The Wine Making Process
"Starts with the Vine"
The Vineyard
The entire property of the winery, vineyards, and estates consists of 52 acres. Of those 52, 18 acres contain the vineyards. Planted in 2007, the vineyard consists of Concord, Traminette, and two vinefera varietals (old world): Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay. The Whistle Stop Red, Concord, and Vivance wines are made from some or all of these grapes.
The Harvest
The usual harvest time for grapes occurs from August to November depending on the weather, how the grapes have been ripening, and if the birds have found our fruits. The grapes are tested regularly for sugar content. Once they reach the winemaker's desired level of sweetness, harvest begins. Starting early in the morning to beat the heat, the grapes are snipped off the vine and placed in white baskets. It takes about a half a day to fill the first load, but the work is fun and very relaxed.
The grapes are then dumped into the crusher/de-stemmer. This machine removes most of the stems, sticks, and leaves from the grapes. The crusher simply "pops" the grape open to allow for better extraction. The result is called must, a mixture of seeds, skin, and juice. If the grapes are red grapes, they are pumped directly into a tank. If the grapes are white grapes, they are pumped into the press.
Fermentation, Aging, Blending, and Filtering
After the "must" has been entered into the tank, the sugar levels may be adjusted to get the appropriate alcohol levels. Yeast feeds off of sugar and enzymes and converts them to CO2, ethanol, and heat. Because of this heat, the tanks all have cooling jackets on them to maintain temperatures and stabilize the wine. They can be cooled to below freezing. The fermentation process takes, on average, one month.
There are 12 oak barrels in which we age the wine. These handmade barrels are American Oak with medium toasted staves and heads. Our Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz are aged in the barrels for 14 months; this gives them a characteristic smoky flavor.
Winemaking, as a science, is very cut and dry; experience is where the science becomes an art. The art is in the blending. Blending adds to the complexity of the wines. The flavors from the wines are different from year to year, tank to tank, and barrel to barrel. The combinations are literally limitless. Sugar can be added at this time to reach the desired sweetness. Careful monitoring of the alchohol, sulfur, and acid levels are done prior to bottling.
All of our wines are then filtered for clarity and safety. Filtering also enhances the shelf life of the wines.
When the final blend is reached, the wine is pumped into a bottling tank, which is higher off the ground. The bottles are washed and filled then corked. The corking machine vacuums the air out of the bottle. Air is wine's worst enemy; it oxidizes and eventually makes the wine go bad. The bottles then go through a labeling machine, which melts the foil top and wraps the label around the bottle.
The wine is then ready for you to enjoy!