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WINEMAKING ysis and complex toasty/yeasty flavors. In a several-thousand-gallon tank, closeness isn't guaranteed, but mixing and stirring lees once a week creates a reasonable fac- simile: We might call it enforced intimacy. Developing complexity from the lees takes Joy Merrilees of Steele Wines enlists Weibel Family Vineyards to produce its sparklers. that he can harvest grapes a little later, a little higher in Brix and pH; if he picked at classic méthode champenoise ripeness, he'd be picking at the end of July, without any flavor development. Time matters more than size The conviction that great wines have to be made in small batches is deeply ingrained, especially when it comes to sparklers, de- spite the lack of much science to buttress the belief. "Tank fermentation," Weibel says, "is just a bigger bottle." One physical advantage of bottle fer- mentation is the constant, intimate contact between the fermenting/aging wine and the yeast and lees, guaranteeing ongoing autol- time, and the reason many folks have never tasted that effect in Charmat wines is that many of them don't spend much time snug- gling up to the spent yeast. Bronco's house style, according to Stashak, does not include having any autolysis character, so the wines get turned around quickly, emphasizing freshness instead. Fred Weibel says most of his clients opt for French Colombard base wines and short tank time—in part to keep costs down; but for Weibel's own Mendoci- no Brut, based on the family's vineyards, six to eight months on the lees is the norm for a Chardonnay/Pinot blend. Paschina's Bar- boursville Brut gets six months on the lees. Down at South Coast, McPherson has been pushing the Charmat envelope, with wines getting anywhere from 14 months on the lees for the Brut to 30 months for the all- Chardonnay Blanc de Blanc. Two years ago, that Blanc de Blanc took a gold medal and won its class at the Riv- erside International Wine Competition, up against some heavy méthode champenoise hitters. Wine writer Dan Berger, who heads the competition, says this came as something of a surprise. However, "The judges loved it," he says. Riverside has since separated bottle- and tank-fermented bubblies, mainly because of the historical differences in quali- ty and approach, but he's still thinking about switching back to side-by-side competition. "If you use high-quality grapes, use careful methods for the primary fermentation, then use Charmat tanks properly, with longer ag- ing, the end result can be as good as méthode champenoise," he says. Cheap it ain't This method with a reputation for making cheap wine isn't cheap. Pressurized tanks need stronger welds, often double walls, robust temperature control and insulation, and plenty of bells and whistles, mean- ing they cost two to four times as much as standard stainless tanks. And of course you can't have just one; the wine has to be transferred from one pressurized tank to another. If you start tying tanks up for a couple years, you start needing several. Fil- tration equipment has to be able to handle pressure. Special bottling lines are required for sparklers, since everything needs ex- tensive pressure and temperature control, COST EFFECTIVE WINE ANALYSIS Test menu includes: Acetic Acid Ammonia Copper Ethanol Konelab Chemwell Glucose/ Fructose Iron Lactic Acid Kits compatible with: Vitalab Selectra Cobas Mira Hitachi Malic Acid Potassium TAS Total SO2 'RX monza Starter Package Now Available' FOOD DIAGNOSTICS 52 WINES & VINES DECEMBER 2012 AV1056RFD - Wines and Vines - OCT12.indd 1 22/10/2012 16:32 T +1 304 728 2890 E enquiries@randoxfooddiagnostics.com www.randoxfooddiagnostics.com