Innovation and investments
The name's antecedence, the very fine grape variety, and the finesse and purity of the Ormarine Winery wines are maintained by carefully planned innovation backed by a dynamic investment policy. On the investment side, the Winery ploughs 10% of its sales into oenological development and commercialisation to maintain the wines quality image. The Pinet Wine-farmers have long pioneers in technical field: for example, in 1988 they were the first to experiment and install the famous PERA maceration and draining tanks that are now in general use. New maceration tanks and additional refrigeration equipment ensure that grape quality is preserved in the reception bays at harvest time.

Given its own special market niche, its technical expertise and its ability to innovate, the Ormarine Winery has become one of the most successful wine-farming and wine-making wineries in Languedoc-Roussillon. Planting and cropping techniques are permanently monitored by an engineer from the Chamber of Agriculture. Members of the Co-operative attend frequent training sessions and commit themselves to an Agri-Confiance system, undertaking to abide by the Winery's detailed schedule of conditions. They are paid on the basis of the quality of the grapes they deliver to the winery at harvest-time.

The wine-farmers are turning progressively to the Royat cordon system of pruning, leaving two by two buds.

Grape picking generally lasts four to five weeks starting early September. It is mostly mechanical (75%). The Picpoul grape gives average size golden grapes in very tight bunches that are often intertwineds.

The grapes are carefully compared with the Winery's detailed specifications, and specific vineyards selected prior to grape-picking thus determining which grapes will be used for the top quality cuvées. The Winery carries out frequent checks on ripeness and draws up a daily grape-picking schedule. All grapes delivered are checked in the reception bays by a specially trained team, with a pre-selection station examining their health and ripeness.

The harvest is received in a stainless steel reception bay fitted with a destemmer. For AOC wines, the Winery uses two 400hl PERA tanks for maceration on the skins which extract 75% of the juice run off. A pneumatic press is used.

Before racking the must is cooled to 10°C by a 700 000 kfg refrigeration unit. Static racking lasts 24 hours, with the clear juice being put in a fermentation tank with systematic yeasting. The temperature is held at 16°C by a submerged refrigeration system based on a 500,000 kfg refrigeration group. The volume of juice recuperated is split between stainless steel tanks, glazed steel tanks and glazed concrete tanks.

Fermentation lasts for ten to fifteen days with no juice added. No malolactic fermentation takes.

After fining using isinglass, the juice is racked and subject to a diatomaceous filtration using a 15m² Kieselguhr filter.

In winter, tartaric stabilisation is carried out at around -1°C by the contact process.

The wine is kept in an inert atmosphere to protect it from contact with the air thus preserving its aromas and slight natural gassiness.

All wines are bottled on a modern bottling line using a non-chemical, steam sterilising technique for the bottles. This fully automatic line can handle 3000 bottles an hour including packing them in boxes.

All AOC wines sold by Ormarine Winery are bottled at the winery, and sold as such, whether for traditional or modern sales.