White Wine Seminar in Pictures

Hunker down!

David Ramey did a cool seminar on White Wine Making. He helped us make sense of some of the work orders or processes we have performed over the past 6 or 8 weeks.
However, as usual, I am short on time. So, for now, I will give you an abbreviated pictorial of how it works. 

SAMPLES: In the vineyard and in the lab, sampling grapes determine when to pick. Brix (sugar levels basically) and acid levels are a big factor. Sam samples too, but his opinion is not factored in.

PRESSING: Grapes arrive and are weighed. Then they are dumped, whole clusters, into that huge Press. 

There are all different types of Chardonnay to pick from. These two cluster examples are Clone 4 on the left and Wente 80 on the right. Notice the "hens and chicks" sizes of the grapes in the Wente cluster. More skin surface ratio, more phenolics = more aromatics, more complex flavors!

That is Paul dumping in our 1st shipment from Hudson Vineyard. The Press goes through 7 cycles at relatively smooth low pressure. Press, release pressure, spin, press some more. It takes 3-4 hours. 

TANK TO TANK: The juice ends up in a tank and settles overnight. The next day we hook the tank with the juice to another tank and transfer the juice; a process called "racking." Solids have "dropped out" or sunk to the bottom as this tan sludge-like substance. Clearer juice has flowed through the hose to the awaiting tank. We keep the tanks cool (below 65 degrees) but not cold. 

After the juice is racked from tank to tank we fill the barrels. Ramey Chardonnays are barrel-fermented.  We only fill to about 53 gallons of the 60 gallon barrel. This is to give room for the fermentations which get pretty active. Almost as if they were boiling. We don't want all that delicious Chardonnay juice to end up on the cellar floor. 

NUTRIENT ADDITIONS: During the coming days the yeast converts the grape sugars into alcohol and CO2. The Brix levels drop (sugar levels; they are now converted to alcohol). When the Brix drops to a certain level we add nutrients to invigorate the yeast and control the nitrogen levels essential to the fermentation. If Nitrogen drops too low you get those nasty reductive tastes and aromas (think rotten egg). These additions have names like Superfood, SuperVit, DAP or BioFerm.  It looks like a big morning power-shake and sort of is, for the yeast. The mixture is known as a Slurry. We actually call this process the barrel feedings.  As if they were our children. 
That's a slurry and here is Lydia mixing up some nutrients for the kids!

TOPPINGS:
When the ferments slow down we "roust the lees!"  Battonage.  Stirring the lees. Lees are the yeast cells that drop to the bottom of the barrel.  We use a curved metal rod - the batton. Doing this once a week keeps the wine fresh, integrates the oak and helps metabolize the diacetyl so the wine isn't overly buttery, among other things. The lees are anti-oxidative so they help limit oxygen too.
Here I am doing a top-stir-top procedure. I stick that rod in the barrel. Top it with wine. Then stir up the lees on the bottom. Remove the rod and top the barrel all way. Minimizing air exposure. 

Because of the activity created during fermentation and the evaporation of wine in barrel we are constantly topping the barrels to fill in the air space that is created.
The wines still have to go through malolactic fermentation. This should happen in the Spring. The sharper malic acid is converted to softer lactic acid with the aid of beneficial bacteria. (think of malic like apples and lactic like cream).  
We also need to fine the wines to clarify them. With whites you use bentonite (a type of clay), isinglass (sturgeon air bladder) and casein (milk protein).
The different lots are blended and then bottled. Enjoy!

Cheers from Lydia and Paul!