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Bottling and Storage

5/26/2020

Now that we have a completed wine, it is destined for a bottle. The bottling process at DDW features a monoblock system. This means that the entire bottling process occurs with one machine, rather than separate stations. The wine is pumped from the holding tank into the bottling line. Once the machine is ready, the operation is a mix of manual and mechanical labor. Bottles are loaded onto the line and fed through an enclosure where the mechanical steps take place.

Sparging is the first step. An inert gas (non-reactive) is inserted into the bottle to push out the oxygen. A carousel carries the bottles through the line to be filled, leveled, and corked. We use a natural composite cork at DDW. The bottles get their foil cap, which is heated to seal around the neck of the bottle. Labels are applied and the bottles leave the machine to be packaged by our production team. The packaged bottles are stored in our temperature-controlled warehouse.

We give our wines appropriate time to recover after going through a stage typically called “bottle shock”. Wine does not like to be agitated, and the process of bottling can disturb the flavor and mouthfeel. The recovery time allows the wine to return to its ideal state for consumption.

The wine is now ready for our tasting room and to be shipped to our many retail locations.

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Wine Making

5/20/2020

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Wine production begins after the annual grape harvest and crush. Science, craft, and skill all come together in the next steps of making great wine.

When the grapes have been crushed and the juices have been collected, our holding tanks are filled; a single tank can hold up to 4,000 gallons of juice. Different yeasts are added, depending on the style of wine, and fermentation begins. This process takes up to two weeks, while our production staff closely monitors the progress each day. Once fermentation is complete, the juices are now considered to be a base wine. The wine is moved to a clean tank to remove the expended yeast, known as “lees”.

Most of DDW’s wines are blended. This is where the true art of wine making begins. Our winemakers develop the formula and calculate ratios that are needed to produce a full batch of Dancing Dragonfly wine. Once the perfect blend is produced, the team prepares for bottling by stabilizing and clarifying the wine. This helps to prevent continuing fermentation, and as the process suggests, it puts the wine in a more stable state. Our winemakers will age the wines depending on the specific tastes they are aiming for. Fruity wines age in the holding tanks, but other, more mature wines, age in barrels.

Fining agents are added to help remove unwanted particles. When fining the wine, the particles gathered by the agents are removed by filtering. Filtration also removes particles remaining in the wine down to a microscopic level. Once the wine is clarified, bottling can begin.

In the next post, we will explore the final steps in getting the wine into your hands.

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Harvest & Crush

5/12/2020

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Once the grapes have gone through veraison, the vineyard and production team begin checking for desired ripeness by monitoring sweetness, acid, and pH levels. At this time, they also begin to schedule the new year’s harvest, as different varietals ripen at different rates. This will determine where the harvest will begin in the fields. At DDW we harvest both by hand, and by using high tech harvesting equipment.
When choosing which grapes are to be hand harvested, some rows are set aside exclusively for a group of our Inner Circle Wine Club members. In addition, some of the grapes need to be hand harvested so the team can look at every cluster, to select the best grapes for certain wines. Hand harvesting in the winter months allows the team to be selective about the fruit used in the making of our popular Ice Wine.
Our team used to harvest all the grapes by hand. But, as the acreage continued to grow, we needed to advance to something bigger. In 2017 we upgraded to an OXBO harvester from Clear Lake, WI. It has a leveling system to raise and lower the machine above the vines, always maintaining the proper clearance to not damage the trellising system. Long bows on the inside of the harvester gently shake and move past one another to knock the ripened grapes off the vine. This also de-stems the grapes, which helps with processing them later in production. The grapes travel along a conveyor belt in small bins on either side of the harvester, to the hoppers on top where they are stored until they can be transferred into macro bins. Each macro bin can hold approximately a half-ton of grapes.
After coming off from the field, the macro bins are weighed and recorded to get an accurate total yield for the season. Using the forklift, the macro bins are brought from the scale to the crush line. The first step is for the grapes to be sorted. The mechanical harvester has already removed most of the stems, but we still use a de-stemmer to help remove any remaining MOG (material other than grapes), such as sticks and leaves. The grapes are then crushed between two rollers and pumped into the press. The press contains a membrane which inflates and squeezes the grapes, releasing the juices that are then caught below the press in a drip pan and pumped into a tank to be fermented.
At DDW, we celebrate harvest and crush with our Grape Stomp Festival each year, where we allow our guests a chance to experience a traditional stomp. With modern technology, the crush process has become more mechanical, requiring less physical labor.
The next series of steps to be highlighted in an upcoming post, featuring the art and science of fermentation, stabilizing, aging, and blending the base wines that will become finished wine.

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Bud Break and Vine Care

5/5/2020

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Now that the vineyard team has completed pruning, it is time to wait. The plants slowly begin to wake up from dormancy. The vine does most of the work at this stage, but still requires a delicate balance of monitoring and care.

As they wait, the vineyard team sets off to perform ground maintenance, such as mowing and weeding. Also, taping down last year’s remaining cordons to encourage new growth. When they tie and tape the vines to the trellis, they monitor the buds to ensure that the work done during pruning was adequate, adjusting as they see fit. Soon the buds will open, and the vineyard will be lush with green.

Daily monitoring of weather allows the team to keep a close eye on the performance of the fields. Temperatures, moisture, and wind all affect the timing and care of the vines. The warmer the spring, the quicker new growth will happen. If the weather is cooler, bud break will become slightly delayed. From the time a bud begins to swell, and the time it breaks open is, on average, two to three weeks.

Once bud break is in full swing, the team can see clues as to how bountiful harvest might be. Flowering clusters encourage natural pollination and berry development begins. The grapes go through enlargement and veraison (click here to learn more about veraison) before they become mature. Our team continuously maintains the amount of leaf cover when the grapes begin to grow. This allows control over the sun and airflow to reach the fruit, aiding in ripening and sugar development.

All of the work completed over the winter and early spring ensures a bountiful harvest of grapes in the fall.

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Bottling and Storage

Wine Making

Harvest & Crush

Bud Break and Vine Care

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