Begin your winemaking journey by sampling your favorite reds and whites - don’t forget to leave room to try new blends. Our knowledgeable staff will be on hand to guide you as you choose your own unique varietal. Looking for a tried and true favorite or a once-in-a-lifetime wine? We’re here to help with your winemaking experience.
Don't worry! You won’t have to stomp on any grapes! Sadly, the iconic “I Love Lucy Method” is not used in our facility. Grapes are crushed and destemmed at the same time by a specialized crusher-destemmer machine. As your chosen grapes are crushed, they will fall through cylinder perforations in the machine which will allow the stems to pass out the end.
For white wines, after your chosen grapes are crushed, they will fall through cylinder perforations in the machine, allowing the stems to pass out the end. Following this crushing process, the juice is separated from the skins and seeds, ensuring the purity of the juice for white wine production.
Next, the free-run juice is pumped into your barrel. As for the crushed grapes, they are put through our state-of-the-art hydraulic press. This will allow for further pressed juice to be forced out through perforations and into your barrel. Due to the fermentation process, the grape skin has become less slippery allowing for more free-run juice to be collected. Remember, we winemakers are a meticulous bunch! We will continue to taste our wine at all stages of the pressing process.
Racking is the process by which the suspended material (yeast cells, particles of skins, etc.) is removed from your wine after fermentation. However, some wines will deposit their suspended material quickly.
This is particularly true when 50-gallon wooden barrels, which have greater surface-to-volume ratios than larger containers, are used. The rough wood interiors help the wine to shed any suspended materials.
This is an optional step, but we highly encourage our winemakers to be present during the racking of their own barrels.
This is the part you’ve been waiting for all year! Your wine has finished aging and is ready to go home with you. During the bottling process, you will fill your bottles and cork them. You will also be given a heat-shrinking colorful capsule for the top. Gather up some friends - and family - to help you bottle, label, and pack up your own handcrafted wine. Congrats vinter!
The final step - applying your own personalized label! Get creative and unlock your wine’s unique personality. Choose from a variety of icons and print your own text. Your label will be the final touch that defines your wine to the world. Salut!
Make Wine With Us is the place to be for any vinophile! From sampling, crushing and pressing, to racking and bottling, the winemaking process is the perfect hobby for any oenophile! Our Winemaking Experience is the perfect opportunity to catch up with family members and old friends. Looking for an out-of-the-box team building for the office? Our classes offer the perfect bonding retreat away from the meeting room. New or old - Make Wine With Us is the perfect hobby for friends.
Pair your vintage with great food and even better friends. Raise a glass to your creation and enjoy. Who knows, maybe even catch a classic episode of I Love Lucy or two!
Salut!
The very first sip of your new favorite wine is only a few months away. Through a series of hands-on sessions, Make Wine With Us introduces students - of all levels - to the finer points of the winemaking craft. Our certified wine instructors will ensure you learn the ins-and-outs while in a fun and welcoming environment. Join other enthusiastic first time winemakers in small, intimate groups. Together, you will find the confidence and knowledge to handcraft your own unique vintage.
Interested in visiting Make Wine With Us? Have questions?
Give us a call at 201-876-9463 today!