Are concrete eggs a cracking concept or rotten idea?

As Easter approaches db is turning its attention to eggs – not the sort that melt in your pocket, but those made of concrete and being used increasingly in wine cellars worldwide.

There’s an increasing belief that concrete egg-shaped containers bring more structure and concentration to the wines due to their impact on the temperature of the fermentation, while it is also thought that there is a micro-oxygenation because the pores on the surface of the concrete hold oxygen and release it to the wine during ageing.

Sally Easton MW has been researching the topic for db and we’ll be featuring her thoughts on concrete eggs in next month’s magazine.

However, in the meantime, what do you think? Do concrete eggs really make a difference to the wine? How important is the shape, and why?

Please comment below, or email your thoughts to patrick@thedrinksbusiness.com

Patrick Schmitt, 07.04.2011