BOOKINGS: 020 8288 0314

Refreshingly fun tasting events
ThirtyFifty - Hens

Red Wine Making in Margaux with Benjamin Sichel from Ch d Angludet


We discuss the wine-making process beginning with grape selection on the vine, before picking, to make sure the grapes are good, discarding any unripe or rotten grapes. The grapes are then separated from the stems part mechanically, part by hand on the sorting table. The next step is to crush the grapes, trying not to damage the skins too much. Alcoholic fermentation then begins, in concrete tanks which are all individually temperature controlled. Interestingly, when the cellar was renovated 15 years ago a decision was made to keep concrete vats rather than move to stainless steel. The concrete makes it easy to get a good even temperature and the generous width gives a large surface for skin contact, which is great for maceration. The wine then goes through the process of malolactic fermentation before being aged in barrels. Barrel ageing helps the wine gain more complexity and help the structure of the wine to develop. Benjamin explains how the quality of the barrel is absolutely key for the ageing process.

Subscribe

Using XML subscription

Apple Podcasts RSS feed Podcast link for Apple
Spotify RSS feed Podcast link for Spotify
xml subscription Podcast link for Android and Windows devices

ThirtyFifty - Wine Courses

Tools to improve your tasting skills and pass the WSET L3 Award in Wines Tasting Paper, from £10.

Wine Tasting Guide »

Over 500 multi-choice & short written answer questions to help you pass the WSET L3 Award in Wines, available for £20.

Exam Questions »

Our clients say...

I thought the questions were excellent, an extremely valuable revision tool. They really helped highlight areas I thought I had revised and understood but clearly had not, which has enabled me to focus on key areas to revisit and study before going into the exam... I think it is a great resource and an essential revision aid for any WSET 3 students wishing to gain a competitive edge and successfully pass the WSET 3 exam.

Gini (Australia) - WSET Level 3 Question

I just wanted to say a big thank you for your outstanding website. It was a key factor in helping me pass WSET level 3 and I really appreciate the time and effort you have put in to make it so much easier to study. Thank you once again

Gino - WSET Level 3 Question

I just wanted to say a big thanks for your great attitude and professional, straightforward tuition which helped me pass the exam with distinction.   It was a great course with a happy end!

Filip - WSET Level 3