Red Wine from Vine to Barrel: A Visual Masterclass from a Napa Valley Winery
Red Wine from Vine to Barrel: A Visual Masterclass from a Napa Valley Winery
Oct 28, 2011 6
(Forbes) - I was lucky enough to have been invited to the Louis M. Martini Winery in St. Helena, Napa Valley, earlier this month. This is a wonderful place to visit anytime of the year, but especially so in October and early November when the the vineyards and wineries are a hive of activity. During a period of about 6 weeks in the fall, the grapes are harvested and crushed to provide for the year’s wine production. Drop by at Louis M. Martini, and you’ll be given a tour of the wine-making facilities complete with dramatic sky-high towers of barrels and casks. One of the winery’s experts will talk you through the whole wine-making process and you’ll actually get to see the grapes being sorted, crushed and sitting in extraction tanks as they ferment and turn into that magical elixir. You’ll even be allowed to try the freshly pressed juice, called “must” at different points of fermentation. After these exertions, you’ll round off your day with a visit to the winery’s tasting room.
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