Issue link: http://winesandvines.uberflip.com/i/112023
TECHNICAL REVIEW WINEMAKING STARS electrodialysis equipment (left) is used for cold stabilization/tartrate removal. Terravant���s bottling line (right) is state of the art. good idea for improving relatively simple batches of Pinot Noir, but he wants his Cargasacchi to taste like Cargasacchi. Brown has Terravant���s lab do YAN analysis on incoming grapes and add nutrients if necessary; he isn���t much of an enzyme guy, though he occasionally adds some Opti-RED for rounder body. He tries to have the fermentation temperature max out at 85��F to avoid a yeast die-off toward the end, leaving the wine less than fully dry. When the cap on a bin starts to get soupy, it heads for one of the Diemme basket presses. Brown thinks extended maceration might be a fine idea for some grapes, but not for Pinot Noir, which is in no need of further tannin accumulation. All the reds and the Chardonnay get malolactic bacteria inoculations (again to make sure that transformation happens clean and quick). The choice of a malo starter depends on the wine chemistry, with Santa Barbara often having unusually high acidity and low pH. Reds get settled for about 24 hours after pressing, fed into a tank not sparged beforehand in order to pick up a last gulp of air, and then go to barrel. Brown splits a barrel storage room with Gray Hartley and Frank Ostini of the Hitching Post Winery; Brown says they all share an obsession with cleanliness. Indeed, I���d be happy to eat off this barrel room floor (especially if Ostini cooked up some tri-tip). When we walked in, Brown spied a silicon barrel bung lying on the floor, made a beeline for it, calculated the trajectory that could have landed it there, and hopped up to a second-tier barrel to put it back where it belonged. No work orders needed. Brown���s oak is all French, sourced from multiple coopers. The rule of thumb is 30%-40% new oak, designed to add underlying complexity but not overpower the vineyard-signature fruit. Wines that need it may get fined before bottling, using egg white on Pinot Noir and milk or casein on the Chardonnay. Fil- INNOVATIVE SOLUTIONS Our New Tank Jackets on our Portable Tanks. They are���forkliftable, stackable, ��� with a sloped tank bottom for easy drainage and cleaning. 34 W in es & V i ne s M AR C H 20 13 Wes_WV-DEC-2012.indd 1 Westec���s New Tank Jackets can be built for any size tank. The 5��� total height dimpled cooling jacket provides complete temperature control. 10/15/12 3:47 PM