“Rediscovering” the Old Ways: A Humorous Look at French Winemaking Terms
Today, as I scrolled through my feed, I stumbled across a post from a self-proclaimed wine influencer touting the benefits of a “new” winemaking technique called Soutirage. The influencer breathlessly explained that this “revolutionary” process, apparently freshly unearthed from the vaults of French winemaking wisdom, was a gentler, gravity-based method for clarifying wine. An attached video featured a French winemaker pouring wine from the bottom of a barrel into a glass while carefully watching for sediment, as if revealing an ancient secret to the masses.
“Move over, modern filtration!” the post seemed to say. “Gravity is the new thing.”
Now, I have to admit that I thought this was funny. Not just because the winemaker in the video looked like he had no idea he was part of some grand ‘discovery,’ but because Soutirage is nothing new. In fact, it’s just the French term for racking, a technique used by practically every winery on the planet, and something most winemakers learn on day one. The notion that this influencer had stumbled upon a hidden treasure of the winemaking world was, to say the least, amusing.
But wait—there’s more! Apparently, this gravity business, a force we’ve all had the pleasure of dealing with forever, was being hailed as a gentle new technology. Imagine, nature’s way of pulling things down being rediscovered in the 21st century, as if Isaac Newton had only just dropped an apple on the winemaking community. We can all breathe a sigh of relief knowing that gravity is finally getting the recognition it deserves.
The actual process of Soutirage is simple and ancient: after fermentation, red wine is allowed to settle in a tank while gravity pulls the gross lees (the bits of stems, skins, seeds, and yeast) to the bottom. In French, this settling is known as Débourbage, a term that sounds more exotic than “settling,” but is really just as old-fashioned as it gets. Once the sediment sinks, the wine is carefully racked off into a new barrel, where, guess what? Gravity goes to work again! This time it pulls down the finer lees, clarifying the wine further. And voilà, the French term Soutirage sounds fancy, but it’s really just racking, pure and simple.
This influencer’s earnest championing of Soutirage got me thinking—what other “new discoveries” might we be blessed with in the future? To make sure we’re all on the lookout, I’ve put together a handy guide to a few more French winemaking terms that have been, shall we say, “waiting” to be rediscovered.
Élevage – Wine’s “Upbringing”
Ah, the beautiful French word Élevage, which translates to “raising up,” refers to the entire process of nurturing a wine from fermentation through to bottling. Think of it as the wine’s journey from awkward adolescence to mature, bottle-worthy adulthood. But before you start envisioning some avant-garde process, let’s bring it down to earth: this is what we call aging. Yes, that’s right—wine sitting in a barrel or tank, doing its thing, maturing, gaining complexity. It’s hardly new, but boy does it sound sophisticated when you say Élevage instead of aging. Maybe we should start describing our personal growth as an Élevage journey?
Bâtonnage – The Gentle Stirring
Another term that sounds like it might require a wizard’s wand or some enchanted tool is Bâtonnage. This simply refers to stirring the lees, the spent yeast cells, and fine sediment that settle at the bottom of a wine barrel. In our winery, we use a metal rod (no magic wand here) to stir up these lees in our Chardonnay barrels to enhance texture and mouthfeel. The yeast cells break down, releasing compounds that make the wine creamier and more luscious. You could, of course, just say “stirring the lees,” but where’s the drama in that? For maximum effect, don’t forget to add a French accent when explaining the process at your next dinner party.
Pigeage – Punching the Cap
Here’s one for the red wine lovers: Pigeage, the French term for punching down the cap. When you ferment red wine, all the grape skins and solids float to the top of the vat, forming a solid layer (the cap). If you want your wine to extract all those delicious flavors and colors from the skins, you have to push the cap back down into the juice. This process has been used for centuries, but don’t let that stop someone from coming along and pitching it as a fresh winemaking innovation. One can only hope they’ll make a trendy video featuring the “revolutionary” practice of grape-stomping next.
Sur Lie – Aging on Lees
No, Sur Lie isn’t a fancy type of mattress—it’s the process of aging wine on its lees – the final rest after Bâtonnage. This technique, particularly common in making Muscadet and Chardonnay, provides future protection from oxidation and allows the wine to develop more complex flavors. It’s a practice as old as time, but you’d be forgiven for thinking it was just invented after hearing an excited sommelier wax poetic about “the magical interaction between wine and its lees.” The term sounds romantic, but really, it’s just another step in crafting that perfect bottle of white wine.
Collage – Making the Wine Beautiful
Last but not least, we have Collage. No, this isn’t an arts and crafts project, but the French term for fining, the process of adding substances like egg whites or bentonite clay to wine to help clarify it. These fining agents bind with unwanted particles, which can then be filtered out, leaving the wine clearer and brighter. And while you may hear some describe it as “purifying the soul of the wine,” rest assured, it’s just a method winemakers have used for centuries to ensure you don’t have any floaters in your glass.
So, next time you hear about the latest “discovery” in winemaking, take it with a grain of salt—and maybe a pinch of French flair. After all, in wine, as in life, there’s very little new under the sun—except perhaps the clever remarketing of what’s always been there.
