#RootedInCool

#RootedInCool

Here at our 40 Knots Vineyard, located on the 49th parallel, we are #rootedincool.  Our climate is similar to the Northern part of France and many of the German wine regions.  The varieties proven over centuries in these areas thrive in our terroir. 

With food trends moving towards more white meats, fish, vegan and vegetarian, our Estate wines naturally pair well.  With wine trends moving towards lower alcohol, lower residual sugar, and higher acidity, our Estate wines are increasingly popular.   Cool climate grape varietals are wonderfully suited to our location here in the Comox Valley.  Pinot Gris with crisp bright green apple notes, Chablis style Chardonnay with soft hay and pineapple on the palate.  White Seas, a local favorite, offers balance with juicy aromatics and mouth-watering acidity. 

If you are looking for those bold reds, big tannins, high alcohol that cut through fat in a steak like no other wines, then we do have those too, under our Stall Speed brand.  These grapes come from "warm climate" areas such as Naramata Bench and the Black Sage Bench in British Columbia.  

Balance

Balance is a term used quite frequently in the wine world.  At 40 Knots, we are able to achieve perfect balance without intervention in the cellar.  Each fall, each row of vines of each variety is carefully checked daily for pH and Brix (sugar level).  The day of harvest for each vine is decided by these levels and the weather forecast.  This is not the easiest harvest using this method, however, when the grapes are perfect, intervention is not necessary.  This is where our #rootedincool climate has a leg up to create the perfectly and naturally balanced wine.

Tannins

Tannins develop naturally as grapes grow in the vineyard. They begin accumulating during fruit set and continue until veraison (when the grapes change color).  Different grape varieties have different levels of tannins.  Tannins, in part, function as grape’s sunscreen—the more light that reaches a grape’s surface, the more tannins the skins produce. Light intensity is a major influence in the development of skin tannins at higher altitudes. Because light intensity is lost as light travels through the atmosphere, the light reaching higher-altitude vineyards is more intense and therefore contributes to conditions that yield more intensely tannic wines.

At 40 Knots, canopy management is important.  We have the ability to influence the type and amount of tannins that develop in our grapes.  It is a balance of providing protection from sunburn, allowing airflow to keep grapes dry, allowing the sun to create tannin, and avoid irrigation so grapes and small and contain more tannin. 

Visit our grapes! 

Want to check out for yourself what stage the tannins are at?  Take a stroll in our interpretive trail and join us in guided tasting/tour:

Or... not feeling that adventurous, taste the tannins in our tasting room.  Our staff will walk you through taste comparisons of tannins.

Looking for a super ripe and juicy wine that is bone dry?  This week we will be releasing our #rootedincool Sieg, just being bottled today.  

In our next blog, we will take a closer look at the naturally occurring acids in wine:  tartaric acid, malic acid, and citric acid.

 

Good Grapes! Fruit is set at 40 Knot's Vineyard

Good Grapes! Fruit is set at 40 Knot's Vineyard

Our vineyard interpretive trail is open year round, as well we have guided tastings and tours.  Please give us a call when you are ready for the adventure or book on-line.  With premium tastings available.

"Clean ethical wines are our promise. Great wines are not made in the tank and the barrel. Great wines come from the vineyard."  Layne Robert Craig

 

Wine, Wind and Sea.

Vineyard Budburst on the 40K Grounds

Vineyard Budburst on the 40K Grounds

                                  

Excitement spurs in the Northern Hemisphere for wine geeks and nature enthusiasts alike.  At 40 Knots Estate Winery in the Comox Valley, we have patiently awaited budburst throughout the vine's swelling stage and with an earlier start than last year, we can begin countdown to harvest as we watch our new shoots grow daily.  Swelling precedes budburst, and these first two stages of the vineyard bring invigoration and life to all of us.  

                    Swelling

           

Each and every vineyard begins to show life again in the "swelling" stage.  The nodes of each cane, with roughly 6 on each side, will display a soft fuzzy looking bump.  Waiting for the perfect temperature to begin its new year of abundant growth, the new crop waits in the wings until the temperature is just right.  When temperatures finally hang out around 10°C, the signal is given for growth to proceed.

