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Sparkling Bauduc

From the creation of the vineyard to the wine in bottle. Tap or click on a photo to enlarge it, and for a description, then use the < arrows> to scroll through. Order our Cremant de Bauduc here.

Preparing the field in October 2003
A youthful Daniel, our vineyard manager, showing the way
We had to clear a few trees and their roots
Moving the top soil around for consistency
Preparation takes shape, October 2003
Vineyard preparation was same week that Tom was born
Tom with Rick Stein, October 2015
Young Semillon vines, June 2004
Hole punchers at the ready, Semillon vines
It's hard work, planting vines by hand
Vineyard was created in 2004, same year as Facebook
The team taking care of the vines in 2007
Trimming the young vines in 2007
Jump ahead 7 years and here's the harvest in 2014
Semillon grapes weren't over ripe. Clean and fresh
Tractors and traitors for transport the crop
Our Sophie, 17, is a diligent, hard working vendangeur
The rows are dauntingly long for pickers
Pickers have to make sure they don't snip each other
Dominique worked with us the whole summer in 2014
Cremant de Bordeaux has to be picked into crates, by law
Crates must be stacked to avoid crushing bunches
No wonder crates were cheap. (Smith HL seconds?)
A sunny but chilly morning for picking
Only clean, fresh and juicy bunches made the cut
15th harvest together, Gavin, Nelly, Daniel Ramone
Diana Quinney (granny) inspects the harvest
Hugo B was our harvest trainee in 2014
Nelly backs the trailer up to the winery
Hugo and Nelly loaded up the press
5000 litre press has an 'airbag' for squeezing grapes
In go the grapes - it's called 'whole bunch pressed'
Hosing down the sticky cagettes, or crates
The first fermentation was in a stainless steel tank
Temperature controlled needed for cool fermentation
Sophie tasting the wine after tank fermentation
We took the wine to underground cellars 5 miles away
Second fermentation - with yeast and sugar - in bottle
In theory bottles are turned by hand to dislodge the lees
In practice, large pallets are turned for 'remuage'/riddling
After a year on the lees, the bottles are brought up
Upside down bottles show sediment in the neck
Bottles placed in moving tray that freezes the neck quickly
Within seconds the neck, with sediment inside, is frozen
Frozen sediment in the neck moving towards next phase
Crown caps whipped off and sediment ice cube ejected
Crown caps rejected, like mass uncapping of beer bottles
The dosage is added to top up the contents of the bottle
The disgorgement and bottling unit has over 15 functions
‘Dosage’ now added, bottles revolve to mix contents
The bottle is now corked up, with wire securing it
With a new cork, the bottle moves towards final stage
All the bottles are washed
The bottles are then dried properly before labelling
The bottles then have capsules placed over the cork
Front and back labels are added
Bottles checked to make sure everything is in place
6 bottles are automatically loaded into each carton
The pallet is secured and beautifully packaged up
So there's the story. Ch Bauduc Crémant de Bordeaux