What's Going On in the Winery

Welcome to Vine to Wine this is your host Linda Moran. I sometimes drop in to visit folks at my favorite wineries and see what's going on today I'll let you in on some behind the scenes observations. I love wine cellars and barrel rooms and even tank rooms at the winery. Something is almost always going on. Once the grapes are harvested and fermented they become wine and are usually moved to rest and develop character in oak barrels or glass lined stainless steel tanks. These vessels are monitored carefully and examined and observed to record the attributes they are developing. It is fun to taste through and see how they are progressing. The winemakers, like chefs, are excited about their ingredients and the characteristics they have developed. This is what will most heavily influence their decisions as to how and when they might want to blend individual wines together. Very often the most recent vintages of white wines will be ready to be released for sale to the general public in the spring and sometimes the red wines from two or more vintages prior will be ready as well. Often the wineries will release them in much fanfare and will offer them at special tastings. These are events that may be special for wine club members only - so visit websites of the wine clubs you belong to and check out their events calendar. Remember to send your wine questions to linda at vine to wine dot net and thank you for joining me on today's Vine to Wine.