                     Budburst

            

Vine growth is fueled by nitrogen and starch reserves stored in canes, trunks, and roots from the previous year.  Believe it or not, compressed shoots are already formed within the winterized cane!  Budburst is simply releasing what Mother Nature has already created.  Within our 40 Knots Vineyard, we kick off, as always, with two German varietals – Schoenberger and Siegerebe.  In this stage, we closely monitor weather patterns and pray that cold evenings do not bring frost to our delicate new growth.  We "desucker" or remove shoots that will not flower.  This ensures that optimal energy is reserved for eventual fruit.  Shoots will reach up into the sky at a vigorous pace as we await flowering to begin.

As part of our biodynamic farming, we continue to watch the vineyard floor and follow its phases.  Leaving the yellow dandelion intact to attract a variety of bees, the flower's first release of filament means we can begin to weave between rows to mow the grass.  It's also the time of year that you may witness a 40 Knots employee frantically chasing deer out of the front gateway.  We have not gone mad, we're just conscious of old deer-y's insatiable appetite for new growth of any kind.  We have four cute little goslings on the move and have happily made space for some retired chickens that will live out the rest of their days amongst the 40 Knots vines.  Sounds like a dream if you ask me!  

Love being in the vineyard?  Love drinking wine?  Come visit us and you can do both! Vineyard Tours

 

 

 

The Vineyard Floor at 40 Knots

Wine, Wind, Sea & the Vineyard Floor

The life cycle of the grapevine can be discussed at great lengths.  From budburst to harvest, the hours and energy put into vine, canopy and fruit management are extensive.  Some of that attention, however, should be directed beneath our feet to the life found along the vineyard floor.  This important cover crop has profound significance for the vineyard ecosystem, productivity and inevitably, wine quality.  Here are just a handful of native and foreign plants, and even weeds, that help our 40 Knots Vineyard work with Mother Nature to achieve our increasing biodynamic farming practices.

 

White Clover (Trifolium Repens)

Chances are, you’ve seen this shamrock shape not only in a vineyard.  Incredibly common in North America, this herbaceous perennial is a part of the bean family.  Eventually, within its life cycle, a small white flower will draw in many bumblebee visitors, which are powerful pollinators. Into maturity, the white flower will begin to turn pink.  Its ground coverage helps balance nitrogen levels and maintain soil health.  If you happen upon one with four leaves instead of three, some would say you’d be blessed with the luck of the Irish!

 

Dandelion (Taraxacum Mongolicum)

The Taraxacum Mongolicum has been used in Eastern medicine for thousands of years, providing many health benefits.  When aged, how beautiful the feathery filaments appear when caught up in a summer’s breeze.  Kind of nostalgic, isn’t it?  For the vineyard though, this perennial's wide-spread root systems are amazing for loosening soil and pulling up calcium from the depths.  Grape vines require proper aeration and drainage to produce quality fruit set.  Less is more when it comes to water!

 

Hairy Bittercress (Cardamine Hirsute)

This little white flower is part of the mustard family.  In this particular photo, you can see the long slender seed pods getting ready to burst and spread themselves along the vineyard floor.  Flourishing in damp, sunny and loose soil conditions, the vineyard is just the spot for the annual Cardamine Hirsute to thrive.  It is also edible.  It can add a little zip to your salad with peppery flavours, a perfect 40 Knots Pinot Noir pairing!  Just like all other types of plants within the mustard family, this one is loaded with nutrients.  It’s a spring weed, so as temperatures increase, the sight of them decreases.

Fescue Grass (Festuca Arundinacea)

The grass is basically the bodyguard of the vineyard, its main goal is to protect.  The grass' heavy root system safeguards the soil from eroding and compacting. In the heat of the summer, it will enter dormancy and turn brown.  This is favourable because it no longer competes for water.  It also reduces excess moisture, avoiding unwanted heavy vine vigor.  

 

Where this foliage thrives, so do bugs that feed our vineyard animals.

