In terms of activity inside the bodega, this is without doubt, our busiest time of year. It’s not just a question of throwing a bit of yeast into the grape must and waiting for something to happen – it is slightly more complicated than that. Apart from monitoring the tanks on a very regular basis, there are all sorts of additions and processes to be carried out, some that require the tank to be pumped over, and others that don’t. Pumping over is simply a method that we use for thoroughly mixing any addition that we make to a tank – Bentonite for example, a natural product which is added to clarify and stabilise the wine. Once the Bentonite is added we simply attach hoses to the top and bottom of the tank, and pump the grape must over from top to bottom in a cyclical motion. This is just a mixing process (which differs from the pumping over in red wine making where it is done as part of the process to help extract colour from the skins). Clearly, this doesn’t apply to white wine making.

Despite all this activity, there’s really not that much to see. A visitor to the bodega might see a bit of mixing, and perhaps the odd pump connected to a tank, but nothing that interesting to look at. Inside the tank there is a bit of foam and some bubbles, but as we mentioned a day or two ago, putting you head into a tank of fermenting wine is not recommended. As a keen photographer I have been trying to find some interesting pictures to add to my post, but to be honest most potential examples are pretty dull and don’t really show too much. By way of compensation I have made a small collage of various tank shots, and as you will see it does not make the most colourful compilation….

In terms of activity inside the bodega, this is without doubt, our busiest time of year. It’s not just a question of throwing a bit of yeast into the grape must and waiting for something to happen – it is slightly more complicated than that. Apart from monitoring the tanks on a very regular basis, there are all sorts of additions and processes to be carried out, some that require the tank to be pumped over, and others that don’t. Pumping over is simply a method that we use for thoroughly mixing any addition that we make to a tank – Bentonite for example, a natural product which is added to clarify and stabilise the wine. Once the Bentonite is added we simply attach hoses to the top and bottom of the tank, and pump the grape must over from top to bottom in a cyclical motion. This is just a mixing process (which differs from the pumping over in red wine making where it is done as part of the process to help extract colour from the skins). Clearly, this doesn’t apply to white wine making.

Despite all this activity, there’s really not that much to see. A visitor to the bodega might see a bit of mixing, and perhaps the odd pump connected to a tank, but nothing that interesting to look at. Inside the tank there is a bit of foam and some bubbles, but as we mentioned a day or two ago, putting you head into a tank of fermenting wine is not recommended. As a keen photographer I have been trying to find some interesting pictures to add to my post, but to be honest most potential examples are pretty dull and don’t really show too much. By way of compensation I have made a small collage of various tank shots, and as you will see it does not make the most colourful compilation….