5- Audio cuvée – How winemakers age a Terrasses du Larzac wine- Le Pont de Lagamas

The vinification cellar is at the heart of the process in transforming grapes into wine, and it is here that Vincent Goumard recounts the meticulous art of winemaking, and which leads to creating each bottle of Terrasse du Larzac PDO wine. He tells of how the grapes arrive fresh from the vines and recounts their journey to the wine produced. Each winegrower makes very personal choices of the techniques to be used, which then go on to define each wine, be it whole bunch fermentation, destemming, or a combination of both, for all or part of the harvest. It is a moment where winegrowers express their savoir-faire and their personality, selecting specific parcels for each different cuvée and carefully drawing out the chosen characteristics of the terroir.

Once transferred to the vats, the grapes liberate their colour, their tannins and their aromas. Additional techniques used include pigeage (punch-down), where grapes are pushed back down into the fermenting wine, remontage (pumping over) where must at the bottom of the vats is pumped back over the semi-solid layer at the top, and choosing the length of vatting. All are an art form, and mastered through daily tastings of the juices. Indeed, it is here that the artisanal skills of winegrowers are best put to use, and which give the style and soul of each and every cuvée.

The adventure continues with the maturation and bottling of the wines.

Explore with us each stage of this fascinating process from vineyard to the table. And enjoy listening to this podcast!

Credits :
Vincent Goumard, winegrower, Mas Cal Demoura, Jonquières

This podcast was directed by Alexandre Héraud, with support from his team at Écran Sonore, in particular Vincent Decque, editor.
The podcast was produced for the series Wine Routes, and can be found on our web application "Itinérances en Terrasses du Larzac" : https://visit.terrasses-du-larzac.com/ This web app was developed in partnership with Vinoways, a Montpellier-based start-up. It was financed with the support of Occitanie Region, and European LEADER programme funds administered by Pays Cœur d'Hérault