Cellar fun in the cooler months

There are plenty of things to do at the winery around the year but the pace and intensity shifts dramatically in the cooler months.  The visibility to the activity shifts as well.  In the spring and summer months, you can see the changes in the vineyards from week to week.  Everything from the work with  the vines to the keeping the grounds mowed.  There are also a lot of festivals, wine-walks, music on the patio and groups enjoying picnics!  Then comes the intensity of harvest where we are very dependent on volunteers and time is precious.

As the weather cools and the days get shorter, there is still plenty of activity but it is in the cellar - out of view for most folks and people wonder - what do you do in the winter months?  This is when wines begin to finish their primary and secondary fermentation and for wines destined for barrels, a whole new process begins!!  We are in that phase right now - since we have barrel space in the cellar, we are starting to think about our choices starting with, to oak or not to oak?

For whites, that is a little easier decision - for us, we know the Seyval is the right white to be oaked so then we think about the degree of oak.  How many barrels?  Which type?  Which cooperage?    Ideally, we want to combine separate lots of filtered oaked and unoaked wine to create a blend with the right level of oak influence.  Hoping for the perfect barrel to make that happen is a long shot!!  The Vidal Blanc and the Vignoles varietals don't really benefit much from the oak and those varietals are best enjoyed fresh and fruity!

For reds, the decision is a bit more complicated.  We know we will leave some wine completely unoaked (Loft Red) but past that, we have several semi-dry to dry reds and these are very popular with our guests.  More thought and design will go into the decision about these barrels ranging from oak source, to the level of toasting, to barrel heads (toasted or not), size of barrel, etc.  The desired tannin (wine dryness which provides structure for red wine) comes from the grape skins, seeds, stems and oak.  The wood tannin contributed by the oak is a key component in our reds - it acts as a wine stabilizer, helping it age longer by protecting aroma and flavor.  Our group that joined us in Italy learned all about the benefits of aging and storing wine in barrels and the noticable impact to the wine flavors and experience.  It allows the wine to age longer in the bottle too and as wine ages, tannin develops a softer, silk-like texture.  The reality is, oak, like every other part of the winemaking process is a series of decision leading to the final wine and ultimately, the wine experience.