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 .
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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 .
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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 . �
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