BATONNAGE Plus Elevage - Technical Data Sheet

The refinement is a fundamental milestone in the evolution of wine, since in enables the winemaker to highlight the qualities of his product and to increase its stability through time. One of the most researched applications for producing full bodied and harmonious wines, with intense varietal scents, is the “bâtonnage”: this long-standing, traditional Burgundian enological practice, consists in leaving the wine in contact with the fermentation lees for several months while re-suspending it periodically through gentle stirring. This procedure slowly brings about the lysis of the yeast’s cellular walls, thus releasing mannoproteins and other compounds into the wine, which contribute to its overall taste complexity and physical-chemical stability. However, an extended contact of wine with the lees is not free from hazards, as it could result in undesired organoleptic alterations, such as the appearance of reduced odours or increases in volatile acidity. Furthermore, wine maturation in barriques is a very laborious and consequently expensive practice because of the prolonged capital immobilization it involves.