 

Biodynamic law teaches that everything has a purpose.  With the knowledge of this, we can truly revel in the bounty that is found all around us. 

 

“Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.” –Albert Einstein. 

 

 

With Spring upon us, we invite you to partake in one of our newly introduced guided vineyard tours.  While you’re sipping our 40 Knots wine amongst the vines where it all began, see if you can find some of these vineyard helpers in between your feet! 

40 Knots grows and crafts high quality, ethical, clean wines that are distinct to Vancouver Island.

The Swallow's Arrival

The Swallow 

(Stelgidopteryx serripennis)

If you've ever purchased a bottle of 40 Knots wine from our cellar door, you may have noticed the Northern Rough-Winged Swallow that adorns our Estate label.  The swallow is endemic to our area and frequent our vineyard.  Each year we celebrate their arrival because, for us, they are not only our friends but a part of our biodynamic crew.  Swallows will only live in areas that surround biodynamic balance and their presence speak volumes that our clean, green vineyard practices are working.  The swallow is an excellent bug predator.  Unlike other species of birds, they will never harm our grapes.   40 Knots Vineyard is surrounded by farming land and swallows always nest near other farm animals.  Next time you're here, perhaps during a guided or self-guided vineyard tour, keep your eyes peeled for swallow birdhouses built to keep the birds safe and give them a home to return to every year.

Swallows are also songbirds, and in maintaining balance it is believed that sound vibrations are important to vine health.  Italy has been piping opera out into their vines for many years, and the proof shows that vines closer to the music are the healthiest in the vineyard.  At 40 Knots, our version of this is offered not only to our vines but to our guests as well.  If you haven't yet had a chance to partake in one of our vineyard terrace Wine Wednesday events, better book now before reservations fill up!

40 Knots is just a stone’s throw away from the Salish Sea.  Because our land was created by a glacier,  our vines are reaching down through glacier till soil.  The rich salt air flows through our vines keeping them aerated, healthy and strong, and the salt air imbeds our oak providing beautiful aging that cannot be accomplished in dry wine regions.  While walking the interpretive trail or sipping on our vineyard terrace or balcony overlooking the vineyard, you can hear the swallows singing alongside the sea lion’s barking at the arrival of the new day.

Swallows are an important friend of sailors and are believed to be a good omen.  Sailors will often get a swallow tattoo to show off their sailing experience.  According to one legend, one swallow symbolizes successful journeys adding up to 5,000 nautical miles, two swallows symbolize 10,000 nautical miles and so on.  Another legend is that since swallows always return to the same land each year to mate and nest, the swallow will guarantee the sailor returns home safely.  Sailors also believe that if they were to drown, the swallow will carry their soul to heaven. 

40 Knots believes that all of us have the right to love and be loved.  This is showcased with our gold medal winning Soleil Rose  French Traditional style.  The label, "Love is Love", supports the LGBTQ2 community.  We believe that all are equal and we share the responsibility to support this belief.  Even our swallows live with a similar motto.  The female and male swallow not only look almost identical, but they also share in responsibilities of the daily chores and protecting their family.   Once they mate, they mate for life.  This is another quality we give great importance to.  We practice loyalty to our community, our family, our friends, and our environment. 

Awaiting our much-loved swallows, budburst in the near future and the days lasting a little bit longer, you better believe that we're dusting off that patio set!  Come visit us Tuesday through Sunday between the hours of 11 am and 5 pm for a tasting, a glass (or bottle!) and a picnic.

#See you soon in our Vineyard Terrace!

Biodynamic Farming

-Marmalade is a big word

Marmalade is a big word.  So is sustainability, biodynamic and lutte raisonnee to mention a few.  The environmentally friendly wine scene abounds with all kinds of words.  It is not easy to know what the terms mean, and sometimes they are carelessly bandied about by producers, consumers and reviewers alike.  But alas, there are control agencies monitoring compliance with a diversity of rules.   The most talked about is biodynamic, and 40 Knots Vineyard and Estate Winery is excited to be working towards certification.  In fact, we have been since the owners purchased the property in 2014.   And in fact, it was how their grandparents always farmed before there was a name for it.

