What does sur lie refer to?

‘Sur Lie’ refers to the ageing of the wine, translating to ‘ageing on the Lees’. This process is the ageing of wine on dead yeast particles, left over from the fermentation process, adding extra complexity and flavours to the wines. They must be left to age for 6 months in order to qualify for ‘Sur Lie’

How long does sur lie take?

Aged on the lees for 60 months (5 years) in the bottle. This rosé Champagne offers red currant, raspberry, and strawberry fruit flavors that are accented with secondary flavors of toast, ginger, and lemon curd with delicate creamy bubbles that finish on a smoky note.

What are some of the flavors that might appear in a wine aged sur lie?

What wines should be aged sur lie? Sur lie aging is traditionally used in Chardonnay and Muscadet production in France, but is also used for other white wines that are known to be light, crisp, and more neutral in flavor, such as Chenin Blanc, Pinot Blanc, and Pinot Grigio (Gris), as well as some full-bodied red wines.

What is sur lie Chardonnay?

The term sur lie is French for “on the lees.” By oak aging chardonnay sur lie, the wine develops more weight in the mid-palate, more creaminess and more complexity from being in contact with those lees, or yeast cells. Batonnage and sur lie aging go hand in hand.

What are Tartrates in wine?

Tartrates – or more lovingly, “wine diamonds” – are formed from tartaric acid which is naturally occurring in all wines and provides structure, balance and flavor. Tartaric acid is one of three main acids found in wine grapes alongside malic, and citric acids.

What does wine on the lees mean?

If wine ages in contact with its fine lees for a considerable time, it develops pronounced round, full, creamy flavors that may present as nutty or yeasty, like warm brioche, in the finished wine. The French call this process sur lie, which translates to “on the lees.”

What wines are aged on lees?

Lees aging is common with Chablis, Champagne, Muscadet and California Chardonnay. Some wines have less of those warm, savory flavors, while others wines explode with rich, bready notes due to bâtonnage, a process where the lees are stirred as the wine ages.

Can you age red wine on lees?

Wines can be aged on lees for a few weeks and months or several years. By law, a non-vintage Champagne must be aged for 15 months in bottle and spend at least 12 months on lees, according to the Comité Champagne.

How long should wine sit on lees?

Why do tartrates form in wine?

What are tartrates and why do they form? Tartaric acid’s solubility in wine is temperature-dependent. When a wine is chilled to temperatures below 40 degrees, the remaining tartaric acid will bind with the naturally occurring potassium in the wine to form crystalline deposits (potassium bitartrates), or tartrates.

What is Weinstein in wine?

Weinstein is a Yiddish surname meaning wine stone, referring to the crystals of potassium bitartrate resulting from the process of fermenting grape juice.

What is the term for aging of wine?

Aging or “cellaring” a wine means that you decide to take a wine you have purchased and store it in a cool, dark place for a number of years, allowing the wine to improve as it sits in the bottle.

How long can wine sit on lees?

What is lees in the Bible?

This is an old biblical idiom but still used. It refers to the lees (dregs, sediments) of wine or other liquids that settle in the bottom of the containing vessel if it is not disturbed. Hence, the idiom refers to someone or something that is at ease, not disturbed, or worried.

What happens if you leave wine on lees?

If wine ages in contact with its fine lees for a considerable time, it develops pronounced round, full, creamy flavors that may present as nutty or yeasty, like warm brioche, in the finished wine.

What are wine tartrates?

Don’t panic – those small crystals are called tartrates and they are simply a sign of how the wine was made and are harmless to you and your wine. Tartrates – or more lovingly, “wine diamonds” – are formed from tartaric acid which is naturally occurring in all wines and provides structure, balance and flavor.

Why is there sugar in my wine glass?

The sugar in wine is called “Residual Sugar” or RS. That means the sugar in wine is what remains after grapes have gone through the winemaking process. Grapes contain fruit sugars (fructose and glucose) and the residual sugar is what’s left after yeast has chomped on those sugars.

What is Gaza in the Bible?

Gaza is also mentioned in the Hebrew Bible as the place where Samson was imprisoned and met his death. The prophets Amos and Zephaniah are believed to have prophesied that Gaza would be deserted. According to biblical accounts, Gaza fell to Israelite rule, from the reign of King David in the early 11th century BCE.

What was Moab in the Bible?

The name Moab is a Biblical name for a land just short of the Promised Land. The Moabites were historically regarded as the perpetual enemy of the Israelites, “God’s Chosen People.” Physically, the region was a green, verdant valley in the middle of a serious desert; an emerald in the sand, so to speak.

Why is Châteauneuf-du-Pape so famous?

Medieval castles, the French countryside off the banks of the Rhône River, the exclusiveness of it’s growing region and the mysteriousness of its blend makes Châteauneuf-du-Pape one of the most exciting and revered wines out there.

What grape is in Châteauneuf-du-Pape?

Châteauneuf-du-Pape is a historic village between the towns of Orange and Avignon, in France’s southern Rhône Valley. It is famous for powerful, full-bodied red wine, largely made from the classic southern Rhône grape trio of Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre.

What is sur lie aging and why is it important?

Full-bodied red wines can also benefit from sur lie aging as the process helps stabilize color and add mouthfeel. All this happens because as the dead yeast cells break down (a process known as autolysis) they release mannoproteins and polysaccharide compounds that can have positive effects on wines.

What are the benefits of sur lie aged wine?

Beyond picking up additional flavors and aromas there are a couple other benefits to sur lie aging. First, the binding of proteins to tannins serves to remove tannins and shape the mouthfeel of the wine. Second, the layers of lees in the bottom of your aging vessel absorb oxygen thus protecting it as it serves up new character.

What is the best temperature for sur lie aging?

He also recommends maintaining an adequate free SO 2 level based on pH and temperature during the sur lie aging period between 64–68 °F (18–20 °C). You should also consider adding specifically formulated enzymes for sur lie aging to help and accelerate the breakdown of yeast cell walls.

What is Sursur lie?

Sur lie (pronounced “sewr lee”) is French for “on the lees. ” If you are unfamiliar with the term, “lees” is the sludge-like sediment that falls from suspension and collects on the bottom of your fermenter during fermentation.