Tour Stop 4: Fermentation Tanks
Our production facility is designed to accommodate our diverse and expanding winemaking program. Although the building itself has a rather large footprint, our production facility is small, with a maximum capacity production of 10,000 cases. Our goal as a small production winery is to seek out the best fruit we can find in the Columbia Valley and make small-lot productions. We may produce some wines consistently from year to year, but we always want to be able to have the space, time, and flexibility to explore small lots, whether it be Malbec, Roussanne, or Petit Verdot.
Our stainless-steel fermentation tanks are relatively small. They range in size from 550 gallons to 1,500 gallons. The floating lids on the tanks are lined with inflatable rubber gaskets. We can lower the lids to the level of the wine in the tanks and pump up the gaskets to create a seal, preventing oxidation in wine lots of any size.
All of the tanks are equipped with temperature control. Our winemaker, Marie-Eve, helped to design these tanks in order to maximize control over the heating and cooling of the wine during fermentation. The thicker cooling coils use more glycol, but they are able to heat or cool faster than traditional, thinner coils. Temperature control is one of the most important aspects of a healthy fermentation. The yeast creates heat as it turns sugar into alcohol. If the yeast is too vigorous, the resulting heat can cook the juice, removing fresh fruit flavor, or even start killing the yeast, which results in slow or stuck fermentation. Temperature is also directly related to the tannin, aromas, and mouthfeel.
We also use concrete for fermentation. Concrete is becoming especially popular in modern winemaking and is utilized in many Walla Walla wineries today. Concrete acts as a natural insulator and stabilizes the temperature of the wine inside it. This stability allows for a smooth and gradual fermentation without temperature spikes. Concrete is also ideal for long-term storage and aging of wine.
Concrete acts as a middle ground between oak and stainless steel, because it is porous. It allows a gradual ingress of oxygen into the tank, unlike stainless steel. It is not as porous as oak, so the aging process is slower. Wines fermented in concrete typically have a rounder mouthfeel than those fermented in oak, and they have more pure fruit flavor and intense color. Our winemakers utilize concrete, stainless steel, and oak for both fermentation and aging, allowing for a broader expression of styles and greater complexity in our final blends.