Every year we thin the fruit on the vines right after veraison to balance the foliage with the fruit. That fruit is then dropped on the ground and wasted. In 2015 we waited about a week after the Pinot went thru veraison and then collected that fruit at about 17.7 brix instead of wasting it. It was then punched down thru fermentation till dry (10.2% alcohol). It now has a rouge color darker than a rosé. It is very tasty, high in acid as sparklings need to be.

We are in the second stage. Sugar and yeast has been added to the base wine. It is now bottled with a bottle cap, and believe it or not, there are bubbles! It now needs to age (on the lees) until at least March, 2017 One job someone has to do is taste that aging wine occasionally, and that falls on us (one of the hard parts of our job!).

The wine has gone back back to Harvest Moon for disgorging, dosage and bottling.

We now need to design a Label. If you have any ideas let us know. Be part of the label design process.

More to come. We’ll keep you posted of the progress.