Merryvale's White Winemaking Methods
1. White grapes (Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon) are hand harvested, then hand sorted to remove defects. Clusters are gently transferred directly to a horizontal pneumatic press.
2. Pressing is done to maximize yield at lowest pressure rating (0/2 bar).
3. The juice (or "must") drips into a pan at the bottom of the press and is then pumped into a stainless steel, temperature controlled settling tank.
4. Juice is chilled to 50°F overnight. The clear juice is pumped off the settlings ("lees") into another stainless steel tank ("racking"), where SO2 and yeast nutrients are added. The juice is immediately pumped to fill 225 liter French oak barrels for fermentation. Wherever possible, our white wines are allowed to ferment with naturally occurring yeast.
5. When the wines have finished fermentation (7-21 days), the barrels are topped and, except for Sauvignon Blanc, the yeast sediment ("lees") is stirred every month. Wine is aged in barrels from 4 to 16 months.
6. Chardonnay is encouraged to undergo a second fermentation, called "malolactic fermentation"; Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon are not.
7. One month before bottling, stirring stops.
8. Barrels are "racked" (clear wine separated from the "lees") with pressure from inert gas (nitrogen) for gentle handling and minimal aeration before the wine is blended into stainless steel tanks.
9. Some wines are "fined" to remove excess proteins and tannins and sculpt the mouth-feel.
10. Only when needed, white wines are "filtered" for clarification just prior to bottling.
