Issue link: http://winesandvines.uberflip.com/i/498427
May 2015 WINES&VINES 93 WINE EAST WINEMAKING ing Best in Show and Best Red Wine respectively. "I think that's a style that ben- efits our region as a whole," he said, offering that such wines are ready sooner and thus can provide a steadier flow of product for the consumer. "I would love to make that lighter, more fruit-forward style with nice acidity, and then do that big, extracted wine you are going to put down for a num- ber of years," Reidy said. In sum- mation, he added, "If the region was to look at a style going for- ward, it would probably be some- where in the middle." Hermann J. Wiemer Vineyard, Dundee, N.Y. Fred Merwarth is the co-owner, vineyard manager and winemaker at Hermann J. Wiemer Vineyard. Knowing exactly what his vine- yards are yielding gives him the ability to produce wines that ex- emplify the quality of fruit and terroir. He currently makes about 17,000 cases of vinifera wine, of which about 10% is from red va- rieties. Cabernet Franc makes up almost 60% of the red total, aver- aging 1,000 cases annually. His fermentation technique through 2012 consisted of hand- p i c k i n g t h e g r a p e s , g o i n g through a crusher-destemmer and fermenting in open-top 1-ton bins. The cap would be punched down three to four times per day, and fermentation would last 18-24 days. Now that he is comfortable with the con- sistency of quality, and what fruit flavors to expect from each block, he has begun to experi- ment more in the cellar, "to see what presentation is best for that fruit," he said. For example, in 2013 he tank fermented some of the Cabernet Franc and moved to larger open-top bins, ranging from 1-ton to 5-ton open fermen- tations. Another experiment was a project with a New York City restaurant, in which Merwarth explains he was "doing some things with Cabernet Franc out- side of my comfort level—open- t o p w o o d f e r m e n t a t i o n a n d whole-cluster fermentations." When asked about yeast pref- erences, he explained Cabernet Franc is now the only grape he ferments with cultured yeast: a neutral yeast from Erbsloeh known as Rouge. Wiemer gravi- tated toward a style of wine based on the consistency of block flavors and moved away from using cul- tured yeast for Rieslings in 2004. The final vintage with cultured yeast for any of Wiemer's white wines was 2012. Merwarth thinks that this will be the progression for Cabernet Franc. "There's a comfort level that you have to break out of to just let it ferment. It's not being inattentive, it's being cautiously hands-off," he said. To succeed in the cellar "hands-off," one needs to be very specific in the vineyard and on the press pad. Malolactic fermentation tech- niques are also evolving. Typi- cally, Merwarth would have partial ML in barrels or tanks, but in 2013 he began full ML in both. No sulfur is added on the press pad—or in barrels and tanks—and ML occurs in late spring or early summer, without inoculation. "If it happens, it happens," Merwarth said. "When I let things develop, it's going to vary barrel by barrel, but I'm OK with that level of inconsistency." Embracing inconsistency is op- posite to Merwarth's approach in the vineyard and on the press pad. He explained, "Whether or not it goes through full or partial ML, or no ML, I think it adds a l e v e l o f c o m p l e x i t y t h a t i s intriguing." The new wine will age 10-13 months before bottling. He em- ploys used barrels only, and until 2012, all the cooperage was French. Now his Cabernet Franc ages in larger format 500-700 liter Hungarian cooperage used the Basic Hoe comes with a Hillup and a Takeaway Blade. Additional attachments include .3 Tooth Cultivator, Undercutter Blade, Rotary head, " NEW " Rolling Cultivator and "Vine Auger". The Green Hoe Company, Inc. 6645 West Main Road, Portland, NY 14769 PHONE (716) 792-9433 FAX (716) 792-9434 WWW.GREENHOECOMPANY.COM GREEN GRAPE HOE Excellent for spraying: VINEYARDS, vegetables, orchards, nurseries, Christmas trees, mosquitoes, cattle, chicken houses, etc. Low Maintenance High Performance Motor Models available S a l es C om pa n y – Mist Sprayers – References available in your area American Made We offer a complete line of low volume mist blowers. For free brochure contact: Swihart Sales Co. 7240 County Road AA, Quinter, KS 67752 785-754-3513 or 800-864-4595 www.swihart-sales.com "I'm still evolving with how much wood do I give? How much barrel or tank time does it need? How much bottle age should it have?" —Fred Merwarth Hauser Packaging Quality European Bottles • DIAM Corks Custom Packaging • Finger Lakes Warehouse 888-600-2671 • hauserpack.com