WINE MAKING - Learn how to make wine with Crushpad

Wine Making Process

The Crushpad 30

• What varietal do you want to make?
  While a European may start with describing the best vineyard site or terroir, New World winemakers are much more focused on the type of grape as the starting point. Personal as well as economic interests may dictate this, as well as grape availability. But it's probably safe to say that any varietal currently grown in California is fair game.
• What style of wine do you want to make?
  There are many, many questions within this area, but you should be able to define with a broad brush the type of wine you're after. A big, fruit-forward wine or a more reserved, subtle wine? Food-friendly or showy? One of the easiest ways to start is to say "I'd like to make a wine like X, but different in the following ways."

• What is the site (or "terroir") that is conducive to growing your varietal and style?
  What is the site (or "terroir") - the soil composition, climate and topography - that is conducive to growing your varietal and style? Different sites excel with different varietals and different styles. While there are numerous books on the subject and it is the source of endless debate, terroir is generally considered extremely important. However, it is just one element in growing. As a simplification, warmer regions tend to produce riper fruit while cooler regions tend to produce more complexity. As another simplification, rich soils tend to favor over-production while poor soils tend to restrain growth - a good thing that results in lower yields and more concentration.
• Which vineyard should I choose?
  There are many questions that go into this. They cover things such as rootstocks, grape clones, trellis types, vine spacing, canopy management, spraying, irrigation practices, yields, vine age, and many others. There is no optimal answer and generally tasting one or more wines made from the vineyard is a great way to get some indication of its potential. The best bet is to source from vineyards whose terroir is consistent with your goals and to ensure that the grower has a track record in responsible, high quality winegrowing.

• When to pick?
  This is when you, as a winemaker, start to determine what goes into the bottle. The key issue here is ripeness and the methods used to determine ripeness. The most widely used is analytical ripeness where you measure the sugars, acidity and pH. In cooler climates you typically pick when sugars reach an acceptable weight and in warmer climates before acidity falls too low. However many believe this is only part of the story and that physiological ripeness or maturity is equally important. Typically physiological maturity is determined by visible characteristics such as skin and stem color, skin and pulp texture, seed color, berry flavor, the ease with which the berry can be pulled off the stem. Proponents of physiological maturity use the numbers as a guide but wait for the visible indicators to prove the grapes are ready. Longer hang time will usually drive more physiological ripeness but in warmer climates at the risk of higher alcohol and lower acidity which can leave a wine tasting "hot" and "flabby." In addition, the longer the hang time the greater risk of weather related problems. At Crushpad we will work with you to determine your wine style (which will inform the desired ripeness) and then we collaborate with the growers to determine how we will select pick day.

• Whether to sort?
  Sorting is a labor and time intensive process where the grapes go from the harvest bin to the sorting table so poorer quality grapes can be sorted out (very important in poor vintages) as well as MOG (material other than grapes). Crushpad provides basic sorting support, but some customers may want to provide additional support (note that this is an excellent way to use donated labor from family and friends - you can "pay" them after your first bottling).
• Destem, crush, both or neither?
  You need to determine what the grapes will look like when you begin fermentation. The normal process for reds includes removing the stems and optionally crushing the berries - more whole berries emphasize fruitier characteristics. For instance pinot noir often benefits from keeping whole berries while cabernet tends to have more crushed berries. Reds are generally destemmed, but many winemakers prefer to keep in a portion of stems in to enhance flavors and aromatics (yet another topic of great debate). Whites can either be destemmed/crushed or pressed whole cluster (very common with chardonnay). The material resulting from the destemming/crushing process is called "must."
• Duration of skin contact?
  The skins impart color and phenolics (compounds including tannins and flavors)and red grapes have far more phenolics than whites. It is common to separate white grapes from their skins rather quickly (although there are exceptions like for Sauvignon Blanc) but red grape practices will vary dramatically and the length of desired skin contact could impact your decision for a cold soak and when to press.
• Whether to chill (sometimes called a cold soak) the must?
  Must is often chilled to under 50 degrees in order to slow things down before fermentation starts. For whites such as chardonnay, this is often done for a day or two to settle and separate juice and fine solids ("fine lees") from the heavy solids ("gross lees"). Some types of reds (e.g., pinot noir) can go into a cold soak for several days to extract color and phenolics.
• Protective or oxidative juice handling?
  While it may sound like a trick question (protective of course!) in fact it is not. While many winemakers do take immediate and continual steps to protect the juice and wine from oxidization there is a growing practice of abandoning protective measures like sulfur dioxide and inert gases until the wine completes malolactic fermentation. The objective is to reduce the flavoring phenols and produce a lighter, fresher colored wine that ages more slowly.

