Winemaking 101, the third installment of our Winemaker’s Series was full of great information. 
Winemaker Chad Joseph took guests from our lovely Albarino vineyard through the Crush Pad and into our production facility, on an in-depth journey of just what we do at Harney Lane to process grapes and craft our wines.
Guests were treated to chilled 2014 Albarino in the beautiful vineyard where Kyle discussed how we have grafted this varietal onto chardonnay vines. The story goes… our matriarch, Kathy has always been a big fan of Albarino (her cat is even named ‘Albi’!), and convinced the family to try making our own. It took off and we now have numerous acres dedicated to it! If you are at the tasting room and would like to take a peak at the grafted vineyard, ask our staff where this is.
The Winemaking 101 journey continued onto the Crush Pad, where Chad showed off our production area, press, macro bins and our state of the art tanks where our 2014 Chardonnay was chilling in its cold jacket. Guests enjoyed samples straight from the tank.
Next up was a sample of our 2007 Dry Rose out of the Library. Chad discussed the way in which we make our rose- where we bleed our grapes (saignee), barrel ferment and age on light lees in oak. The braver in the crowd, even poured lees into their hands for a more sensory experience.
Next was a very exciting station- our red winemaking discussion and barrel sample of our brand new varietal Cabernet Sauvignon!!! This is a first for Harney Lane and was a great perk for attendees. Chad and Kyle showed off our sorting table, discussed punch downs, pump overs, settling, racking and so much more.
Finally, guests were led through our picturesque forest for a treat of our port-style Lizzy James Old Vine Zinfandel Dessert Wine paired with a wonderful dark chocolate truffle!
Chad created a handy Glossary of Winemaking Terms that we hope you can learn from! Knowledge is power and there is always something to learn. I need to do some studying!
Would you like to attend our Winemaker’s Series? What topics interest you?
