What is "délestage"?

M

Michael Lewis

Michael Lewis
According to Meadows, Jean-Hugues Pavelot noted with respect to the 2008 vintage at chez Pavelot that "We definitely did a softer vinification, using our usual 12 to 16 days of cuvaison but we did relatively little punching down and also did a délestage to limit the extraction." I am not familiar with the term délestage. Would someone please fill me in?
 
originally posted by Rahsaan:
And here I thought it was something about a foul internDefined
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So the only difference (putting aside the seed removal question) between delestage and remontage is that in delestage, the entire tank is initially emptied into a second tank before being returned to the first, whereas in remontage it is immediately pumped back over the cap in the first tank?
 
Michael,
Whether or not one removes seeds, delestage involves aerating the wine in the intial emptying of the tank. Whereas, remontage is simply pumping over.
Delestage is very useful in situations where the yeast are sluggish, one starts to gets sulfite or other off odors or in re-starting stuck ferments.

The times I have used delesatge we simply drain the tank thru a screen into a sump (thereby exposing it to alot of air) and then pumping the sump contents back over the cap.
Its more about getting extra air into the must then seed removal, although both are possible.
Best, Jim
 
Yanks might refer to this process as "rack and return." Good for aeration of stinky ferments, as Jim mentions. Also good to bring temperature down if things are getting too hot and you don't have more technological temperature control methods.
 
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