• What type of press?
  Well, you don't really get much of a decision here. At Crushpad we have a Europress membrane press than can press anything from one to 10 barrels worth of wine at once.  This press works through the inflation of a balloon that presses the grapes or must against a membrane where the wine/juice drops into a press pan.  This is then put directly into barrel or a tank for settling.  We carefully monitor the pressing process to make sure to stop before we start pressing bitterness.
• When to press?
  This is primarily a red grape consideration as white grapes (in general) are pressed within hours of arrival at the winery. Red grapes however are another matter. For example, you may wait until the cap begins to break up or sink. This is known as extended maceration and is often used for wines such as Cabernet Sauvignon where you want to emphasize their tannic structure. Most wines are pressed as soon as fermentation is complete. There is a trend that has been adopted broadly in Australia to press "sweet." That is, press wine into barrel while there is still a few degrees of sugar left so that fermentation completes in the barrel which some believe might make a more immediate bond between the wine and the new barrel which will be its home for many months.
• Do you want to keep the free run juice separate from the press wine?
  When you fill the press, most of the liquid runs off without having to actually press it. This is called free run. The liquid that comes from the mechanical pressure applied to the must is called press wine. Press wine tends to have more tannins and less acid than the free run. In some cases you want this, others you don't. For single barrel lots, the press wine will typically be used for topping off barrels that are filled with free run juice.

• What type of fermentation vessel?
  The size, shape, material and design are all considerations that will vary depending on your varietal, desired style and practices. Because we focus on small lots at Crushpad most fermentation vessels are in the 400 to 1,000 liter range (one to four barrels). Reds are fermented in both Macrobins and stainless steel tanks. The white wines will generally be fermented in barrels or stainless steel tanks.
• Natural or cultured yeasts?
  Traditional winemakers (especially in old world regions) tend to rely on natural or ambient yeasts that are in the vineyard, in the air and in the winery. The argument is that using natural yeasts will result in wines with a wider range of flavors than a single strain of cultured yeasts. Modernists disagree and believe that the risks associated with a funky or stuck fermentation are not worth it. We at Crushpad have gone both ways with great success and will be happy to help you make the best decision for your wines.
• What (if any) additions to make?
  There are many considerations here and all depend upon your varietal, style and vintage characteristics. While our general approach tends to minimal intervention, additions are often made. Examples of these include sulfur dioxide (virtually every wine in the world has SO2 added to protect against oxidation), yeast and malolactic starter (initiates malolactic fermentation). Depending on the vintage, terroir and desired style, other additions may include tartaric acid or even H20 to ensure complete fermentations - especially where the desired style of the wine requires very ripe grapes.
• What temperature range for fermentation?
  Fermentation can generate a fair amount of heat - although with smaller lots it is not that dramatic. Hotter fermentation can extract additional color and tannins, but at the potential loss of aromatics. In very general terms whites are fermented around 45° - 68° F and reds in a range of 70°- 90°F.
• For reds, how often to punch down the cap?
  The "cap" is the layer of solids that floats up during fermentations. It's mostly skins and encapsulated solids. Over time, most seeds fall out of the cap and sink to the bottom. The cap contains a lot of color, tannins and other good stuff that you want in the juice. Therefore you need to ensure that the cap gets mixed up with the juice. There are numerous techniques such as pump overs, delestage and punch down. Crushpad emphasizes manual punch downs as the most gentle approach. This approach uses a "punch down" tool to manually push the cap down into the juice. The frequency and vigor of the punch downs should be matched to the wine style and the quality of grapes to ensure you are not under- or over-punching. Typically there will be 2-4 punch downs per day on fermenting wine.

