The Loire Valley, known for its châteaux and Chenin Blanc, also harbors a lesser-known sweet wine technique: cryoextraction. This method involves freezing harvested grapes—usually mechanically—to mimic the effects of nature’s frost, concentrating sugar and flavour.
Unlike vendanges tardives or botrytized wines, cryoextraction doesn’t rely on noble rot or extended hang time. It was popularized in France in the 1980s by oenologist Pascal Ribéreau-Gayon, who sought to refine techniques used in regions like Sauternes, but with a modern twist. The frozen grapes are intensely aromatic, yielding a nectar with layered sweetness and balanced acidity.
In the playful spirit of French winemaking, cryoextraction might be seen as technology dancing with terroir. Within the Loire, it’s a quiet revolution—where winter lends a hand to the vintner, and the result is a glass worth thawing for.
