Whole bunch fermentation
Credit: Annabelle Sing/Decanter
(Image credit: Annabelle Sing/Decanter)

And what does it do to the wine...?

What is whole bunch fermentation? Ask Decanter

This would have been considered common practice before World War II , as mechanised destemmers were not commonplace.

Carbonic maceration specifically refers to anaerobic fermentation (without the presence of oxygen) of whole bunches.

This is achieved by covering the must with carbon dioxide, and completely sealing the fermentation vessel (see diagram above), or as in the Beaujolais method, by relying on the CO2 produced naturally by the ferment.

This semi-carbonic maceration achieves a similar effect; however, those berries squashed at the bottom undergo conventional fermentation while intracellular fermentation takes place in the intact berries above.

Whole bunch fermentation

(Image credit: Annabelle Sing)

What’s interesting is that the intracellular (anaerobic) fermentation produces completely different aromatics and flavours – typically fresh red berries or even bubblegum – and a very soft texture compared to the standard yeast-driven fermentation of crushed grapes.

It’s this flavour profile that has become famous as the Beaujolais style.

Beaujolais can certainly claim to be the spiritual home of whole-bunch fermentation.

It’s here that these techniques have been used for centuries, as Mathieu Lapierre, winemaker and son of Morgon’s famed Marcel Lapierre, explains: ‘We have evidence that the Romans were using stone vats to do whole-bunch fermentation. I think there’s a reason why this style of winemaking has always been practised in Beaujolais.

‘Gamay is not a noble variety – it overproduces and doesn’t have the noble tannins of Pinot Noir. Whole-bunch fermentation gives us a way to master it.’

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Simon Woolf
Simon Woolf
Decanter Premium, Decanter Magazine and DWWA 2019 Judge

Simon Woolf is a British journalist and writer currently clinging to mainland Europe in Amsterdam. A regular contributor to Decanter magazine, Meininger Wine Business International and World of Fine Wine, Woolf is a critical advocate for organics, biodynamics and natural winemaking, and specialises in the wines of Italy, Austria and Eastern Europe.

He is the founder and editor of The Morning Claret, one of the world’s most respected resources for natural wines.

His first book ‘Amber Revolution’ was published in 2018 to critical acclaim in the New York Times and on JancisRobinson.com.

He was the Roederer International Wine Writer Awards Feature Writer of the Year 2018 and he was a judge at the 2019 Decanter World Wine Awards (DWWA).