Lamastra, L., Joshi, V. K., Jiang, J., Cañas, P. M. I., Iannone, R., … Rios, F. C. (2020, August 10). Environmental impact of wine fermentation in steel and concrete tanks. Journal of Cleaner Production. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0959652620336477
Seo. (2021, October 5). Why using concrete tanks for the wine? Bodegas Resalte de Peñafiel. from https://resalte.com/en/concrete-tanks-for-our-wine/
The complete guide to egg fermentation: Wine-searcher news & features. Wine. (n.d.). https://www.wine-searcher.com/m/2019/06/the-complete-guide-to-egg-fermentation
Home – Monte Creek Winery Kamloops’ largest winery. Monte Creek Winery. (2023, February 1). from https://www.montecreekranch.com/