So what is biodynamic?  Basically, it is quite straightforward... just as marmalade is another word for jam... biodynamic is respect for the environment.  It means using products which are not harmful to humans, flora, and fauna.  It is about a hands-off approach to farming and allowing Mother Nature to do her thing, and for us, to learn how to work in harmony with her.  

At 40 Knots, all of our crew works with Mother Nature in mind.  Each has a deep respect for the vineyard and every task they do. And one doesn't have to go far on Vancouver Island to find like-minded farmers and customers.  In fact, it is well recognized how forward thinking our community is, and their deep care for this land.  It is a big reason why the owners chose this area to farm.  When 40 Knots won the 2018 Comox Chamber Award for Sustainability, it was indeed recognized that we could not have done this without you.  Check out our video below of Layne giving the "Marmalade" speech.   

So what is everyone else doing?  Trends are showing that in France, organic wine producing acreages went up 39% in two years, and as of 2012, 8% of wine growing acreage was biodynamic or organic.  But is it possible, to ever get the land back to how Mother Nature intended?  Some say that it will be for the New World wines such as ours.  However, some say that some European vineyards that copiously used lead and arsenic (arseniate de plomb in French) as an insecticide during the twentieth century are beyond repair.  As is the high lead content in soils in Bordeaux that may be due to lead arsenate.

Great wines are not made in the tank and the barrel. Great wines come from the vineyard.

So, what about all the fluffy, weird burying of horns and following the moon?  It may sound like some sort of witchcraft and some may balk at the idea that moons can have any effect.  Well then, we call upon all you non-believers to take the:

Lunar Challenge

Following a lunar calendar is not only the main direction for biodynamic farming, but it can actually help your wine taste better! Have you ever wondered why one day your favorite bottle of wine can taste glorious whereas other days not so much?  Studies have proven that the moon can affect the way wine tastes.   Following this calendar states that there are root days, fruit days, flower days and leaf days. 

There are lots of references to this on the internet, and at 40 Knot's we all love Wine Folly.  Check out their link to the Wine Lunar Calendar:  https://winefolly.com/update/biodynamic-calendar-fruit-day-wine-tasting/

 

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Fruit Days: The best day for drinking your favorite bottle of 40 Knots wine!

Root Days: Good days for plant development.  Wine flavors not at their best

Flower Days: Good days for tending to your flowers and drinking your floral wines such as Ziggy

Leaf Days: good days to prune back your vine’s, don't break out the expensive bottle of wine...

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We want to hear back from you after you have completed the Lunar Challenge.  Let us know what wines were most affected by the moon, and which wines you think are best left for Root and Leaf days.  Leave a comment below, and I will be excited to learn alongside you as we discover together.

Want to connect with our little slice of Mother Nature’s heaven?  I will be guiding guests through a vineyard tour where you can sip the wine among the vines that created them.  Book for yourself and your loved ones!  Offered throughout the Spring and Summer on selected dates and times.

40 Knots grows and crafts high quality, ethical, clean wines that are distinct to Vancouver Island.

 

  

Cellar Talk...

Stabilizing and Clarifying

                                      

 

 

In the 40 Knots cellar, it’s quiet.  Our estate grown wine is well past the fermentation stage and is relaxing well into the New Year.  Layne’s hard work for 2018’s vintage is mostly behind him, and our close to final product is ready for testing by our consulting chief winemaker Michael Bartier from the Okanagan Valley. http://http://www.bartierbros.com/index.php/the-brothers  At this stage, our cool climate wine undergoes sensory analysis and grading.  Michael’s suggestions help us push boundaries to ensure you’re receiving the highest quality.  Through our biodynamic practices and green farming techniques, we aim to offer you the absolute best of what Vancouver Island has to offer.

 

 

                              

 

 

Just as this time of the year calls for quiet reflection, so is the stage of a wine’s life.  In the cellar, we’re ultimately at the fine-tuning stage, where a young wine prepares to either age or become bottled.  There are a few methods to help separate the last naturally occurring unwanted components; clarifying and stabilizing.

