Annika and Linn inspecting Pinot Noir ferment at Vinpro.
Steps in Pinot Noir Production
Our grapes are hand picked late April with brix content around 25brix.
Our Pinot Noir clones consist of
19% 10/5
29% Dijon
21% Pommard
31% 667/777.
Our Pinot Noir wine making consists of the following
90-95% destem with 5-10% whole bunches,
100% whole berries
one week cold soak at 10-14C in stainless steel open topped fermentor,
8 day ferment with temperatures 25-32C,
10-14 days post ferment on skins to extract colour and soften the tannins.
The wine is tasted daily to get the optimal balance of tannin and fruit character.
It is then lightly settled and raked to French oak barrels (13rd new oak,
13rd year two, & 13rd years three and four year old barrels)
The malolactic fermentation occurs in the barrels to soften the wine and
the wine spends 10-11 months in barrel.
The wine is settled prior to bottling. We find the Pinot Noir wine needs 18 months bottle aging to reapproach it's condition in barrel.
Our wines are gently crafted at Vinpro in Cromwell under the stewardship
of a team of New Zealand's most experienced onologists.
Paul's initial interest in winemaking was based on the the support provided by University of California Davis and their free publication titled
Home Winemaking
Authors: George M. Cooke, Extension Enologist Emeritus and James T. Lapsley,
Continuing Education Specialist, Electronic version: Christian E. Butzke,
Cooperative Extension Enologist Department of Viticulture & Enology,
UC Davis.
Follow this link to download their publication.
University of California Davis Winemaking Publication