Category: Videos

After the grapes are harvested they go through the crush, which is a process explained here by the winemaker at Sculpterra Winery, Paul Frankel.

In this video Paul explains the process of hand picking grapes. It’s a very important step in producing high quality wines.

As the clusters grow during summer it’s important to moniter them and make sure they’re growing well. In this video, winemaker, Paul Frankel, explains what to look for and how cluster growth can predict harvest yields.

This video from Sculpterra’s winemaker, Paul Frankel, is all about their newly released 2014 Viognier. A vibrant, and delicious white wine grown in Paso Robles, California.

Notes From the Winemaker – When to Harvest. In this video Paul Frankel, winemaker at Sculpterra Winery, discusses the importance of harvesting wine grapes at the perfect time, and some of the complications that can happen when everything is ripe at the same time.

Wine ages best when the barrels are full, so every 6-8 weeks the winemaker must top each barrel to compensate for evaporation. This video shows how Paul Frankel, winemaker at Sculpterra Winery, tops barrels. This is also his chance to taste the wines and evaluate them.

Notes from the Winemaker – Racking Wine. In this video Paul Frankel, winemaker at Sculpterra Winery, explains what it means to rack wine, how it is done, and why it is important.

One way to tell if wine grapes are ready to be harvested is by checking the sugar content in the grapes, this is known as checking its brix. There are many ways of doing this, in this video Paul Frankel explains how he checks the brix at Sculpterra Winery.

Here’s my newest video! We are quickly approaching harvest at Sculpterra as the berries change color from green to purple. The myriad of shades of red, purple, even blue-ish berries look dazzling! It’s an exciting time for me because it means that harvest may be a month or less away now. This process in France is called “Veraison.” Veraison has four parts to it.

 

1.) Berries soften up, changing from rock hard pebbles to soft with juicy insides

2.) Berries loose high levels of acidity, primary malic acid

3.) These berries become sweet as glucose and fructose is translocated from the leaves to the berries.

4.) Aromas and phenolics are now appearing as flavor components of the grapes.

 

What triggers Veraison? Well to be honest scientist are unsure. It must be correlated with temperatures, weather, water stress, light and most crop load. The grape seed experience change as well, as it becomes brown in color and becoming ready to plant. Some varietals will be harvest 30 days after the onset of Veraison, like Pinot Noir. Cabernet Sauvignon on the other hand can take 60-75 days till harvest once Veraison is initiated. My next vineyard practice will be to sample the berries, monitoring their level of ripeness as I determine the optimum time of when to harvest.