A wild and woeful journey: Turning grapes into wine

Forget the romanticized image of strolling through sunny vineyards or sharing a candlelit glass. The journey of a grape from the vine to your bottle is a bizarre, messy, and frankly, a little violent affair. It's a tale of sorting, destemming, crushing, pressing, bubbling chaos, and careful handling that transforms simple fruit into a complex and sometimes finicky beverage.

Over the past several weeks in the lead up to harvest, we’ve worked a lot with oak barrels. Mainly, preparing them for this year’s vintage where some of the wine may either ferment in barrels and/or age after fermentation. Either way, prior to any of this, it requires continual sanitation and ozone gas treatments to disinfectant the barrels so as not to harm the oak’s flavor profile. Because barrels are a huge investment to a winery, and susceptible to molds, bacteria, and fungi, the importance for persistent care and attention can’t be understated. So, perhaps some background on these sometimes-overlooked vessels that we’ve all become so accustomed to seeing in and around a winery is worthwhile.

Great wine, as the saying goes, is made in the vineyard. While the art of winemaking in the cellar is undoubtedly crucial, the foundation of a truly exceptional bottle lies firmly in the farming practices employed. From the soil to the vine, every decision a grower makes profoundly impacts the quality, character, and ultimate expression of the wine in your glass.