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Albert Bichot explores sea’s impact on wine ageing in new experiment
Albert Bichot, the Burgundy wine house, has set sail on a new journey to explore the concept of ‘merroir,’ the maritime counterpart to terroir.
Two barrels of its 2024 Bourgogne Côte d’Or Chardonnay ‘Secret de Famille’ have been placed aboard the cargo ship Grain de Sail II for a transatlantic voyage. The initiative is part of an experiment to study how the sea’s elements impact wine ageing.
From Burgundy to the Atlantic and back
The barrels, each holding 228 litres, departed from Saint-Malo on 18 January 2025. They will traverse the Atlantic for two months, with planned stopovers in New York and Pointe-à-Pitre, before returning to France in March.
Exposed to temperature shifts, salty air, and the natural agitation of the ocean, these conditions will contrast the controlled environment of Albert Bichot’s cellars in Beaune.
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The ship is also said contain several other pallets of wine – including bottles of Pommard, Moulin à Vent, Gevrey-Chambertin, Chablis and Crémant de Bourgogne. Additional wines, such as Charles Heidsieck Champagne, Loire selections from La Sansonnière farm, and Bordeaux chateaux offerings, will also be included.
A high-tech approach to wine ageing
In collaboration with Onafis, a Nantes-based wine technology company, the barrels have been equipped with probes to monitor temperature, humidity, dissolved gases, and volatile compounds to better understand how maritime conditions influence the wine.
The voyage marks a return to 19th-century wine transport methods, using a primarily wind-powered ship, that features hydro-generators, wind turbines, and solar panels, reducing CO2 emissions by 95% compared to conventional freight.
Awaiting the results
Upon the ship’s return, the wines will undergo a comparative tasting with identical barrels aged in Beaune, where a sensory analysis will help determine whether the sea imbues the wine with saline or mineral characteristics.
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