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WINEMAKING artist carlos lopez painted these decora- tive doors at the ripken winery and also designed the winery's new label. levels and pH, but she sends samples to Lodi Wine Lab for more detailed numbers. The winery is small, just a few hun- dred square feet, and houses the barrels and tasting area, which consists of a bar tucked away behind a set of large doors in the front of the building. All the crushing and receiving takes place behind the win- ery. Equipment is minimal; Susan Ripken said she has one pump and just a couple of hoses. "There's a thousand wineries in Italy like this," Rich Ripken said. aging and bottling The Ripkens age their wines for a year or two in used French oak barrels. They have about 60 barrels from various coo- perages such as Radoux, Cadus, Remond and Seguin Moreau. Susan Ripken said they only purchase about two new barrels per year. Wine receives minimal treatment during barrel aging. Susan Ripken said she racks directly from barrels to the tank with a pump. Once blended, all the wines are fil- tered. She pumps the wine from the stain- less tank through the winery's Marchisio pad filter and into a plastic receiving tank. Once all the wine has been filtered, it is transferred back to the stainless steel tank. For bottling, the Ripkens use an eight- spout filler by GAI. Susan Ripken said she lifts the tank up with a forklift and connects to the filler, which is fed by grav- ity. One person fills the bottles and then hands them off to another worker em- ploying the corking machine. Rich Ripken Wines & Vines MAY 2012 67