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Control Freaks
In our never-ending quest to make exceptional wines, both master and amateur winemakers at The Wine Room of Cherry Hill have become control freaks. We accept only the highest-quality grapes from California and Chile. Then we stun the natural yeast found on the grape skins so that we can incorporate our own yeasts in order to control primary fermentation. Under our control, the sugars in the wine metabolize and a residual level of acidity remains in the wine, to be addressed by a secondary “malolactic” fermentation in the barrel.
Malolactic fermentation is desirable in red wines, and Chardonnays will benefit from it as well. This fermentation transforms tart malic acid found in the wine (also in green apples) into creamier lactic acid (also in milk). This has an exciting impact on wine quality, giving wine more richness in the mouth.
Do we need to control that secondary, malolactic fermentation that occurs in the barrel? Malolactic fermentation will occur on its own if there is lactic acid bacteria already in the wine, or in the pores of a used oak barrel. However, being the control freaks that we are, we power-steam and sterilize our barrels between winemaking seasons, and add small amounts of sulfites thus eliminating the growth of any uncontrolled, or “wild” bacteria.
So, in order to trigger malolactic fermentation, we add to the wine oenococcus oeni, a complex bacteria that grows slowly at the cooler temperatures kept in The Wine Room. This allows us to control the duration of malolactic fermentation, resulting in smoother character and stability. As the control freaks of winemaking, we insist that the bacteria used for malolactic fermentation has respect for the fruit. This means that it will not change the flavors of the wines, but will simply enhance berry fruit flavors and mouthfeel in reds, and buttery flavors and body in Chardonnay. This process is also believed to metabolize oak compounds, causing more integrated flavors within the wines.
If you have the opportunity to visit The Wine Room during our racking sessions, you will see and taste that your wine is developing the smoothness and full-bodied flavor that you expect. And say “hello” to the other control freaks in the room as well!
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