Cultivation at each Domaines Ott estate is happening in a way by fully respecting nature. The soil of the vineyards is getting nurtured without the use of chemicals. There are no intensive production techniques used here and the products to treat the vine diseases are also made of some natural combination of Bordeaux mixture and sulfur. There is the only type of treatments allowed in this area of organic farming.
While these vines grow old, they get replaced at frequent intervals. This maintains the quality of the wines produced out of these vineyards constant across the estates. Over many years, each estate of Domaines has been landscaped carefully to create apt growing conditions. It is done in such a way that these vineyards gets drained naturally and steadily without run-offs.
All these treatments allow the soil remains intact and the vines get good water supply. Organic fertilizers which are ensured to be fully natural and the metal wires are used on the vineyards with which the vines are trellised. The juice is then fermented only in stainless steel containers, and oak barrels are used to mature it. All these make these estates the most famous for their quality.
Experience-induced strength
As we can see, each bottle of Domaines Ott is the result of many generations of knowledge and expertise about the best possible conditions and practice of making top-quality wine. At the Domaines Ott cellars, it takes almost one hundred nature days and about four lunar cycles to produce wine. This is the exact time window between the first flowering of the vines and the harvest of grapes.
Each lunar month in these four is the natural time to fertilize and bloom the grapes from the first day of the spring to the peak of the summer. During winter and autumn, the land gets nourished with natural compost and mineral fertilizers. Domaines Ott vines are trimmed to keep them the most healthy and productive.
The process of winemaking
Let’s further explore the secrets behind the making of each Sokolin listed Domaines Ott wines.
- During March, weeds are removed, and each of the rows is plowed. Vine stocks are then cut by hand without damaging the trunks.
- In April, excess buds are removed to make sure that the vines are not getting overloaded.
- In May, vines get trellised by allowing them to grow better and perfectly ripen. The young vines are slowed to wine around the wires. Next, the vines are “elevated” by raising soil levels to the trunk to protect new growth from the intense heat of the sun.
- All moisture gets evaporated from the soil in June, and the grapes start to feast on summer sun. They get ripened under the shades of the leaves. Their juices get acidified, and sugar is concentrated.
- During mid-August, grape samples get tested and then harvest starts. Hand picking of grapes goes over the next 20 days. These are stored by following highest of quality standards,
- The grapes picked under the hot August sun are then allowed to cool by quickly lowering the temperature. The bunches are then passed through the crusher to get pressed properly and not squashed. The clear juice and flavor are getting extracted.
- The juice is then clarified by removing any sediment. Then the wine is poured into the light, oak barrels. The wine rests there for through the summer, and then the secret processing starts. The natural alchemy will turn the sugar to alcohol.
The wine is tasted regularly and rated for quality until February, during when the final blend of each wine and the vintage is selected. Bottling of these are held in spring, and then the most delightfully Domaines Ott comes out on to the stands in the scintillating package.
