Wine Production
Next time you open a bottle of wine, raise a glass and toast the hard working people who have made your enjoyment possible. Having just spent a day on a wine production course, I have a healthy respect for those who work in the vineyards and wineries and make it possible for us to enjoy what is in our glass.
I spent the day at Plumpton College with 14 other WSET Diploma students, the morning covered the vineyard and in the afternoon what happens in the winery.
After an hour or so in the classroom going through the annual cycle in the vineyard we went out into one of Plumpton’s 3 vineyards to do some pruning. It was good to be able to see all the different vine training systems I had learned about for Unit 2 of the Diploma. We saw Guyot, Scott Henry, Lyre, Geneva Double Curtain and heard about which of the 15 various grape varieties in the college they were suited to.
It was a beautiful morning up on the edge of the South Downs and as I enjoy gardening I was in my element. However as you raise your glass in a toast to all the dedicated workers who toil away in the vineyard, remember they have to do it In all weathers. Vines can’t wait to be pruned so if it’s raining or cold the work still has to be done. I feel for the workers in vineyards that grow the grapes for Eiswein, out there in sub zero temperatures picking individual frozen grapes and bunches by hand.
The afternoon was spent in Plumpton’s new winery where we were walked through the process from receipt of grapes through pressing, fermentation, stabilization and maturation. We spent time in the lab talking about the need for stability checks on tartrates and proteins. We got involved in clarifying some rose with bentonite. It had shown some haziness at room temperatures and opened my eyes to the tests that go on to ensure we get a glass of clear and fresh wine. We also got a chance to taste a couple of Plumpton’s wines, the Dean Blush and The Apprentice.
So as you sit at home with your nice clear glass of wine, spare a thought for the winemaker who has dedicated himself to make sure the glass in your hand is in the best possible condition.
Cheers!