 

 

Clarification is achieved through two methods:

FINING

Fining is the process in where a substance is added to the wine to help it bond with unwanted particles, such as grape fragments or dead yeast cells.  Some common agents are animal based, egg whites and fish bladders to name a few.  40 Knots is proud to offer you vegan and gluten-free wine, using none of these products.  Our fining methods are achieved by way of bentonite addition; a clay compound notable for absorbing protein and bacteria.

FILTERING

Where our red wine is unfiltered, the filtering process is reserved for our white’s.  A biodegradable sheet filter is used to gently run through, polish and ensure sterility of the wine.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stabilization is achieved through manually lowering temperatures:

COLD STABILIZATION

  This takes place in the cellar with our white and orange wine.  Tartaric acid is the most prominent acid found in wine.  This tends to bind with tannins and lees during fermentation and when the wine is inevitably cooled down before consumption, there is potential for crystallization.  This has the appearance of glass, which appears unappealing to the naked eye.  These are commonly referred to as “wine diamonds” and are 100% food safe!  Cooling down our stainless steel tanks through cold stabilization helps to shake down these crystals before the wine hits consumers mouths.

 

                                      

 

 

*UPDATE* Absolute excitement for our 2018 vintage, stay tuned for release date announcements!

 

 

 

Guests coming into town for a visit?  Looking for exciting new opportunities for your family and friends?  Keep your eyes peeled for our upgraded 40 Knots Tour Program!  Stay tuned on our Facebook page or website for updates.

https://www.facebook.com/40KnotsWinery/

 

/Wines/Experiences

What Wine are YOU Drinking?

What's in 40 Knots Wine:

This entry is dedicated to learning about what it is that we're drinking when we pick up that delicious glass of vino.  Wondering what is specifically in 40 Knot's wine?  Read on!

What's NOT in 40 Knot wine?  No chemical or unnatural preservatives are used.  No added flavoring is used.  Our wines are vegan and gluten-free.  We achieve our GOLD for our efforts.  And we often have customers come to us, surprised, and say they can drink wine again with no adverse effect.  

Wine-making methods:  First and foremost, there are conventional methods.  Sulfites, eggs, milk, and fish are sometimes found in the conventional process of winemaking.  Although by law these additions must be stated on the label, this is not always the case, so if this is important to you, read the label or ask the winery.  The next level is the certification of organic.  It costs a lot of money to get certified and it doesn't always guarantee that what you're drinking is 100% preservative free or that the methods are good for the environment.  Us at 40 Knots?  Well, we're above organic standards.  The term biodynamic has come up a lot over the last couple of years, and while we're working towards fully achieving this certification, you can always rest assure that what you're drinking out of our 40 Knots Cellar is clean, natural, and rooted in our cool climate to give you fruit forward juicy and elegant wines.

What's found in All Wine:

Now let’s take a look at a broader scope and discuss the components found in all wine all over the world.

The number one ingredient found is actually water.  No, water is not added, this is the natural "water" found in the grape.  Around 75% of wine in fact. Shocking, right? Following this is alcohol, typically ranging anywhere between 8-16%. Doesn’t leave much left. But this is where it gets interesting.  

Traditional wine is always made out of a few strains of winemaking grapes. Vitis-vinifera is the most common type used. So when people say they taste blackberries, cherries, or spices- this doesn’t normally mean that those flavors have been added. Although some producers do sneak flavoring into wine, 40 Knots does not.  Each grape varietal brings out different characteristics, depending on soil and climate. The only other way that different kind of fruits would be used, would be where the producer would state that what they carry is a “fruit wine” or country wine, as they define it in Europe. So rest easy, you are always drinking juices from grapes that have been affected by a fermentation process! 

So moving on, let’s look at what makes up the rest of that 5-10%. 

Acids - this is naturally derived from the grape skins. White wines will typically have more acids than reds. There is also a small amount of amino acid found. Volatile acidity, mostly acetic acid, is what would give the wine its vinegar taste if gone bad. 

