What is lees contact?
Lees are dead yeast cells. Leaving wine and lees in a barrel to have a post-fermentation contact is a traditional winemaking process used in many parts in Europe, where the term 'sur lie' or 'on lees' originated to describe the practice.
Lees is known to give complexity to the wine and contribute to its balance.
This practice is typically associated with wine and sparkling wines.
Muscadet Sèvre et Maine is an example wine - it is aged on the lees for 6-9 months with bâtonnage (process of stirring the lees).//
Interested to learn more about this and many other winemaking techniques? Then join one of our WSET Level 2 in Wine courses in The Hague, Rotterdam, Utrecht, Eindhoven or Amsterdam! Level up your wine knowledge
and sign up through our website!
Amsterdam 01 April 2022