Domaine Les Bastides, Vin Cuit Provencal

A quite remarkable wine - Le Vin Cuit Selon la Vieille Tradition Provençale. Historically, vin cuit is a wine produced during the harvest and served over the festive period, although its production had been completely abandoned. It is traditional at Christmas in the region to serve a gros souper of fish and vegetables, followed by les 13 desserts. It was Jean, in 1975, who researched and re-created the receipe for the original Lou Vin Cué. Production of the wine, made without the addition of sugar, alcohol or other ingredients is pretty simple. After pressing, Grenache grape juice is ‘cooked’ up to 95 degrees C in a cauldron over a naked flame which reduces the volume of the juice by some 25 to 30%. The ‘cauldron’ is an open-top stainless steel tank. Once reduced, the juice is chilled and allowed to ferment, which usually takes around one month. The finished wine is usually around 12% alcohol with residual sugar in excess of 200g/l. Once bottled, it is ready for that season’s festive period.