Our Winery

We craft our wines using traditional methods supplemented by modern technology. On the crush pad our destemmer/ crusher prepares the grape must for pressing by one of two gentle air driven bladder presses. The smaller 1/2 ton bladder press resembles a traditional basket screw press while the larger horizontal Willmes press is more representative of modern technology. The bladder presses provide a more gentle juice extraction and larger volume, which enhances wine quality.

In the cellar, the must (crushed grapes) and juice temperature is carefully controlled to preserve fragile fruit aromas and allow the delicate aging process to proceed without interruption. The wines are carefully aged in oak barrels, stainless steel, and glass. An efficient laboratory allows us to measure such parameters as pH, residual sugars, volatile and titratable acidity, sulfur dioxide, and alcohol as the wines mature.

When fully matured and ready for bottling, the wine is carefully pumped into our automated bottling machine that is adjusted to provide accurate filling for each bottle, then corked under vacuum with natural cork. Capsules are applied to the bottle tops to provide sanitary and tamper-proof seals after labeling. Each bottle is inspected by hand, and then cased for future sale.

The sparkling clean environment of the cellar is kept at a cool 55-60 degrees. Its cool temperature and controlled humidity make a comfortable place to work in the winter and a chilly retreat from the summer's heat, while the wines enjoy a pampered life.