Preparation of our stocks

 

This weekend we decided, what we want in the bottles, we expect to sell under our own names in a few years.

It is the wine from the latest grapeharvest and from the plot in my name.

I am still so new in this business, that I'm completely fascinated, when I read - black upon white - how many hectolitres of wine, the coop has pressed from the grapes, we picked late August 2007. And of course the number of bottles needed.

 

Our biggest seller is the standard brut, so we ordered most of that. But we do sell both the Vintage Blanc de blancs and the two different rosé champagnes also, so we have to consider them as well. I'm not even sure, we have ordered enough of the vintage.

On top of this the coop plans a new assemblage. It contains 30 percent red grapes instead of the usual 10 percent in the standard brut. I often like champagnes with the more powerful touch, given by more Pinot-grapes, so we decide to give this one a little try as well.

It is a qualified shot in the dark, since I have not really kept any statistics on how our sales during these last years spread out. Still qualified since I after all more or less now which and how many bottles people tend to buy.

These bottles will be stocked to mature at least 15 months - the vintage at least three years - before they are ready to sell. Tirage will take place in the beginning of March, so the bottles will not be ready before the end of 2009.

No problem. Since we won't have our own labels this year anyway. But we may still have a chance for 2009..