Smoosh Grapes

Getting the grape juice safely from the vineyard and into the fermentation tank is a carefully timed, labor intensive process that is no easy feat, and no, feet are not used to press the grapes. A ripening grape in the vineyard will have sugar levels increase while acid levels slowly fall. Sugars are checked in the vineyard with a refractometer. When the grape's sugar level hits the sweet spot, harvest begins in the cool, pre-dawn hours where the grape bunches are plucked and hauled to the winery. Large lugs of grape bunches are dumped into a crusher/destemmer machine where counter-rotating ribbed cylinders pull the berries in though a small gap between the cylinders popping open the skin and releasing the sweet juice within. The mash or grape 'must' falls through screened holes while stems are pushed out with an auger to be added to the compost bin. Here the process differs for red and white wines.

The grape must for white wines will go immediately into a press. A fine screen mesh cylinder is filled with the must. A rubber bladder in the center of the cylinder is inflated where the expanding bladder presses the sugar rich juice from the skins and seeds. The skins are typically removed from the juice for white wines to prevent off colors from being extracted from the skins. The juice is pumped into a stainless fermenter and quickly chilled and sterilized to prevent the unwanted growth of bacteria and wild yeast.

Red grape must takes a shorter path to the fermenter as it skips the press and goes directly from the crusher and into a stainless fermenter to be chilled and sterilized. Skins are kept with the juice for red wines to extract the rich color and tannins locked within the skin cells which are released during fermentation. The amount of time the skins and juice are kept together is closely monitored by the vintner to get the character of the must to the perfect levels.

Fermentation begins with the addition of lab yeast chosen specifically for the type of wine and the mystical magic begins changing sugars to alcohol. At the right moment the red, partially-fermented juice is pumped through the press to separate the skins and seeds from the juice and returned to the fermenter for the yeast to complete its task, usually 5 to 12 days. Vintner magic continues in the winery for a few months up to a few years for each grape harvest.

Vintner Magic

When nature's seasonal influence turns its bounty over to the winemaker, most of the character for the vintage has been done. The sun, rain, temperature and wind has provided a unique set of interacting ingredients for fuel for the vines to extract and combine the rich flavors of the soil into an uncommon and complex flavorful grape. Every year is different. The winemaker measures a few key characteristics, decides when to pluck it from the vineyard and assists in the fruit's mystical transformation into wine. A slow carefully timed and controlled process of crushing, pressing and extracting follows to develop and balance the more positive aspects of the juice while softening and mellowing the harsh attitudes the vintage may possess. There are dozens of yeast strains designed to carry out the fermentation process. The best one or two strains must be matched to the juice's natural sugars, acids, fermentation temperature and target alcohol level while enhancing the characteristics unique to the grape variety. The blending of wine is often done to balance a wine's overall performance and give the wine a larger table setting to perform. What follows is a polished wine with a wonderful presence, mouthfeel and personality, one worth inviting to your dinner table.

Label Design

Naca Valley Vineyard supports and encourages the arts and particularly the works of local and regional artists. The tasting room will include art encompassing many genres from local artists and craftspersons. In following the tradition of the famous Chateau Mouton Rothschild French winery of having an annual label designed by a famous artist of the day, the Mouton family of Nacogdoches at Naca Valley Vineyard is commissioning a local or regional artist annually to produce artwork for one of the winery’s varietal bottlings.

Enjoy

Perhaps the easiest (and most fun!) step is experiencing our fantastic customers kick back and relax with a glass of our wine.