Winemaking
Rico’chai follows a low-intervention winemaking approach, presented without added sulphites, so that the grapes and the vintage stay visible in the glass.
Rico’chai is made with a minimum of intervention, at every stage. The aim is not to build a style in the cellar, but to let the fruit arrive in the bottle as intact as possible.
This method aims to preserve the natural expression of the grapes and the distinctive characteristics of each vintage.
The wines are made from pre-phylloxera clone varieties, including Plot, Noual, Valdiguier and Merriele. These are rare and little-known grapes, and they react to careful handling.
Working with them means accepting that each year will be different, and that the character of the vintage is part of the wine rather than a defect to be corrected.
Both cuvées are built around freshness and balance rather than weight. Rico’chai White is designed to keep the purity of the grapes and the natural balance of the cuvée; Rico’chai Red is built for immediate pleasure, freshness and finesse.
Rico’chai is presented as a cuvée made without added sulphites: no sulphites are added during the winemaking.
This is different from saying that the wine contains no sulphites at all. Sulphites can occur naturally during fermentation, so the claim made here is precisely the one the producer makes: without added sulphites.
“The wine should taste of the grapes it came from, and of the year it was made in.”
Rico’chai White and Rico’chai Red are made in the same spirit, and are best understood together.