There are a lot of fancy terms used when describing wine and many of them get thrown around like everyone should know what they mean.

The other day I was reading through some material and came across the term “élevage” and had to stop. What does this mean?

It turns out it is a French word that literally means rearing or raising. It is the process of nurturing wine from its fermentation, to the barrel, to final bottling. And, proper élevage makes all the difference between making superb, rather than merely ordinary wines. Cheers!

A high-level summary of the winemaking steps and factors included in élevage:

• Fermentation in stainless steel, oak or other vessels

• Secondary fermentation (Malolactic conversion of ‘sharp’ malic acid to ‘smooth’ lactic acid)

• Temperature control throughout the process

• Aging

  • In oak, stainless steel or other vessels

  • On lees with bâtonnage

• Filtering or fining

• Bottling