Moving to Barrel

Since my last post, the fermentation process has taken place to convert the grape sugars to alcohol all while the colors and flavors in the wine have continued to develop.  Once complete, it was time to move on to the next phase called "press" which is when the fermented juice is extracted from the grapes.
 

With a little help from a basket press and some gentle pressure, the juice was slowly extracted from the grapes and added to the barrels.

 

Wine, grape skins and seeds going into the press

Pressed wine

One of my favorite aromas of the wine making process is when newly made wine first comes in contact with the inside of a new French oak barrel.  The scent is amazing when the fruit-forward wine combined with the toasted oak of the barrel.
 

But, in all honestly, it's not just the aroma that makes the moment so special. It's the fact that another phase of wine making is over.  It's a time to reflect back on the grape development in the vineyard based on the changes in the weather.  To remember the date that was scheduled to pick and process the grapes.  And, to think back on all of the hours in the winery spent tending to the grapes to extract rich colors and flavors.  All of these memories culminate at this point when the wine enters the barrel.

Granted, a lot still happens to the wine during the aging process when in barrel, (which you will have to stick around to find out about) but this just means we are one step closer to a great wine.  And based on that aroma when the wine hit the barrel, it's building up to be something incredible!