Cracking wines are being made using concrete eggs
Ihave lost count of the number of giant eggs I have seen in wineries recently. By ‘eggs’ I mean large concrete ones – it is the latest fad used to vinify wine – helping to add complexity, texture and improved ‘mouthfeel’.
Concrete might sound like a strange medium for a wine vessel in a world full of stainless steel tanks and wooden barrels, but it has been used for vast square wine vats since the 19th century, particularly in Eastern Europe, as it is hardwearing, neutral and relatively cheap.
The first person to come up with the idea of making a concrete tank into the shape of an egg was the celebrated Rhône winemaker, Michel Chapoutier. After two years of research with his team, in 2001 Chapoutier asked French wine vat maker Marc Nomblot to make him one. The idea of the shape was derived from the old Roman amphorae.
Chapoutier’s concrete egg was made from washed Loire sand, gravel, unchlorinated spring water and cement – and crucially no additives or iron were added. Although the old concrete tanks in wineries used to be lined with epoxy resin, his new concrete egg was unlined. It was just treated with tartaric acid to prevent any corrosion or reaction from the fermenting must or finished wine.
Since then countless winemakers across the world have experimented with these trendy new eggs, from France’s traditional regions of Bordeaux and Burgundy to Chile and Canada in the New World. One of the first South African winemakers to use a concrete egg to ferment his wine was the avant-garde Eben Sadie, who had been looking for an alternative to wood, that did not taste of oak, but which could breathe.
One of the advantages of concrete is that it is porous. So these unlined concrete eggs allow tiny amounts of oxygen to permeate and contact with wine – similar to an oak barrel. This helps to fix colour and soften aggressive tannins and develop more complex
flavours, without any oaky influence.
French winemaker Christelle Guibert, who makes wonderful ‘natural’ wines in Muscadet in France’s Loire valley and in Itata valley in southern Chile, says that the shape of the egg also allows for continuous flow of the wine as it ferments and ages creating a more homogenous liquid.
The eggs are not cheap to install, currently at £3,000 a piece, and the larger 16 hectolitre size weighs two tonnes – so transport cost is high. But once installed, a line of beautifully smooth concrete eggs in a winery are certainly very stylish and attractive – as is the wine.
White Loire, France: ‘Moulin Blanc’ Blanc De Noirs 2017 Jeremie Mourat
Intriguing white pinot noir from 40 year old vines in Loire’s Vendee; delicious, elegant, apricot and citrus, very dry but fabulous freshness. £11.50, www.thewinesociety.com
Mendoza, Argentina: Eggo Sauvignon Blanc 2015 Zorzal
Zippy, herby, minerally sauvignon blanc with creamy palate texture from high altitude vineyards. £15.29, Exel Wines, Perth; Strictly Wine; Corking Wine
Savoie, France: Gringet Les Alpes 2016 Domaine Belluard
Fabulous mountain freshness, minerally with rich ripe fruits, soft and round from the rare ringet grape.
£33, www.lescaves.co.uk;
www.buonvino.co.uk; www.
josephbarneswines.com
Lake County, California: Sidebar Sauvignon Blanc 2015
Rich, weighty sauvignon blanc vinified in a mix of oak, stainless steel and concrete eggs.
£20, www.bbr.com
Loire, France: Muscadet Orthogneiss 2015 Domaine de L’ecu
Single vineyard muscadet: elegant, subtle, flinty notes with spicy undertones and creamy texture. £13.75, L’art du Vin, Dunfermline, wwwaduv.co.uk
Loire, France: Muscadet Terre De Gneiss 2015 Vincent Caille
Christelle Guibert’s eggmatured biodynamic muscadet shows rich mature ripe fruits, fabulous texture, fresh, vivid with a savoury and creamy finish. £22.50, Henris of Edinburgh; www.carteblanchewines.com
Roussillon, France: Côtes Du Roussillon Blanc 2016 Domaine de Bila-haut
From the original egg creator Michel Chapoutier’s Roussillon outpost: superb, creamy herby, rich blend of grenache blanc, grenache gris with macabeo. £11.50/£10.50, www. noblegreenwines.co.uk
Red Mendoza, Argentina: Eggo Tinto De Tiza Malbec 2016 Zorzal
Vibrantly fresh silky textured malbec from dynamic Michelini brothers’ high altitude vineyards in the Andes foothills. £18.49, Exel Wines, Perth; Strictly Wine; Corking Wine
Okanagan Valley, Canada: Haywire White Label Pinot Noir 2016 Okanagan Crush Pad
Pure expression of pinot noir with bright vivid raspberry aromas with delicious spicy finish. ■ £24.99, www.novelwines.co.uk; www.redsquirrelwine.com
Join Rose’s Eggs & Amphorae wine tasting on Friday 23 November in Edinburgh, £42, www.rose murray brown. com