Oxygen is naturally found in wine. It is even helpful during fermentation and ageing. But enrichment of oxygen during the final preparation of the wine, between ageing and bottling, may provoke premature oxidation, as well as development of microorganisms. In this case, the wines seem to age quickly and loose a part of their aromas. Filtration and addition of sulphur go against this evolution, but you might as well prevent the wines from taking up too much oxygen.

At the Domaine de l’Arjolle we have continuously improved our tools over the last years, to preserve our wines and reduce addition of sulphur: Protection of the wines by carbon dioxide and nitrogen, frequent control and maintenance of our pumps, improvement of our bottling line…

In order to audit our efforts, we have asked Nomacorc, the world’s leading producer of alternative wine closures, to test our oxygen management in our rosé wines at the beginning of the year. The results are more than encouraging. The tests show that our wines only absorb very little oxygen during ageing.

This means that they are very well protected in our cellars and their freshness as well as their aromas are preserved. Tests during bottling show that the wines take up a small quantity of oxygen. This is normal. Good and regular corking limits the impact of this oxygen. The whole series of tests show that we met our goal. Oxygen management at the Domaine de l’Arjolle has been labelled “good”, which corresponds to the highest score on the test scale.