Vintage 2008 saw approximately 50 tonnes of Pinot Noir harvested from our vineyards in Waipara and Central Otago. This has translated into 140 barrels of wine. At this stage of the year the wine is in maturation mode and is awaiting warmer temperatures in the winery so that the secondary fermentation, the Malolactic ferment, can begin. Ideally the temperature for Malo needs to be in the 18-22C range but below this barrels do tend to kick off on their own. MLF can be innoculated with commercial bacteria but traditionally was left to start under its own steam in the spring following vintage. This is the approach we are using. In the middle of the above photo you just might be able to make out my temp/humidity gauge sitting on top of a barrel. One reason I need to monitor these levels is to make sure the evaporation from the barrels doesnt get too high. Over the course of a year you might expect to lose around 2-5% to the 'angels share'.
As a result of this loss I need to top-up all the barrels on a regular basis. At this stage of its like each barrel of wine, whilst waiting for MLF to complete, is not protected from oxidation and bacteria by sulphur dioxide so they need to be kept as full as possible to elimate any ullage.
No comments:
Post a Comment