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W i n e s & V i n e s M AY 2 0 1 4 63 over in 2013, selling two dozen of them to wineries in California, Oregon, Wash- ington and British Columbia. Fiorentini said he is bringing in another two ship- ping containers of amphoras this year. "Honestly, every winemaker I sold one to likes the wine and is doing a special bot- tling of its own," he told Wines & Vines. Most of the amphoras Fiorentini has imported hold 500 liters or slightly less than a ton of grapes, but he said he's sold a few 800-liter amphoras to clients in California. He said the natural micro- oxygenation of the wine through the clay creates a "silky smooth" texture in both reds and whites. "The wines seem to show well a richness in minerality and bright, fleshy fruit character," he said. Domestic clay suppliers Chad Stock works in the cellar and the vineyards at Johan Vineyards in Rickreall, Ore., and in his spare time he's building his own wine brand Minimus Wines. Stock said he's using his brand to dab- ble in winemaking experiments that go beyond the limits of conventional, clean winemaking. He said he's used extended maceration to push wines beyond their typical varietal characteristics and explored how "flaws" like reduction and Brettanomyces can actually result in inter- esting and unique wines. "Where do you draw the line between good and bad, and who decides that?" he asked. Always on the lookout for new and novel techniques, Stock said he was quite interested to discover vintner and clay art- ist Andrew Beckham in his neighborhood. Beckham has been making amphoras for his own wines, and Stock wanted to try using one as well. This past vintage, he destemmed Gruner Veltliner clusters directly into the amphora, filling it about 90% full. He then let the wine ferment on the skins for about 30 days. Once pri- mary fermentation was complete, Stock sealed the amphora up and let it sit for another 40 days before scooping out the skins. He then pressed the skins and added the press wine back into the amphora and let it rest for another 30 days. Finally Stock raised the amphora on a pallet with a forklift and siphoned the wine out for bottling. West Coast: 81 M Street Fresno, CA 93721 Tel: 559.485.2692 Midwest: 1401 Ware Street Waupaca, WI 54981 Tel: 715.258.5525 The Wine Lab TM : 640-D Airpark Road Napa, CA 94558 Tel: 707.224.7903 East Coast: 1165 Globe Avenue Mountainside, NJ 07092 Tel: 908.301.1811 The Revolutionaries Behind Wineʼs Visionaries Malolactic Bacteria, Non-Saccharomyces Yeasts Fermentation Nutrients Membrane Cartridge Filters, Laboratory Consumables Divergan F – PVPP OenoFoss - FTIR Analytical Instrumentation Filter Sheets, Lenticular Cartridges, Cellulose Pre-Coat Fibers Cross Flow Filters, RO Systems Liquid and Granular Enological Enzymes Oak-Mor ® /Oak Avantage ® Chips and Granular Oak www.gusmerenterprises.com sales@gusmerenterprises.com ® For 90 years, Gusmer has oered a full range of innovative enological tools that allow for your creative expression through unique and interesting wines. Equipment, analytical instrumentation and processing aids, brought to you by leading suppliers in the wine industry – and all backed by strong technical support. The options for expression have never been greater and the tools never better, so go ahead, be unique, and express yourself. For more information, contact Gusmer today. YEARS CO 2 Analytical Instrumentation Grape Tannins Wine Hose & Spray Nozzles At Gusmer, we know the wine you create is just as unique as you are. VIEW VIDEO: In this video by Ipak Wine, the winemaking team at Epoch Estate Wines in Templeton, Calif., rack and empty an amphora for pressing. W I N E M A K I N G