red wine fermentation, red wine skins get pushed to the surface and dry out to form a hard cap. Pigeage( or punching down the cap) needs to be done two to three times a day to promote saturation of the skins, which adds colour and tannin to the finished wine. I was given a large wooden device that looked like a flat plunger and told to get to work.
After about 20 minutes working on each of the three fermentors, I had worked up quite a sweat. After an incredible lunch prepared fresh by their amazing cook, Carmella, I was set free to tour the vineyards, take some pictures, and poke around the winery. The first day was pretty easy, and I started thinking to myself,“ I could do this for a living.”
BALANCING ACT It quickly became apparent that they had gone easy on me that first day. The rest of my time at Tolaini Estate was both fascinating and exhausting. Days begin at 7:30 am during vintage( the collective term for all things that happen to make wine— picking, sorting, fermenting, monitoring, pressing, etc.), a little earlier if you want to catch some breakfast and a coffee. Morning is the time to get winemaking work done before the grapes start arriving.
We would start by tracking the sugar readings of each batch of juice. Fermentation is the process of converting sugar
Grapes start arriving from the fields at about two o’ clock, and don’ t stop until after six. I think this is one of Mr. Tolaini’ s favourite parts, as I often saw him, shirt sleeves rolled up, checking on the quality of the fruit going into his winery. to alcohol, and it is important to track this progression. By tracking sugar each day, you can measure the sugar levels dropping, and determine the amount that still needs to be converted to alcohol. Once the fermentation is done, the juice can be siphoned off into oak barrels to age, and the tank can be cleaned and re-used if there are some later-ripening grapes yet to come in.
Every day, each wine is tasted by the talented winery team, and its needs are assessed, a decision that involves a fine balance of the wine, oxygen levels, technology, and skill of the winemaker. The wine then undergoes any number of a series of processes. Each day involved something different, but there were a couple of very interesting tasks. Many times I found myself doing what is called a“ pump-over.” It has somewhat the same effect of the pigeage, but more rigorous.
Imagine perching at the top of a gleaming stainless steel tank 50 feet above ground. When I opened these“ closedtop” fermentors, I had to be careful not to stick my head in too far. Inhale a good whiff of carbon dioxide and it will lay you flat on your back. Attaching a pump to the bottom of the tank, I had to snake the hose all the way up to the top, and let the juice fly. Like in pigage, the purpose is to make sure the“ cap” stays wet, and to extract as much colour and flavour from it as possible. It is also important to help distribute the yeasts that collect
Grapes are hand-picked with the help of the patented Tolaini tractors. www. banvilleandjones. com 53