Acetaldehyde - this is a volatile compound that is created when a wine starts to slightly oxidize.  It sometimes gives off aromas of yellow apple.  Some winemakers purposely oxidize before bottling if they are looking for a result of these flavors, but mostly only found with very old wines.

Glycerol - this is a sugar alcohol that is not technically sugar and gives wines their sweetness. Sugar is also found when the grapes don’t ferment all the way, leaving the wine with residual sugar, or RS for short. Dry wines will have less, typically 0-8 g/liter, off-dry will typically have 8-15 g/liter, and sweet wines will have 20+g/liter.

Higher Alcohol - these are found in very small amounts and will help aid in the wine's primary aromas.

Minerals - calcium, zinc, iron, magnesium, potassium, and manganese. Get your daily dose by drinking some wine!

Esters and Phenols - these are compounds that give off aromas of a wine.  

Sulfites - this is a naturally occurring preservative of all fruit (easily seen as the white on blueberry skins), and something of a conversation piece.  Levels of sulfites range in a wine, but they all have it.  Most have an addition of sulfites to help preserve it, especially if being shipped from other countries, or if it is a big commercial winery, or if the wine is packaged in a lesser stable container like tetra boxes or boxes with spouts.  Even VQA wines are allowed to have large volumes of sulfites added.  People claim that sulfites are what create headaches, this is up for debate.  Some people say its the histamines.  Varying countries have different histamines and the person's reaction might come from certain parts of the world and not others.  If an Australian wine gives you a headache, try Italian.   Easier yet, if you get a headache from wine, perhaps it's simply dehydration!  Best using the one to one method.  One glass of wine, one glass of water etc.

Antioxidants and healing properties?  Just google "is wine good for you", and you will come up with many, many claims that it is.  Articles say that a daily glass of wine can help with brain function, heart function, ovary function, blood clots, stress, and the list goes on.   Hmmmm... is that why it is common to cheer "here's to your health"?!

And so we took this to the road!  Spreading the love most recently at the Hopscotch Festival in Vancouver.  Soleil Rose - Love is Love (supporting the LGBTQ community) was a major hit!

40 Knots grows and crafts high quality, ethical, clean wines that are distinct to Vancouver Island.

The Vintage Transition

 

WINE, WIND AND SEA

Gentle hand-harvesting for our new vintage has been completed by our local harvesters.  Our crew was the best.  They worked long hard days and we sincerely thank them for their dedication, getting our grapes off at the perfect time.

We thank Yasir for his guidance as we work towards biodynamic certification.  Our grapes are very healthy with no disease and our highest yield to date.  They required very little irrigation and little food.  No synthetics were used and the grapes are above organic standards.  Leaves are now falling off the vines in preparation for a 5 month dormancy period.

Into the cellar, the grapes go, and this is where we reap the rewards from biodynamic farming.  The grapes go to work making the wine, with little to no intervention from us.  Fermentation is slowed with temperature control which results in every vintage showcasing fruit forward and natural flavors. 

Whites will continue to ferment anywhere from two weeks to three months, leaving on their lees for a creamy body.  Lees is life, this is where the profile, taste, mouthfeel, and structure come from.  We expect to bottle as early as February, however, each wine will finish on their own time, and it will take a studious eye and palate to know when they finish.  

Reds are fermenting on their skins and pips.  Reds take a shorter period for the first fermentation and ferment at a higher temperature.  Through each vintage, we continue to move our wine from resting on skins and pips, into Amphora and Burgundy oak.  Now we wait while the wine matures, and watch for the second fermentation, known as malolactic fermentation.

“My goal is to have all our wine aging in Amphora”. Layne Craig, owner. Stainless steel aging is airtight and imparts zero flavor. Oak aging imparts just that- oak flavor. Amphora, however, allows that slight oxidation to soften wines and add complexity.  

