Vinify the water from our maple trees!

Did you say maple wine?

In France or Europe, according to the law, wine must be produced exclusively from grapes. Here, we are in the New World; a land of opportunity, where it is permitted to make and market wine from maple sap. In fact, the winemaking technique is the same; it requires yeast, which allows the alcoholic fermentation of a naturally sweet product (grapes or maple sap, depending on your point of view), time, rigor, and mastery of the process.

What are the steps involved in making maple wine?

In reality, we say maple wine, because this alcoholic product has several names; some call it Acer, others Sével, maple sap wine or even maple syrup wine. There you have it! For 18 years I have been looking for an identity for this magnificent product. Maple wine is not wine and it is even less maple syrup!

Definition of winemaking

When applying a winemaking technique, the small yeasts placed in the large vat feed on the good sugar (maple sap reduced to a third of the syrup concentration) that is provided to them; this is what allows them to multiply. The eaten sugar then transforms into alcohol and carbon dioxide. It is safe to say that alcohol is a kind of waste for yeasts, but a joy for humans. Nothing is created, nothing is lost, as the other one said...

Once the process begins, it's up to the winemaker to decide what their product will ultimately taste like. The combination of alcohol percentage, residual sugar in the bottle, and acidity are the key elements that will determine the product's various olfactory and taste aspects, as well as its appropriate tasting time.

The process for tasting our maple wine

In Quebec, maple sap is also called maple water. In reality, maple producers distinguish between maple water and maple sap. The former is what is concentrated to make maple syrup, while the latter is produced by the maple tree in late spring. It develops harsh and undesirable flavors; it generally indicates the end of the sugaring season.

For our part, we prefer to talk about maple sap, because it simplifies the conversation with our various interlocutors, especially our cousins ​​from France, Belgium and Europe who are intrigued by our products and ask us a lot of questions. A duty of clarity on our part is essential, as you will have understood.

This maple water or sap, depending on your preference, contains about 2 or 3 grams of sugar when it is harvested. We know that it takes about 17 grams of sugar to produce one degree of alcohol. A simple calculation allows us to see that a liter of pure maple water is not sweet enough to put on our pancakes or to transform it into alcohol. We must therefore concentrate it. When we make our alcoholic products from the fermentation of maple sap, we use the same principle as the production of maple syrup. It is this step of the process that gives all its flavor to our famous spring nectar.

Cooking at very high temperatures allows the maple sap to develop its flavors and increase its sugar concentration. For alcoholic products, we stop cooking before the maple syrup, depending on the desired alcohol content for each of our products. Do the math: to obtain a Sével with a 15-degree alcohol content, you theoretically need 255 grams of sugar, to which is added the residual sugar that we keep for flavor at the end, for a total of 300 grams. This means that it takes approximately 20 liters of maple sap to make one liter of Sével at La ferme du loup.

What yeast is used for maple winemaking?

Yeasts are microorganisms that play an important role in the vinification of maple wine. The composition of maple sugar, much like honey, makes it difficult to ferment. These yeasts feed on the sugars present in maple syrup to produce alcohol and CO2, which transforms the syrup into wine. They are selected for their ability to produce a fine wine that respects the aromatic profile of maple transformed into wine.

Yeasts can also affect the quality and stability of wine, so their selection is important. We use specific yeasts for maple winemaking to achieve the best results. It is also important to maintain optimal temperature and conditions during fermentation to encourage yeast growth and avoid any contamination that could alter the taste and quality of the wine.

The equipment needed to make our wine

It's possible to make good maple wines with very little equipment. At our company, we use a stainless steel fermentation tank to allow the yeast to convert the sugars into alcohol. We also need a hydrometer to measure the sugar content and a thermometer to monitor the temperature.

Since maple sap naturally has a higher pH than wine, it's important to give our wine a touch of crispness to balance its unique flavor qualities. We use local fruits and flowers to properly structure our wine. In short, with a few tools, you're ready to make your own maple wine and enjoy it.

Our story

This brings me to tell you a little about us and our products! At La ferme du loup, the vinification of maple sap has always been planned to make the process as natural as possible. If I offer you a glass of maple wine and you think of a sweet wine like Caribou, it's a no! It's also not a wine that tries to resemble Chardonnay. You should expect to discover new flavors and I hope you enjoy them.

Maple transforms during alcoholic fermentation. It loses its characteristic flavor for which it is renowned. It develops a slightly madeira-like palate and a bouquet leaning toward green apple. At least, that's how it is in our country! This truth is confirmed over time; a dry maple wine stands for years, improves slowly over time, and can even benefit from a slight oxidation that comes with time spent in the cellar.

For many years, I produced this type of wine that I called aceritivo. My sister was my only customer, and it was always on my holiday gift list. Slowly, I decided to increase the maple syrup content in the product. If you learned the lesson above, sugar means alcohol and taste. This is how the Sével doux from La ferme du loup was born in 2008. I have a few bottles left that I am carefully keeping and that I will possibly drink with my sister, one of these days...

Sével Doux, as its name suggests, has a sweet finish on the palate that comforts lovers of life's little treats. But not too much, please! It retains a certain elegance; it's all about balance. From the first bottlings, the end-of-year gift list grew. The wine project took shape, too bad if we don't find a name for this delicious aperitif. The pleasure of working with maple and transforming it into alcohol.

They say that good wine is made in the vineyard. For us, the work begins in the forest. It's by harvesting the purest water possible, which is processed with the least amount of intervention, that we produce the best maple wine. So, whether you're a winemaker or a maple syrup producer, it's the same battle. Chin chin!

Visit our online store to browse our products and indulge your sweet tooth with friends.