• What type of vessel (barrel, tank) to age in?
  For the most part, this comes down to barrels or stainless steel tanks. We expect most Crushpad customers to barrel age reds and chardonnays. Other white varietals will depend upon the goals of the winemaker. Wine and oak can create tremendous synergy, but some varietals express themselves much better without the flavors and tannins of a barrel.
• If it's a barrel, what type?
  If you're going to age in barrels, then there are another set of questions. American or French? American tends to be more obvious, more vanilla and less expensive. It is often chosen for standing up to riper wines. French is more subtle, complex and expensive (especially with the Euro run-up). There are different levels of toast - the darker the more significant its impact on the wine. There are different forests that emphasize different characteristics (e.g., clove) and different coopers whose style also has a big impact. Finally there is the age of the barrel. New oak can leave a strong imprint on a wine while used barrels are more subtle. This can be tricky area to nail down so we'll work closely with you on this decision. Luckily you can have great results with many different types of barrels.
• How long do you plan to age?
  Ultimately the wine will tell you how long it needs, but generally when the wine has completed fermentations, has cleared and has reached the point where more barrel aging doesn't buy you anything, it's time to bottle. Wines such as chardonnay and pinot noir tend to be bottled within a year. Syrahs within 12 to 18 months. Cabernet and Merlot typically sit in barrel for a couple of years.
• What contact do you want with the lees?
  The lees are the solids left after fermentation that will fall to the bottom of the barrel as it ages. Some winemakers (especially chardonnay winemakers) will regularly stir the lees every week or so in the beginning. So considerations include whether (and if so how often) to stir the lees, how long to leave the wine on the lees (you can remove the lees by racking the wine to another barrel).
• Do you want oxygen exposure (primarily for reds)?
  While oxygen is usually avoided for whites (excepting the oxidative juice handling practice) red wines can often benefit from a limited amount of exposure. Two methods are racking (moving the wine from one vessel to another) and micro-oxygenation (MOx). Racking is typically performed for wines such as cabernet and zinfandel, but is generally eschewed for more delicate varietals such as pinot noir. MOx is used primarily to soften very tannic wines. This year we are only experimenting with MOx and do not offer it as an option yet.
• Do you want to allow, encourage or block the malolactic fermentation?
  Malolactic (ML or malos) fermentation is the secondary fermentation that converts harsher malic acids to softer lactic acids. It will usually happen naturally but can also be stimulated and controlled or it can be blocked altogether. Generally all reds go through ML and many whites. It is not uncommon for California whites to block ML to retain higher acidity.

• Do you want to fine?
  Fining is the process of adding an agent to the wine and then letting that precipitate out of the wine in order to correct an imbalance.  For red wines, this is typically to reduce astringency from too much tannin, and the normal fining material is egg whites.  For white wines, this is typically to deal with a protein haze that can become apparent when you chill the wine.  Here, a clay substance called bentonite is often used.  By default, we tend not to fine wines, but a light fining is often called for and can materially improve the quality of the final wine. 
• Do you want to filter?
  Filtering is typically done at bottling time and involves pushing the wine through a membrane to remove unwanted particulate. Especially in the case of white wines, we sometimes use a large pored filter (called a "bug catcher") which removes any bits that may still be in the wine after racking from barrel to tank. There are other "polish" filters that give white wines a brilliance. Finally, there are "sterile" filters that remove any potentially dangerous microbes. By default, we don't filter red wines and use only a bug catcher on whites. For sweet wines or wines that have had malolactic fermentation blocked, we must use a sterile filter to ensure that fermentation doesn't start again in bottle.
• Do you want to blend?
  This could be blending several varietals (Syrah and Grenache, Cabernet and Merlot) or free run and press run juice or several vineyards. Not unlike aging, whether and how to blend will be dictated by your wines and what they need to provide the style you desire. In single barrel lots, blending is generally not an option. However, Crushpad will provide on an as-available basis small amounts of blending wine as well as grapes to co-ferment with.
• What type of bottle?
  There are three major styles of bottles: Bordeaux, Burgundy and Riesling. Within those categories are hundreds of variations. The thicker the glass, the more expensive.
• What type of bottle closure?
  Crushpad will provide bottling services using natural or artificial corks. For larger lots, we can also arrange for screw cap closures. You may decide to use unlabeled closures or imprint your brand on them.
• What about the label?
  Let's face it. Beyond what's in the bottle, it's what's on the bottle that matters. We can create most any label you desire, assuming it is approved by the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB). Label design services and TTB label approval submission are included as standard in the price of your Crushpad wine making experience.