From Vine To Glass: A Journey Through How Wine Is Made In Sonoma County
Sonoma County, nestled in the heart of California’s wine country, is renowned globally for its exceptional wines. There is a long studied and finely tuned process that yields the rare flavor found in Sonoma’s wine, and it comes down to a combination of the region’s diverse microclimates, fertile soil, and skilled winemakers. Join us as we explore the stages of winemaking in Sonoma County, and what makes Sonoma vino so renowned worldwide.
The Origin of Sonoma County Wines
The flavor of a great Sonoma wine always originates in the vineyards where it came from, where the grape-growing season plays a crucial role in determining the quality and characteristics of the varietal. Sonoma County experiences a Mediterranean climate, with warm days and cool nights, creating an ideal environment for grape cultivation. The growing season typically starts in early spring when the vines awaken from dormancy. Bud break occurs, and the first tender leaves emerge, marking the beginning of a new vintage.
Vineyard Care and Grape Cultivation
As the season progresses, the vines undergo flowering and fruit sets, where tiny grape clusters develop. These clusters require care and attention to ensure optimal growth. Throughout the summer months, vineyard managers meticulously monitor the vineyards, managing irrigation, canopy growth, and pest control. The ripening period is a crucial time when the grapes accumulate sugars, acidity levels balance, and flavors develop. An unusually hot or wet day can affect flavors drastically, so winemakers must taste grapes frequently to ensure their season schedule is aligned with the grapes’ growth pace.
Harvest Time: A Critical Decision Point
Harvest, the most anticipated time of the year, is when the grapes reach their peak maturity. Winemakers carefully decide when to pick the grapes, considering factors such as sugar levels, acidity, flavor development, and phenolic ripeness. Harvest is often a communal effort, with pickers hand-selecting the grapes, ensuring that only the best fruit makes its way to the winery. Winemakers must also beware of rot, which can set in within a few days of an unexpected rainstorm. In the case of a storm, the winemaker must harvest the grapes immediately – cases like these introduce variety into each year’s unique flavor profile and winemakers must learn to adapt to environmental conditions.
From Grapes to Wine: The Process Begins
Once the grapes are harvested, they embark on their transformation from fruit to wine. The winemaking process begins with sorting and destemming the grapes, generally using a machine that removes any unwanted material. For red wines, the grapes are (removed “typically”) fermented with their skins – the grape skins add color, bitter tannins, and the flavor that makes red wines red. Meanwhile, white wines are almost always made without skins, thus yielding a completely different flavor profile. Fermentation takes place in stainless steel tanks, oak barrels, or a combination of both, depending on the winemaker's preferences.
Fermentation: The Birth of Wine
During fermentation, yeast converts the sugars in the grape juice into alcohol, releasing carbon dioxide as a byproduct. This process can take anywhere from several days to a few weeks, depending on the desired style of wine. The winemaker closely monitors the fermentation process, ensuring temperature control and gentle extraction of color and tannins for red wines. Wine that hasn’t fermented enough will taste too sweet, and wine that’s over fermented starts to taste like vinegar.
Aging and Blending: The Art of Winemaking
Once the must has fermented into wine, it’s time for the winemaker to make decisions regarding aging and blending. Some wines may undergo malolactic fermentation, a process that converts harsh malic acid into softer lactic acid, enhancing the wine's smoothness. Afterward, the wine is aged in oak barrels, where it develops additional complexity and flavors. Some wines are aged for a few months, while others are aged for several years. In general, red wine ages longer than white wine.
Clarification and Final Adjustments: Perfecting the Wine
After aging, the winemaker carefully blends different lots of wine to achieve the desired flavor profile and balance. Blending allows winemakers to create wines that showcase the best characteristics of each grape variety or vineyard site. For example, a winemaker might blend a sweeter wine with a dry one to achieve balance of taste in what will eventually be bottled. When the winemaker settles on a final blend, it’s then clarified through fining and filtration to remove solids and ensure stability.
Bottling: The Final Stage
The wine must undergo a final quality assessment before its ready for bottling. Winemakers taste the wine, evaluating its aromas, flavors, structure, and balance. Sometimes, the winemaker will make some final adjustments to finish the wine’s profile. Once approved, the wine is bottled, sealed, and labeled, ready to make its way from the winery to the tasting room and to wine lovers around the world.
Savoring Sonoma County Wines: A Journey of Flavor
When you drink a glass of wine from Sonoma County, you’re tasting complex flavors that were cultivated and focused with care, sometimes over the course of many years. Sonoma’s favorable climate, skilled winemakers, and dedication to quality result in wines that capture the essence of the land. From vine to glass, each step of the process contributes to the creation of wines that are renowned for their complexity, balance, and unique expression. So, next time you uncork a bottle of Sonoma County wine, take a moment to appreciate the journey it has undertaken and savor the flavors that embody the spirit of this remarkable winemaking region.