🍷 Lees ageing

Lees ageing means that wine rests for a long time on dead yeast after fermentation. The lees are made of dead yeast cells. They slowly break down and release compounds that add the taste of bread, brioche and nuts.

This method is the basis of Champagne and other sparkling wines made by the traditional method. In Champagne non-vintage wine must lie on its lees for at least 12 months (15 months of ageing in total), in Cava at least 9. Lees ageing is also famous in Muscadet, where it is called "sur lie". Muscadet is made from the Melon de Bourgogne grape, and such ageing gives it a creamy texture.

The method is known in French, Spanish and Italian winemaking. The lees also protect wine from oxygen and make the taste fuller. Wine yeast and the whole science of fermentation are linked to it. To spread the lees evenly, they are sometimes stirred.