Old winemaking equipment with traces of history. Pen, fun, and www.biquge.info

Han Xuan learned from Baptiste's housekeeper that this batch of equipment was purchased by the original owner in 1895 and has been used for a full hundred years from that year to the present.

During this period, hundreds of batches of red wine were brewed, and Han Xuan finally knew that the local red wine in China was missing something compared with the red wine in France.

In addition to the brewing process and the raw materials, there is a gap of hundreds of years between the two......

Stroke your fingers over these large, exquisitely crafted barrels, the oak is still strong and durable over the centuries.

It is in these barrels that the grapes have been harvested and initially treated, and the grapes have been broken for the first time, and several large wooden hammers are placed next to them, presumably as tools for beating the grapes.

The batch of the world's most advanced top wine-making equipment from Ganbao Ocean Ranch has been seen by Han Xuan, and it is full of science and technology.

Compared to the facilities here, it is probably like the difference between New York and Provence, one is bustling and the other is quiet countryside.

After Han Xuan made money that others couldn't earn in several lifetimes or dozens of lifetimes, he began to like the quiet life of Provence like a cowboy and a farmer.

Learn from the Baptiste butler, walk slowly, talk without hurry, and try to live a slow-paced French life in Provence.

"During the manufacturing process, the skins and seeds are peeled off from the pulp during fermentation.

We collect them and put them in this stone mill to extract the essence of the skins and seeds, which gives the wine a special taste and is delicious......"

Standing in front of a large stone mill, Baptiste's butler said this with an expression of pleasure on his face as if he was drinking.

The stone mill is about two meters straight, and the grinding disc should have been thicker back then, and with years of use, it has been smoothed out one layer.

The grooves also contain the grape residue from last year's winemaking, which has not been completely cleaned.

Looking up, there are intricate wooden structures above the stone mill.

A horizontal pine tree, connected to the big white windmill outside, was still turning, and the huge blades swept through the window every few seconds, a total of four.

Since the stone mill was not connected to the windmill, the stone mill did not work, and the gap between the two huge stones became a nest for spiders, and the webs were delicately woven, but unfortunately no prey came to the door.

Walking through the small door on the left towards the cellar, the butler turned on the light by the door.

The temperature in the underground is a bit cold, about thirteen degrees Celsius, and there is no other light to see except for the lights, and there is a vague feeling that the wind is blowing, which is necessary for the sake cellar.

The first thing that catches your eye is the four or five hundred brown-red oak barrels stacked together, and the light from the wall lamps fans downward, lighting up the dimly lit cellar, and the air is filled with the charming smell of red wine.

Jason and the others followed, and they were drunk before they could drink, including Secretary Dawson, who couldn't understand French, and Gargunon acted as an interpreter all the way, looking at the high-end suits they were wearing, and those who didn't know thought they were the bosses.

Numbers are written on the oak barrels.

Before Han Xuan met, he wrote "1994" and asked Baptiste's butler, "Are these last year's new wines?"

"That's right, the barrel that was put in December last year is now ready to drink.

The wine is new, but the oak barrels are old and generally more than thirty years old.

Nowadays, there are some new wineries that like to have an oak barrel flavor in the wine, but we winemakers in Provence believe that this will ruin the taste of the wine, and use these old oak barrels, which have no oak flavor.

If the number of oak barrels is not enough, it is common to go to some old winery that has gone bankrupt and buy their barrels, which are several times higher than the new ones, but it is worth it. ”

After Baptiste finished speaking, he beckoned to Han Xuan and Isabelle, and motioned to come with him and enter a separate small room.

When I struggled to remove a box from the wooden frame and pat the dust off it, I choked on tears and coughed.

The dust under your feet is thick.

Han Xuan stepped on it, leaving clear footprints, I don't know how many years no one has come in.

When the housekeeper opened the box, they looked inside, and there was a very small oak barrel, less than forty centimeters long, which looked chubby and a little cute.

Compared to the one-meter-long oak barrels outside, it looks strange.

However, no one dared to take this small point lightly, because the bronze nameplate on it clearly engraved "For Henry III".

"This is a gift from the owner of our Gaude estate to King Henry III at the age of thirty during the Bourbon dynasty, who was the uncle of Henry III.

He made a total of thirteen barrels by hand, and because the number thirteen was unlucky, he only gave twelve barrels to King Henry III, and the remaining barrels have been kept until now.

It is it, brewed in 1579. ”

After Baptiste finished speaking, Han Xuan asked, "After more than 400 years, there is still wine in it?"

"Yes, but only about half. As Baptiste shook, the sound of water could be heard clearly.

"Oh my God, the red wine must be very tasty after so many years, right?" asked Owen as he touched his big bald head and widened his eyes after Gargunon helped translate.

Han Xuan rolled his eyes at him and said in English speechlessly: "It is true that the shelf life of red wine is relatively long, but it is not that there is no expiration date.

Red wine more than 400 years ago, and the manufacturing process at that time was rudimentary, who knows what else was in it, maybe it would have become like soy sauce a long time ago.

Anyway, I think it sounds a little weird, so it's better to leave it like this and make it a collector's item.

With such a long history, and there are not many red wines with historical significance, sending it to auction can fetch at least $200,000, and maybe more when you meet someone who likes it. ”

"If I can drink more than 400 years of red wine, I would be willing to die of poisoning. ”

Galgernon, a Frenchman, has a love for wine in his genes.

When I encountered such a rare wine, I couldn't help but want to taste it, and kept looking at Han Xuan as he spoke, liking that he could open this barrel of wine and take himself to a little light.

However, Han Xuan directly ignored his longing eyes, choked on the dust, and walked out.

Baptiste the butler closed the box, put it back in its place, closed the door and walked out.

Each wine cellar has something at the bottom of the box, and when the guests come over, show it to them, showing the essence of their winery.

That barrel of wine is the "heritage" of Goude Winery.

I saw a group of drunkards, still staring at the door with reluctance, as if they had clairvoyant eyes, and could see the barrel of wine, and then drank it.

The middle-aged butler hurriedly took out a few goblets from the cabinet and rinsed them, walked over to an oak barrel, opened the water valve and poured out some wine.

"This is last year's new wine.

You don't have to wake up, you can drink it when you shake it, and it's enough to ......" (to be continued.) )