Some of the wineries, winemakers, and topics we have covered over the years for Wine Tributaries often find their way as links on other wine sites. We decided to include some as a way to pay tribute to the wines and people who who have shaped the wine industry.

The Winemaker's Art: Sculpting Wine
by Tim Hayes & John Koetzner

As the rest of Sonoma County snuggles in and waits for "El Nino" to run its predestined course, time takes a different journey at the local wineries. The controlled chaos of crush is over and the focus on creation begins. During late fall, the grapes and yeasts culminated their fermentation dance, and the sweet must is dry with exhaustion, and has found its way to the presses and its final oak partner.

The artistry of winemaking has taken over and winemakers begin to sculpt and shape raw wines into lush, rich, effusive beverages of olfactory wonder. Samples of all the new wines will be drawn from tanks and barrels and run through rigorous laboratory evaluations for total acidity (t.a.), volatile acidity (v.a.), alcohols (alc), residual sugars (r.s.), PH (degrees of acidity and alkalinity) sulfur levels and other analytical data.
With technical data in hand, the taste buds are allowed to do their own evaluations. With a Chardonnay, a winemaker will look at samples from barrel fermentation, and how much oak it has taken on, and how much longer should it remain in the barrel with sur lees (dead yeast and sediments) contact. He will examine acid levels and decide whether to do a secondary malolactic fermentation. In addition, he must also decide whether to leave some wine that was kept solely in stainless steel to blend back with some wine that was given a malolactic fermentation.

The question of what type of oak to use, French, American, etc., as well as the level of toasting inside, light , medium, or heavy, will also be considerations.

In those early fermentation stages, red wine was examined for color extractions, deep and dark or too light, for the particular varietal. Likewise, tannins and acidity were examined along with how big and full-bodied the wine was. Questions about which type of oak, how long to age in age in oak, how viscous and rounded is the mouth feel, and whether the fruit is forward or masked are considered.

Extensive notes are taken on each wine and the questions of blending begin to surface. Does the winemaker want to blend in Merlot to soften the Cabernet, and if so, by what percent? Should the Zinfandel from Gino's vineyards be blended with the Smith vineyard to enhance the fruit? What percent Petite Sirah should be blended into the red table wine to increase its color? Or, do we blend Muscat into the White Zinfandel to bring out the bouquet and fruit?

Inundated with lab data, notes on colors, aromas and flavors, the winemaker with clarity of thought and purpose, starts the process of racking, blending, aging, and shaping these young wines into the wines of tomorrow. So, as you fall back into your armchair by the fire, and raise that glass of wine to your lips, remember its journey from vine to grapes to wine and revel in the beauty of creation; a winemaker has sculpted it for you.