31/03/2026
If you stand in the winery during harvest, you’ll hear one number come up again and again. Baumé.
Baumé is how we measure the sugar in the fruit, and in turn, the potential alcohol of the finished wine. But it’s not a number taken in isolation. It sits alongside flavour, acidity and tannin ripeness. You can have fruit that looks ready on paper, but until it tastes right, it isn’t picked.
Once the fruit comes in, the first stage is pressing. For whites, we focus on free run juice, the purest fraction that flows without heavy pressure. This juice is cleaner, finer and more precise, forming the backbone of the wine. At this point, Baumé is measured again, along with pH and acidity, to understand exactly what we’re working with before fermentation begins.
From there, the juice is transferred to tank or barrel to ferment. This is where the daily rhythm begins. Each tank is tasted every day. Not just analysed, but tasted. We track how the sugar is converting to alcohol, watching the Baumé drop steadily as fermentation progresses. Alongside that, we’re looking at texture, aromatics and how the wine is building in the mouth.
Fermentation can move quickly or slowly depending on temperature and yeast activity, so constant monitoring is key. If needed, temperatures are adjusted to either preserve delicate aromatics or build more texture and complexity.
As the wine nears dryness, when the Baumé approaches zero, the focus shifts. It’s no longer about sugar conversion, but about shape. How the wine feels, how it carries, and what it needs next.
Some parcels will remain in tank to retain freshness and purity. Others are moved to barrel, where they gain structure, texture and subtle oak influence. This decision is always guided by tasting. What does the wine want to become, rather than forcing it into a predetermined style.
From press to ferment to barrel, it’s a constant dialogue between numbers and instinct. Baumé gives us the framework, but it’s the tasting, day after day, that defines the final wine.
