Pinot Noir Fermentation 2007

After the harvest Doris and I took off on a trip up the Northern California and Oregon coasts. We joined the Landons (neighbors from Rock Hall) who were on a six week Northwest driving trip. A great time was had by all.

So far none of this matched with the title.

On our return from Oregon, I checked in with winemaker Marty. He told me all was going well and my Pinot had completed the first fermentation. The first picture is the top of the fermentation vat before punch down. You can see it is bubbling away. The next picture is after punch down. Punch down is just like it sounds. The grape skins that worked to the top of the vat are pressed down to the bottom with a paddle that looks like a large potato masher(no holes in the bottom). This is done to keep good contact between the skins and the juice. The wine is punched down twice a day until it is dry (no sugar left).

You may never drink wine again after seeing these two pictures.