The Loire Valley, known for its ch\u00e2teaux and Chenin Blanc, also harbors a lesser-known sweet wine technique: cryoextraction. This method involves freezing harvested grapes\u2014usually mechanically\u2014to mimic the effects of nature’s frost, concentrating sugar and flavour.<\/p>\n
Unlike vendanges tardives<\/a> 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 Rib\u00e9reau-Gayon<\/a>, 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.<\/p>\n In the playful spirit of French winemaking, cryoextraction might be seen as technology dancing with terroir. Within the Loire, it\u2019s a quiet revolution\u2014where winter lends a hand to the vintner, and the result is a glass worth thawing for.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Some Loire winemakers let grapes chill out… quite literally.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"rank_math_title":"What is cryoextraction in Loire sweet winemaking?","rank_math_description":"Some Loire winemakers let grapes chill out... quite literally.","rank_math_focus_keyword":"","iawp_total_views":10},"questions_categories":[639],"class_list":["post-7910","questions","type-questions","status-publish","hentry","questions_categories-wine-culture"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/divineloire.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/questions\/7910","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/divineloire.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/questions"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/divineloire.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/questions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/divineloire.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7910"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"questions_categories","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/divineloire.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/questions_categories?post=7910"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}