The Road to Becoming Wine
From Vine to Wine

Great grapes are just the beginning in creating great wines. The process of vinification starts with de-steming, crushing and then allowing the juice and must (skins, seeds, etc) to begin the initial fermentation. Yeasts, naturally occurring and added, start to convert sugars to alcohol and carbon dioxide. This first fermentation lasts about 14 days.

Secondary Fermentation

Like diamonds, wine is judged by certain characteristics. They are known as the five "S's". See, Swirl, Sniff, Sip and Savor. The sense of taste is complex and consists in the ability to discern sweetness, acidity, tannin, as well as mouth feel. The wine maker seeks to create a symphony of these unique characteristics, emphasizing some and balancing others.

Enter the Good Guys

To create a softer, rounder creamier style, our winemakers inject a bacteria to the immature wine. Oenoccous Oeni is a bacteria that  converts the tart Malic Acid in wine to the softer Lactic Acid, the same acid that is contained in milk. The bacteria releases an Impact Compound, Diacetyl, that tames the acidity and creates a rounder mouthfeel.

The secondary fermentation lasts 1-3 months as the wine is regularly monitored.