Tank Mailbag - Your Questions Answered by our Winemaker
A few weeks ago we asked you to send in your burning questions for our winemaker. Today, we're back with a few of the answers for you!
Which varietal is so difficult that you don't hesitate to accept the challenge?
Great question, I love the challenge of working with Petite Sirah. Darling Don't Cry was a way to explore its more delicate side but I am excited to continue working with the dark and brooding side as the tannins are very tricky to get right.
Where is your dream wine vacation destination?
I would love to visit Northern Italy, the high altitude and Alpine setting look magical.
Is there a winemaker you admire?
Schalk Willem-Joubert, one of my first mentors in the industry and someone who showed me the magic of casting a wide sourcing net and appreciating lesser-know areas.
What is your favorite winemaking technique/method?
I love playing around with different versions of carbonic maceration, recently appassimmento and ripasso have got me going down the rabbit hole.
Do you find it more difficult or Challenging to make a white wine or red wine?
I find white and rosé wines more challenging to make. There are less steps in the process whereas red wine production is a lot more hands on and you can push things in different directions and influence the direction a wine is heading into.
What was your very first wine you bottled?
The very first wine I bottled happened during my first year at College , we were given Chenin blanc grape juice that was frozen during harvest and then thawed for us to do our first fermentation management on (this class happened 6 months after the end of the harvest season in South Africa), as well as other winemaking tehcniques and trials, and then bottle and present them for tasting. I still have a bottle of this trial in my wine fridge.
What wine styles/grapes that are currently out of fashion would you see yourself bringing back?
I am still on the hunt for some Pinotage, finding the right vineyard source has been my white whale.
Which winery is inspiring you most/ doing the most interesting/ different wines out there?
I love the passion and earth-friendly farming practiced at Tablas Creek, a lot of small winemaker owned brands like Guthrie, Paper Planes and Fine Disregard as well as many amazing young wineries from South Africa being brought in by Peter from Culture Wine Co.
What one tip would you give Tank fans to enhance their Tank wine experience?
Come in with an open mind. Even if you haven't heard of the grape or winemaking method have a little faith and be ready to try new things, you just might be surprised.
With climate change affecting the growers you work with, has that been effecting the grape cultivars you work with? Has it caused you to start experimenting with with different varieties?
Climate change is a reality that we are dealing with every year. I have very much tried to find more varieties that are adjusted to warm conditions with higher natural acidity. We are going to continue to expand our experiements with new varieties and areas so we can increase our practical knowledge. We know Barbera and Vermentino do great in a variety of locations and conditions, and there are so many lesser know varieties that I would love to see a bigger increase in plantings across the state.
When your description of how a wine is made says “foot stomped”, is that literal? If so, how is the product cleaned afterward?
That is foot stomping in a literal sense. We get into the hand harvested bins of grapes and stomp them. Before we get into the bins we ensure that our feet are sanitized with a 70% alcohol solution for cleanliness. Because we are stomping the fruit right after it is harvested the fermentation process has not happened yet. Any organisms that might have made their way into the juice will be eliminated due to the production of alcohol. Finally most of our wines receive a dose of sulfur to eliminate micro-organisms, so there is no risks involved in this ancient process.
Why do you only make small batches, some of your wines could be a standing staple. Or is it the excitement of creating new?
We love the thrill of always challenging ourselves and experimenting, pushing the boundaries. The other challenge is in finding some of these amazing varieties and vineyards we work with, most of the time these growers and vineyards are in high demand so we only have a small allocation of grapes.