A Journey To The Bottle

Now that harvest is underway, we are beginning the journey to the bottle. White grapes are harvested before red grapes, but grapes that will be used to make sparkling wine are harvested before anything, because of the lower sugar requirement. Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc are up next while Pinot Noir, Malbec and Merlot follow. Finally, the more robust red grapes like Cabernet Sauvignon and Petite Sirah are last, as they have the highest Brix level, perfect for making bold red wines. 

Read More About The Journey

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The Full Journey:

1. The Press: This is when we squeeze the grape juice out. Once the grapes are pressed, the skins, seeds, and stems clump together into "cake", which can be returned to the vineyard soil as a fertilizer. White grapes are pressed right after harvest, but red grapes aren't pressed until after primary fermentation, which is the next step.
2. Primary Fermentation: Now in juice form, we wait until the yeast converts the sugar in the grapes into alcohol. Red Wine is then pressed and pumped into barrels for aging, while white wine skips step 3 and begins the bottling process.
3. Aging: During this period, months can pass before the wine is ready. This is also when malolactic fermentation occurs. The naturally occurring malic acid gets turned into lactic acid, giving wine that signature buttery, creamy or nutty mouthfeel.
4. Racking & Bottling: When the aging comes to an end, we will start tasting the wine and making sure the final product is just right. Before bottling, the wine is racked, filtered, or both to remove sediment and clarify the wine. Then it is bottling time!

EARLY HARVEST WINES

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LATE HARVEST WINES

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