We gathered on a warm August afternoon to begin the mystery of wine making. I say mystery because for millennia many cultures have revered wine for the mystical properties they attributed to it. Wine enthusiasts today, even with all enology research and studies, still appreciate the biological mysteries that transform mere grape juice into a symphony of tastes and aromas.
Guest worker
George Hall invited me out to Stescher Krommer Vineyards to watch the harvest of the viognier grapes. George, along with his wife Donna, are the proprietors of the vineyard located on their property in Granite Bay, CA. I eagerly accepted George’s invitation on the condition that I got to help cut, crush, clean and generally help in the harvest.
Wine bug
From talking to George earlier, it was evident that wine making wasn’t just a hobby but a true passion for him. He is not a gentleman farmer over seeing a viticulture operation. George, like many others who have been consumed with the fascination of wine making, is constantly reading, experimenting, and consulting on how to improve his wines. He not only enjoys the physical labor of viticulture and the science of wine making, but also the development of the wine labels and sharing his knowledge with others.
The harvest
On this afternoon, as a guest worker, we would be harvesting viognier grapes which are a white wine varietal. The old UC Davis Ag. student in me popped to the surface as we harvested down the row. The southern end of the vineyard was marked by high incidence of berry loss from some form of predation. Several of the bunches held either dried grape berries or something akin to a raisin. As we moved to the middle of the row, the bunches filled out but there was a noticeable amount of bees swarming around the clusters of grapes. The northern end was typified by nice full grape bunches, no bees, but a mild population of leaf hoppers.
Stem and crush
The next operation was dumping the harvested grape bunches into the de-stemming machine. Quickly, the grapes are stripped off the stems and are separated. The grapes were then put into a bladder press to crush out the juice. An internal bladder, much like and tire inner tube, expands with water pressure crushing the grapes against a stainless steel sieve. As the viognier juice drains out, it is dumped in modified refrigerator to chill it to 54F degrees .
Collaboration
They also crushed some tempranillo grapes which are a red wine varietal. This
juice is poured straight into an oak barrel to begin the first stages of fermentation. All of the operations were overseen by George and his close vintner associate Mike. Together, they plot the strategy from managing the vineyard, fermentation process and blending. While I was little more than a spectator in some of the crushing process, George has loyal following of fellow wine making enthusiasts that were on hand to help out.
Trade secrets
Vintners often employ their own confidential methods and processes for maturing grape juice into wine. Stescher Krommer Vineyards has an additional secret weapon. It seems as if Donna Hall has a golden palate when it comes to selecting the best blend for their wines. Her selections of blends have resulted in several medals and a Double Gold at the California State Fair wine competition.
There are still more wine grapes to be harvested in the coming weeks. I hope to get back out to the vineyard with my son so he can see the process in action. Visit the Stescher Krommer Vineyards website to learn how they came up with the name and other fun information about their wines.