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WINEMAKING Secondary fermentation for sparkling wines is conducted in multi-thousand-gallon tanks at South Coast Winery in Temecula, Calif. (left), and one bottle at a time at the Rack & Riddle custom-crush facility in Hopland, Calif. (right.) hand-riddling bottles all day, while tank fermentation suggests some guy in a white lab coat pushing a button to stir the lees in a 3,000-gallon tank. But in fact, the two methods are strikingly similar and can have quite comparable re- sults, as made clear by conversations with several winemakers who know their way around a tank. My immersion in Charmat was greatly aided by chatting with Fred Weibel Jr. of Weibel Family Vineyards, California's leading Charmat custom- bottling operation, located in Lodi, Calif.; Jon McPherson, winemaker at South Coast Winery in Temecula, Calif.; Bob Stashak, executive winemaker for a number of labels under the Bronco umbrella; Luca Paschina, winemaker at Barboursville Vineyards in Virginia, and Joy Merrilees, winemaker for Steele Wines in Lake County, Calif. Identifying the differences In traditional méthode champenoise, fruit is harvested at a lower Brix than con- Patent # 7357069 ventional table wine, with lower pH and higher acidity, and the resulting wine is fer- mented dry. After some blending, cleanup and stabilization, a second fermentation is conducted in the bottle, with additional yeast and sugar, all kept under pressure with crown caps. After some period of ag- ing and riddling, the yeast plug is popped out, the final dosage is popped in and the bottle gets a stopper. In the Charmat method, fruit is harvested at a lower Brix than conventional table wine, Inspired Design Our spirals made from Premium, American or French Oak deliver 100% new barrel flavor (8 months) in as little as six weeks. Now you can boast authentic oak flavor using neutral barrels or tanks – with rapid, controllable and predictable results. www.InfusionSpiral.com (800) 201-7125 West Coast–New York–Texas Len Napolitano (805) 712-4471 len@thebarrelmill.com 50 WINES & VINES DECEMBER 2012 Four toast levels Economical Sustainable Time-saving