As each customer gets an individual barrel made to his/her specifications, fermentation will be done in macro bins which are high pressure injection molded, U.V. stabilized and FDA approved. This way the grapes that you sort through will then be inoculated with your desired yeast type.

We believe in doing a variety of punch down routines depending on what the customer wants to achieve with their wine. To ensure good extraction, the grapes are punched down manually in small lots of open top fermentors (macro bins), as often as every 2 hours during the peak of fermentation. Native and selected yeasts, frequent punch-downs during the crucial 48 hours of peak fermentation, and aging on the yeast lees gives wine a signature balance, roundness and depth.

Yeast is normally already present on the grapes, often visible as a powdery appearance of the grapes. The fermentation can be done with this natural yeast, but since this can give unpredictable results depending on the exact types of yeast that are present. Using cultured yeast or natural is a decision of the customer and winemaker.

One of the main problems with the use of wild ferments is the failure for the fermentation to go to completion, that is some sugar remains unfermented. This can make the wine sweet when a dry wine is desired. Frequently wild ferments lead to the production of unpleasant acetic acid (vinegar) production as a by product.

During the primary fermentation, the yeast cells feed on the sugars in the must and multiply, producing carbon dioxide gas and alcohol. The temperature during the fermentation affects both the taste of the end product, as well as the speed of the fermentation. For red wines, the temperature is typically 22 to 25 ¡C, and for white wines 15 to 18 ¡C. For every gram of sugar that is converted, about half a gram of alcohol is produced, (actually Brix x 0.57) so if the must comes in at 24 Brix the alcohol concentration will end up at 13.68%.

The fundamental role of malolactic fermentation is to essentially perform the conversion of malic acid into lactic acid. This has the benefit of reducing some of the tartness and making the resulting wine taste softer. Not all wines need secondary fermentation.