| WINEMAKING
- REDS |
| Both
the Pinot Noir and the Cabernets are made in one ton open vat fermenters.
Fruit is bought in from the vineyard in 400kg bins and tipped onto
the loading chute/sorting tray into the crusher destemmer. The fermenting
pots are placed underneath the crusher and filled to about the 800kg
mark to allow for the rise in the cap when fermentation takes off. |
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| Around 10% of
whole bunches are tipped into the bottom of the fermentation vat prior
to the crushed fruit topping up. This creates a form of Carbonic Maceration,
whereby the whole bunches are kept anaerobic until finally being pressed
out, releasing a freshness of flavour to the ferment. The fermenting
pots are moved away via forklift to a corner of the winery and replaced
with an empty one. |
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| Once the macerated
fruit is in the vat, the usual tests for sugar, pH and acid are carried
out with any adjustment for pH done at this stage. It is then gassed
with CO2 and covered with plastic wrap for
24 hours to allow for the breaking down and imparting of colour from
the skins. After this period on skins, the temperature is checked
and when around 17°C the must is inoculated with yeast culture.
Primary fermentation begins to take hold after around 24 hours and
will continue to bubble along for approximately 10 days. Temperature
is held to around the 22°C level during ferment to ensure the
development of cooler, intensive flavours that will ensure complexity
and further development in the bottle. |
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| At the end of
primary ferment, the vats are again covered with plastic wrap for
3 to 4 days to allow the CO2 to evolve. Vats
are tipped into the press and the skins pressed out, with the new
wine being pumped into French Oak where it will stay for approximately
18 months prior to bottling. During this 18 month period, there are
three racking out processes carried out. This is the process of pumping
the wine out of barrel, but leaving the sludge of sediment which lays
on the bottom. The barrels are then washed out and the wine returned
with any adjustment that is required being made to SO2
levels. |
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| The first racking
out usually takes place within 4 weeks from going into barrel. This
eliminates the heavy deposits on the bottom of the barrel, which can
cause detrimental flavours and odours if left there. In Spring, malolactic
or secondary fermentation takes place, where malic acid is converted
to lactic acid, giving a softness and flavour complexity to the wine.
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| Once the wine
has had sufficient time in oak, it is pumped out of barrel into stainless
steel tank, protein stabilised, filtered and bottled. The newly bottled
reds usually spend 4 to 8 weeks in crates prior to labelling and packaging
and then its out to the restaurants, cafes and wine bars. |
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