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how is aix rosé made?

22 October 2021

Rosé is one of the most complex wines to make, it is all about delicacy. We will introduce you a bit into the secrets of producing AIX Rosé.

AIX Rosé Glas AIX Rosé Stainless steel tank
AIX Rosé Harvest 2021 Winery Maison Saint Aix Provence 1

harvest

Harvesting the ripe grapes happens once a year, in Provence we start mid September and it can take up to 4 weeks to get all the grapes into the winecellars.

At Maison Saint Aix we start harvesting very early in the morning when it is still fresh outside and to finish before noon when it gets warmer. Harvesting the grapes at cool temperatures ensures optimal freshness and the conservation of the most delicate aromas.

The harvest is done manual and mechanical. We pick by hand at the more difficult and steep parts and by machine at the more regular parts of the vineyard.

AIX Rosé How we make AIX Rose Vinification process Stripping

crushing and destemming

The second step in the vinification process is the destemming. The grapes are now mechanically seperated from their stalks and leaves to avoid any bitterness. AIX Rosé is made from three different grape varieties. Grenache, Syrah and Cinsault are used to get the typical Provence style what AIX Rosé is so famous for.

AIX Rosé How we make AIX Rose Vinification process Pressing

pressing

From destemming we will go to pressing, the crushed grapes are pumped to the tubular exchanger to chill down to 4°C to ensure the preservation of the most delicate aromas and a better control of the colour of AIX Rosé.

From the tubular exchanger, the grapes go to the pneumatic press. We gently press from the inside to the outside for three hours, pressing the fruit slowly and gently will avoid oxidation and the short skin contact allows the juice to get its beautiful colour.

Rosés pick up their colour from the skin of the grape and Rosés are made from red grape varietals only.

AIX Rosé How we make AIX Rose Vinification process Settling

settling

After a short maceration, the skin is separated from the grape juice and the juice goes from the press to a stainless-steel tank for a cold storage period of seven days.

The cold storage process takes place in 200 Hl tanks at 2°C. We mix in the sediment regularly to gain the maximum amount of aromas from the sediments. We then leave the juice to settle for two days before extracting the clear juice and sending it to the fermentation tank. The sediments will be filtered and the remaining juice will be reintegrated into the fermentation tank.

AIX Rosé How we make AIX Rose Vinification process Fermentation

fermentation

We let the temperature rise to some 14°C and the fermentation will start. The total fermentation process takes between ten to fifteen days, during which period the natural sugar from the grape juice will be converted into alcohol. The wine is only ready when all sugar is converted into alcohol. At the end of the fermentation we leave the wine to settle for a few weeks. After this period, we separate the final wine from the remaining lees.

AIX Rosé How we make AIX Rose Vinification process Blending Bottling

blending

The total harvest represents several tanks which are carefully blended to create the final “assemblage”. Before bottling, the wine will be filtered with a state of the art tangential filter system to give the wine the traditional translucency for which is AIX Rosé so well-known.

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