Standard Operating Procedures

All of us participate in the making of the wine. So how do so many cooks operate in that kitchen? A very carefully written Standard Opertating Procedure, SOP. We make the decisions we can ahead of time, provide contengency plans if such things as a stuck fermentation presents itself, and use our base of knowledge if something outside the SOP comes up. Our SOP addresses the methods for choosing the fruit, how we will crush it, when we add the yeast, and to what level we will maintain the sulfites in the wine throughout the entire process. The goal with the SOP was to keep the process fluid between the memebers when accomplishing the required daily tasks. Since we all hold other jobs besides the wine making, none of us can dedicate the full time that would be required to keep the process rolling. The creative process of wine making is still accomplished with the hands on activities, only the recipe was commited to paper to act as a guide.

How is wine made?

What is it that a winemaker does? How do grapes from the vine, become fine wine? What choices are made along the way that influence the wine in the bottle? Winemaking is part art, part science, part luck, and a true application of attention to detail. Choices for the wine are made well before a single leaf is even seen on the vine. We carefully source all of our fruit from Vineyards that have been researched for their vineyard practices, quality of fruit production, and quality of the finished bottles of wine from their fruit. The choice of the varietal is made from the knowledge of regional support for that particular grape. A simple example of this choice would be to not source a Cabernet Sauvignon from the cold coastal region of the Western Santa Cruz Mountains. This region is known for producing wonderful Pinot Noirs, and Chardonnays. After the source of our particular fruit is chosen, we maintain contact with the growers and keep our fingers crossed that the weather will behave well enough to allow them the best fruit possible. Choices are made in advance as to which yeast to use with each varietal, these choices are based upon previous knowledge gained, research, and conversations with other winemakers from the region. Then we must choose in advance what kind of oak treatments to use. Will it be new Oak barrels, or used barrels, French, American, or maybe Hungarian. And yes you can taste the difference! All of these choices and the grapes are still on the vine. When the grapes are getting close to harvest we maintain constant contact with the growers, frequently stopping in on the vineyards to check on the fruit ourselves. We are looking for the sugar content, the condition of the seeds and skins, flavor profile, acid content, and frequently the upcoming weather patterns. When the harvest finally comes, we must act fast! The clusters of grapes must be seperated from their stems, and crushed to the desired point, careful not to crush so much as to extract undesired characteristics from the seeds. A preservation agent, potassium Meta Bi Sulfite is added to protect the fruit from the bacteria that is present on the fruit and in the winery building. A pre determined "cold soak" allows the fruit to extract color from the skins prior to the begining of the fermentation. The yeast is prepared and added to the juice, and the process of fermentation is begun! We will carefully monitor the progress of the fermentation to be sure that the yeast is being well fed by the juice and no off flavors or smells are being developed. Several times daily we will "punch down" the grapes to be sure that the grape skins maintain contact with the juice. This practice will be maintained until all of the sugars have been converted into alcohol, at which point we will press the skins to extract the juice that remains. Into the barrel and the ageing process begins.

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