Is our maple wine a natural wine?

Maple wines: Discover the expression of a terroir.

Our vineyard is a forest; a natural ecosystem called a maple grove. Here, the vines suffer in winter, freezing late in spring or too early in autumn. Maple trees have been growing here for thousands of years, without human intervention or pesticides.

Winemakers use the sugar from grapes to make wine; we use the sugar from our maple trees. We borrow classic winemaking methods to express our terroir. The result? Maple-based wines, an exceptional product, unique in the world. Whether dry, light, sparkling, sweet, or lightly madeira-flavored, the range of flavors varies depending on the expertise and creativity of maple producers.

What is maple wine?

Vinifying maple means transforming the maple through alcoholic fermentation. Fermentation transforms the sugar into alcohol. If the yeast is allowed to consume all the sugar, the result is a dry wine with astonishing flavors. During a first tasting, the novice is confronted with his own system of beliefs, emotions, and knowledge. He seeks to compare, he searches for the taste of maple syrup, he seeks to take a position.

Sévels, Acers, and other maple syrup wines remain amazing products. We are very happy to introduce them to lovers of culinary pleasures. Their reaction is heartening and encourages us to continue our research.

The characteristics of maple wines

Many people report tasting apples during tastings. It's no surprise that maple syrup pairs perfectly with apple pie; both contain malic acid. It was Lavoisier who first proposed the name malic acid. It comes from the Latin malus, the famous Adam's apple tree of Christian legend. Malic acid is present in grapes as well as apples and maple. Its characteristic flavor is clearly discernible in rhubarb. It gives a tangy taste to wine. Winemakers will often seek to convert malic acid into the much sweeter lactic acid. Whether controlled or natural, this step in the winemaking process is called malolactic fermentation. Its purpose is to add sweetness to wines.

For maple wines, it's the lack of acidity in the must that requires intervention. Skin maceration of our region's fruit helps structure the wine and give it greater freshness and acidity. Otherwise, our maple wine would be too soft; we prefer it to be more lively. Most of the time, we add organic acids to the juice before fermentation. These acids are found in sufficient quantities in grapes (tartaric) or apples (malic), but insufficient in maple sap.

Is our maple wine a natural wine?

This is a question we don't often get asked, but one we often ask ourselves when we're making our maple products. Here's what we think about it.

Organic and biodynamic certification

In the early 2000s, I was completely blown away by the book by Nicolas Joly, a winemaker from the Loire Valley who produces the prestigious white wine, La Coulée de Serrant, in Savennières, France. In his book, Wine, from Heaven to Earth: Biodynamic Viticulture , he explains how he took over the family vineyard and applied the principles of Rudolph Steiner, the father of biodynamics and author of over 350 books. Some of Nicolas Joly's wines sell for over $150.

Biodynamics views the Earth as a living being in the process of evolving and aging. From the early 1920s, Steiner proposed a new approach and questioned the use of synthetic products that were incompatible with the organization of living nature. According to proponents of biodynamics, the techno-industrial approach leads to the degeneration of natural habitats and promotes the emergence of epidemics.

Today, there is a certification for biodynamic wines, just as there is an organic certification. The maple syrup wines from La Ferme du Loup do not have these certifications. Our customers who visit the forest see that our work consists first and foremost of respecting our natural environment.

Ecological forest management

For Peter Wohlleben, in his fabulous book, The Secret Life of Trees, forests resemble human communities. We observe parents helping children grow, neighbors supporting one another. Through their roots, trees share nutrients and communicate with each other. Is all this esoteric? No, the author instead uses the scientific approach to explain his fascinating point. Thus, our role, in all this natural force, is to intervene as little as possible. We have chosen ecological management of the forest. In the winery, we limit our intervention as much as possible. We do not adhere to any school and retain our freedom, including that of questioning our own practices. Maple products, vinified, have not yet expressed their full potential. We are constantly searching for the perfect product for the table. A product that fuels conversation; that presents itself discreetly between two bites and that creates a harmony, otherwise impossible.

Sével doux, for example, is an aperitif wine that pairs perfectly with foie gras and is four times less sweet than a sweet wine. We love it with well-salted roasted nuts or tapas. It contains trace amounts of sulfites. Perhaps they won't have any left one day. For our Pet'nat, we use selected yeasts but no sulfites. We consider sulfite unnecessary because the wine is very acidic and the carbon dioxide protects it from oxidation. For yeasts, the goal is not to influence the taste as some manufacturers do. The composition of maple sugar is difficult to ferment. To date, spontaneous fermentation of maple syrups produces mediocre results.

We are familiar with the native yeasts on our estate. They are voracious in the spring, as food is scarce at this time of year for them. They invade our forest in search of sugar. They multiply exponentially in our harvesting basins. We hurry to cook our maple sap to concentrate it and stop their proliferation. Cooked, these yeasts are excellent. They are responsible for the changes in color and flavor of maple syrups during the same season. During the first runs, the nights are cold, the thermometer drops below -20 degrees. As the season progresses, the heat helps them multiply. Controlled, they are the expression of a terroir; in too high a number, they make the syrup less interesting from a taste point of view. We use cold and rapid processing to limit the growth of our friends/competitors.

Is the maple wine from Ferme du Loup natural? You be the judge.