The Tolaini barricaia
At Tolaini Estates, all the vines are hand-picked, put into small crates and then loaded onto trucks. 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 promote the high quality of the end-product, preselection of the fruit occurs even before fermentation starts. Talented vineyard workers pick only the ripe and healthy grapes, which are sorted two more times to ensure the best grapes are moving ahead. After that, it is up to Nature to do her work. on the skins of the grapes and to circulate oxygen to stimulate yeast reproduction, and thus make sure you have an alcohol-rich, and“ dry” wine. It also ensures that there will be no bacterial growth( and therefore spoiled wine). No use waiting 6 months for perfect grapes only to ruin them in the winery! Pump-over can take between 20 minutes and an hour. With over 30 tanks of juice needing attention, this task alone can keep you busy until the wee hours.
Optometrists: Dr. Brian Book, Dr. Kara Rosenblat, Dr. Sonia Singh-Enns, Dr. Mark Gillman, and Dr. Ehren Sherbo
Once all the grapes are chosen, they are lightly crushed and travel into the massive fermentation tanks. It takes a lot of grapes to fill up one of these tanks, and we would fill, on average, one per day.
At the end of each afternoon, the big clean up begins. Every surface, hose, and pump is cleaned and sterilized, so there isn’ t a drop of wine left on the winery floor that might attract unwanted insects. A clean winery means a clean wine. After one more pigeage and a quick test of sugar levels to see how fermentations are progressing, it’ s off for dinner.
VOLTE FACE
NEW FROM FRANCE
BEVEL
www. bookoptical. com
Book Vision Care: 143 Scurfield Blvd. at Kenaston, Whyte Ridge, Tel.( 204) 487-6233 Book Optical: 230-444 St Mary Ave, Manitoba Hydro Bldg, Tel.( 204) 942-0113
SERVING WINNIPEG FOR 25 YEARS!
As much as I love wine, there is nothing better than a really cold beer after a day in the winery. I have met many winemakers who live by the creed,“ It takes a lot of beer to make good wine.” After a hearty meal of Tuscan fare, and a couple glasses of last year’ s Tolaini wines, I listened to the winemakers recount the day’ s events, the quality of the fruit, how each wine is progressing. It is nearing 10 pm, and I begin to anticipate retiring to my warm bed. That’ s when Nigel tells me to put on my boots: we have one more pigeage to go. �
54 www. banvilleandjones. com