Merryvale's Red Winemaking Methods
1. Red grapes (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, Pinot Noir, Syrah, Zinfandel) are hand harvested then hand sorted to discard defects. The clusters are then gently de-stemmed without crushing and the "must" - berries, juice and seeds - put into stainless steel tanks. SO2 is added to suppress spoilage organisms.
2. When naturally-occurring yeast have begun to ferment the must, nutrients are added during the first pump-over. Fermentation may last from 5 to 15 days. The juice is circulated over the top of the tank twice daily to allow better contact with the skins, which during fermentation float to the top, forming a "cap". After fermentation finishes, the wine is kept in contact with the skins, often for an additional 30 days, to allow softening of the tannins which have been extracted from the skins.
3. The free run wine, which runs freely out of the tank, is separated from the skins.
4. The skins, which are still quite moist, are shoveled to bins and placed in a pneumatic press. The wine is monitored coming from the press and only wine without aggressive, gritty tannins is included with the free run wine. The later press fraction is kept separate.
5. The wine is put into 225 liter French oak barrels where it completes the second fermentation (called "malolactic" fermentation). French oak is used exclusively for its addition of complex, spicy flavors and complementary tannin components.
6. Racking, which means the clear wine is separated from the sediment of "lees", occurs every three months. In the first year, the wine is aerated during racking to soften the tannins. In the second year in the cellar, the wine is usually not aerated during racking.
7. Blends are made in the winter following harvest. In their second year the wines are fined with fresh egg whites to resolve excess tannins. After up to 20 months in French oak barrels, the wines are racked for a final time and bottled - usually without filtration.
