16.8 White Winemaking: Lees Ageing

Question 1

What are the aims for lees ageing?

Answer 1

• give more body
• soften the mouthfeel
• help to stabilize the wine
• protect the wine from oxygen
• may introduce some reductive sulfur compounds (desirable at low levels)

Question 2

Is the impact of lees thought to be more significant in white wines or red wines?

Answer 2

White wines

Question 3

For what types of wines is lees ageing used?

Answer 3

• Range of styles of prices

Question 4

When is lees ageing less common? Why?

Answer 4

• Less practiced on inexpensive wines, which will usually be released from the winery for sale as soon as possible

Question 5

What is bâtonnage?

Answer 5

• French term for lees stirring

Question 6

Why might a wine maker stir the lees?

Answer 6

To unsettle the lees from the bottom of the vessel and mix it in the wine

Question 7

For wine stored in small vessels such as barrels, what is the most traditional method of lees stirring?

Answer 7

• Use a rod

- Manually stir the lees into the wine

Question 8

What are the consequences of the traditional methods of lees stirring?

Answer 8

increases oxygen exposure:

• increase in the effects from the dead yeast
• decrease in fruity flavours
• reduces the development of reductive sulfur compounds and the off-aromas that they can introduce if not appropriately managed

Question 9

How can a winemaker carry out lees stirring without increasing oxygen exposure?

Answer 9

There are other options that now agitate and/or mix the lees without needing to open the vessel (for example, barrel racks that permit easy rolling of the barrels)

Question 10

What are the costs associated with lees stiring?

Answer 10

• on large numbers of large barrels is labour intensive

- increases cost of production