The Winemaker
January 12, 2018
Every winemaker has his or her own style. It evolves over time but the palette tells him what tastes right and what will be. Our winemaker, my husband Michael has often said that he knows he can’t get fired, so he experiments. We like our red wines and Michael ages them, watching carefully over the barrels. Sometimes these barrels will become the 1897, our reserve red, aged for almost 6 years. Why do we do this? Because we can, and we like the results.
Over time as the wine sits and ages in the barrels a few things will happen. With time the wine will settle and a process called racking will occur. The wine is slowly taken out of the barrel until the sediment starts to show. The barrel is cleaned out to remove the sediment and the wine is put back in. The barrel needs to be filled to the top, so some other wine will be added to top off the barrel.
Few people go down to the winery. It is looked at by some as this magical place. New Years Day has been a day we are open only in the winery. Usually a special wine is created with the help of friends and club members. We look forward to tasting the results of this year’s gathering.
In the end, I have been told this is not a democracy. The winemaker always has the final word. We can let him have the final word.