 REPURPOSE TO VINO-CARE - Vino Therapy Skin Care:  Grape skins and stems, full of anti-oxidants, will be saved for use in our Vinocare skincare line. As we once again receive GOLD in Green Tourism Green Step, an international program, reusing these nutrient-packed bi-products of wine is a no-brainer for reducing our footprint. Partnered with Michelle from Royston Soap works, we have a full line of products that provide anti-aging and gentle skin healing for all skin types.  My personal favorite picks for these upcoming cold winter months:

Halo Blu body scrub: made of granulated sugar- a powerful exfoliator that polishes and cleanses away dead skin cells, leaving the skin super silky smooth and incredibly (seriously) nourished

Ruby Moon facial soap: this natural cream soap is a detoxifier that provides hydration while helping improving skin texture.  It contains lactic acid which has anti-aging components.  This stuff leaves your skin feeling slightly tingly and incredibly refreshed!

Halo Blu body lotion: I totally love the smell of this one. Like the Halo Blu body scrub, its fresh ocean breeze aroma is super pleasant and long-lasting. The lotion is light and doesn’t leave a thick creamy residue on your palms.

Looking for an early Christmas present for your loved one?  Check out our beautiful birchwood cases holding the entire line.  Choose your favorite scent: Kadence Rose or Halo Lily Blu.

Want an evening of Class?  Wine Class?  Looking for something fun to do in these dreary winter months?  Book us for Wine School!  We offer beginner to intermediate and specialty classes such as food pairing and proper wine service.  

Want to Party?  Or just get out of the office?  Stall Speed Lounge rents out for business meetings, Christmas Parties, Birthday parties, and any other reason you may find for a reason to get your crew together.  info@40knotswinery.com

Next Blog:  What is in wine?

 

 

Grape Harvest

 

           

Wine, Wind, Sea, and the bounty surrounds us!  We are smack dab in the middle of harvest here in our 40 Knots vineyard.  The fall colours, brisk mornings, the way that the yellow sun reflects off of the orange and red leaves can't help but leave a feeling of nostalgia.  We've been harvesting our Pinot Noir and Gamay Noir for our Rose.  We harvest them a tad earlier to retain a little acidity.  For our Pinot Noir and Gamay Noir stand alone red wine, grapes are left on the vine to get a little more concentration of fruit.  The juices will be pressed off after 24 hours, the typical timeframe for our Rose, to grab just a touch of colour from the grape skins. 

When we make these two grapes into a red wine, the juices remain on the skin for 2 or 3 weeks to grab more colour and tannin structure and then transferred to Burgundy oak.  For our Pinot Noir clone 115 Amphora driven wine, the juice is left on skins in Amphora for up to four months.  Thereafter, the skins are pressed off and the wine is returned to Amphora to continue aging.  Stay tuned for our 2017 Pinot Noir Amphora driven wine to be released in the New Year!

When visiting our tasting room during harvest time, you will be surrounded by the delicious smells of the wine beginning its fermentation process.  Here's a snapshot of wine fermenting in burgundian oak barrels:

 

          

The gases emitted during harvest can actually be quite dangerous.  Our 40 Knots cellar is equipped with a C0² monitoring system, air evacuation and purge systems to ensure safety.  During this fermentation process, yeast will eat the sugars and convert it into alcohol.  This process will typically take a week unless the vat has been cooled down to elongate the process.  This is common for the majority of our delicious 40 Knots white wine.  The natural temperature of fermenting wine can get in excess of 30 degrees C.  This is quite volatile for a wine.  By cooling it, or calming it down, we retain all of the beautiful juicy aromatics and help to showcase each individual grape at its full capacity. There are essentially two ways to ferment a wine, one being inoculation with a certain strain.  This is the safest bet and will produce safe, consistent product.  Some of our wine is fermented through a process called wild or indigenous fermentation.  The choice is made on the day of harvest which direction he is going to go and there are many considerations.  Wild fermentation is the old school way to get the job done, and the riskier one.  There are no guarantees with wild yeast.  It is typically found hanging out around the winery.  On clothes, on walls.  Many winemakers swear by wild yeast fermentation.  On the other hand, many swear at it because of its unpredictability.  Choosing this route though will create depth of character, complexity and bigger fruit notes.  This is the risk that we're willing to take.