Our approach in the winery is one of minimal intervention. We use traditional wine making techniques.
All reds are crushed, de-stemmed and vinified in open topped fermenters. The ferments are hand plunged and the new wine is held on its skins post ferment. The wine is then pressed from its skins and racked into barrel, where malolactic fermentation takes place. After a period of aging, the wines may be gently fined with egg white prior to bottling, often no fining is required. Winemaking techniques for reds are aimed at producing a refined and harmonious style, rather than a heavily extracted wine.
Chardonnay and Viognier are whole bunch pressed and allowed to settle before being racked into barrel for fermentation. At least a portion of the Chardonnay (sometimes 100%) is allowed to go through malolactic fermentation. The wines remain in barrel to develop for up to a year before being fined and bottled.
Gewürztraminer and Sauvignon Blanc are typically crushed and de-stemmed, and the Gewürztraminer allowed a short period of skin contact. The crushed grapes are then pressed and the juice is allowed to settle. The clarified juice is then racked and transferred to a fermentation tank. Stainless steel tanks are normally used although frequently a part of the each blend is barrel fermented. The wines are fined prior to bottling.
