What a crazy week this has been, my time here is really starting to fly by! I have almost been here a month and am finally getting the swing of things. Been working in the tasting room on Saturdays, my real forte! It is fun to talk to people from all over the world, give them tours of the winery and show them what goes on behind the scenes. Everyone seems so fascinated by the process, I feel like a celebrity! One of the chosen few... but there is so much work and careful planning that goes into making wine. One wrong move and you could easily ruin a whole bin/barrel of wine. FYI you can get about 300 bottles of wine (give or take a few) out of a barrel of wine. This past week I also helped out Friday night for a private party that was held at the winery. It was a Taco's, Tequila and Cabernet party (crazy mix). But it was a success, everyone had a blast and the taco's came from the infamous California taco truck's that are everywhere. They were so good I am considering driving one home and setting up outside the wine store on the weekend. :)
As you can see in the pictures above, we are already putting some of our oak barrels into use this early in the game. This is a process called open barrel fermentation. We are crushing into the open barrels and fermenting them with their skins for 50-60 days (called extended maceration) before they will be pressed off and put back into the barrel until they are bottled. This allows for a softer, more plush wine with lots of age ability (due to the high tannins from the skins) and with more of an oak influence. This is the second year Steve and Arturo are doing this as they are very happy with how the 2008's are evolving.
My job this week consists of doing punchdowns and pumpovers of the grapes we have fermenting so far. There are 18 bins, 16 barrels and 5 stainless steel tanks filled with juice, and as I heard yesterday this is only 20% of the harvest! It has been quite a late one this year with more moderate temperatures allowing for a longer hang time on the vine. By the time I leave they will really be needing a second hand. Ciao for now, this one is getting long.
As you can see in the pictures above, we are already putting some of our oak barrels into use this early in the game. This is a process called open barrel fermentation. We are crushing into the open barrels and fermenting them with their skins for 50-60 days (called extended maceration) before they will be pressed off and put back into the barrel until they are bottled. This allows for a softer, more plush wine with lots of age ability (due to the high tannins from the skins) and with more of an oak influence. This is the second year Steve and Arturo are doing this as they are very happy with how the 2008's are evolving.
My job this week consists of doing punchdowns and pumpovers of the grapes we have fermenting so far. There are 18 bins, 16 barrels and 5 stainless steel tanks filled with juice, and as I heard yesterday this is only 20% of the harvest! It has been quite a late one this year with more moderate temperatures allowing for a longer hang time on the vine. By the time I leave they will really be needing a second hand. Ciao for now, this one is getting long.
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