Winemaking: Wine Trail Traveler » winery

Wineries Unlimited Conference and Trade Show

admin — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 15:23:38 +0000

For the past three years winemakers and owners have encouraged us to attend Wineries Unlimited, the largest wine and vineyard related conference and trade show east of the Rocky Mountains. This event has occurred yearly since 1976. Produced by Vineyard and Winery Management magazine, the event takes place in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania from March 9^th to the 12^th. We will attend the trade show on the 10^th and blog and tweet about the trade show.

The exhibition area takes up two floors of the convention center where about 225 companies and 315 booths will entice attendees to stop by and learn about vineyard and wine-related products and services. Obviously we will be unable to cover that number in one day. I visited the Wineries Unlimited website for the current list of exhibitors and selected several that I would like to visit. My list grew to 33 so I will need to be somewhat selective within that group.

Many attendees are winemakers and growers. They can purchase much of the materials that they need for the year at this venue. Winemakers may buy barrels, bottles, corks, chemicals, equipment, etc. while growers may purchase vines, soil test equipment or machinery. There are booths that will be of interest to tasting room managers. Colleges will also be on hand to promote their viticulture and enology programs. The conference gives attendees a heads up on new products.

In addition to the trade show, there are four days of seminars in the categories of viticulture, enology and finance, management and marketing. Winemakers have mentioned that they attend this conference to learn about winemaking, especially new research and practices. They also network with other winemakers, growers and business industry representatives. We are looking forward to attending the trade show.

A Winter Day at the Winery

admin — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 14:18:20 +0000

We had an opportunity to help winemaker Dave Zuchero at Tine Lizzie Wineworks in Clarksville, Maryland yesterday. The sun was radiant which helped melt the several feet of snow. Yesterday was one of the first days since the back-to-back blizzards hit the area earlier this month, which Dave was able to drive to the winery. The pastoral country setting looked beautiful, however winds kept part of the roadway covered with snow. It did get plowed, but then was quickly filled again.

Our task at hand was to rack wine from a stainless steel tank to a container, clean the stainless steel tank and then rack the wine back again into the tank. We also tested the pH and sulfates. Dave will bottle the wine soon. We did add some tartaric acid to the wine to lower the pH 3.7 to 3.6. The sulfates were a bit low, so sulfates were also added to the wine.

Dave then tested the wine in three barrels that seem to have stalled with malolactic fermentation. He was testing a new product that resembled litmus paper. Placing a measured quantity of wine on the strip and waiting for a specified amount of time, one can match the color or the strip to a color chart indicating the progress of the malolactic fermentation. The Syrah barrels had a way to go. The chardonnay barrel may need to reinoculated.

As the wine ages during the winter there are always winery tasks to address. Sampling the wine, testing it and topping off the barrels are a few of these winery tasks.

Will Plans to Put Foil on the Bottled Wine Get Foiled

admin — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 13:06:12 +0000

The wine I bottle at home does not have foil or wax covering the opening. It is easy to observe the cork for mold or seepage of wine through the cork. At wine stores and wineries since most wines are covered in foil, one cannot observe the cork. A wine with mold on the cork may not be discovered until you are home and opening the wine. Why do wineries cover the bottle with foil or wax?

Bradley Brown, proprietor and winemaker at Big Basin Vineyards in Boulder Creek, California explains in a video that the practice serves no purpose. Historically it may have been done to prevent tampering with the wine, such as emptying the bottle and refilling it with a less desirable wine. I’ve also heard that some producers would not fill the entire bottle and the foil covered how full it was. Bradley has begun to leave the foil off Big Basin Vineyards’ wines.

January is another one of those decision months. Should I use foil coverings on the wine I bottle at Vint Hill Craft Winery and at Tin Lizzie Wineworks? Although we are months away, thinking about this issue now is a good activity to pass this long cold winter. From an environmental standpoint it may be better not to use foil coverings. On the other hand, a wine in a bottle without the foil just doesn’t seem finished. What do you think?

While the Wine Ages

admin — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 13:01:51 +0000

Most wineries in the Northern Hemisphere have wine aging in tanks and barrels. Many home winemakers have wine aging in carboys and occasionally tanks or barrels. So what is there to do for winemakers and cellar masters during these cold winter days? Hibernation come to mind, however there are always winery tasks to attend. Generally this is a good time of year for cleaning and moving equipment. Winemaker D.J. Leffin moved several stainless steel tanks from the side of one wall to the side of the opposite wall. It was observed that water collected under these tanks every time the floor was washed. The floor of the opposite wall is a bit higher so the water will drain from that area. Winemaker Dave Zuchero also moved equipment around.

We helped Dave at Tin Lizzie Wineworks clean equipment, wash the floor and move equipment. Although extremely cold outdoors, the temperature in the winery was warm enough to encourage one to keep busy. The only challenge was washing equipment outdoors, a bit too cold for that.

Barrels do need some attention. Testing to see if malolatcic fermentation completed is one task. Topping off barrels is another task. Checking acid levels and determining how much if any acid to add is another activity. Racking to clean barrels and washing out barrels is an activity that helps pass the winter days.

Do winemakers ever get a vacation? Some do, often during the winter when they can spare a week or two. It helps if the winery has more than one winemaker or cellar master who can keep an eye on things. While on holiday, do they visit other wineries? Many do and enjoy the opportunity to exchange ideas. Every winery takes on it own personality. It is like meeting people, everyone is unique.

Sometimes Jobs are Just Messy

admin — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 12:26:26 +0000

The last two tasks at Vint Hill Craft Winery were pressing the must and racking to barrels. Both tasks were simple, however they were messy and cleanup probably took longer than the tasks. There was plenty of help to clean up after pressing the California Cab. Using a plastic knife, we had to remove the part that was jambed between the wooden slats of the press basket. The leftover must was compacted and looked like a cake. We had to break the pumace apart and throw it out.

Then the group hosed down everything. Of course that placed a lot of water on the floor of the winery. I began thinking of the wineries in areas where there are water restrictions. We used a lot of water. Of course the drains were uphill. So brooms and squeegees were used to push the water towards the drain.

A couple days later Kathy and I helped with the clean up after pressing Zinfandel. The Zin was very liquidy and splattered everywhere. So the first thing to water blast was the walls. Then we cleaned the floor and equipment. The only mishap was a burst of water from the hose directed at my face. It was only for a moment and of course everyone saw it but unfortunately no one snapped a photo.

The Unromantic Side of Winemaking

admin — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 12:02:24 +0000

I always fancied vineyards, winemaking and wine as romantic. Vineyard weddings or proposals field this view. So do winery receptions and bridal parties. Wine can always be romantic. However there is another side to the process from the vineyard to your glass that is not romantic.

My first day spent working at Tin Lizzie Wine Works was a good example of reality. The first task was to empty the liquid from two barrels. Not at hard task, connect the small pump to electricity, attach two hoses and turn the on switch in the direction of the flow. After the pump emptied what it could I turned the barrels 180º to drain the last of the liquid. Nothing was very romantic about the procedure.

The next task was to paint the cement floor in the winemaking area. First everything had to be moved out. Then the floor was swept and washed. Around the perimeter the washing was on hands and knees. After it dried it was painted with a cement paint. Again the perimeter was on hands and knees but everything else was with a roller. This was not a very romantic task, but the area looked nice and reminded me of painting my parents’ garage floor in my youth.

I once was told there were over a thousand decisions that go into making a bottle of wine. I suspect that the vast majority is not very romantic. I’ll chronicle many of the winemaker’s tasks over the next several months. For now it’s prepare for crush cleaning.