Now that springtime is official on all our calendars, DS&S winemaking has a number of projects that we are accomplishing.   We are changing vintage on a number of our white wines which creates a lot of blending trials.   So our team spends countless hours setting up trials and deciding what is best for our wines.

Wild mustard growing between the vines

In our two largest programs, Smoking Loon and Pepperwood Grove, we have been doing some trials on new oak products and some fining agents in order to to increase the mouthfeel, depth, and flavor profile of our Chardonnays.   We want our consumers to see an increased value in these wines by creating blends that are true to our DSS roots but have more stuffing.   Keep your eyes open with our 2008 vintage blends that will hit your store shelves this spring and summer.  And let us know what you think.

Another fun project, we made two Rose wines this year.  These are the first Rose wines that I have ever made and it is very exciting to see how our efforts during the harvest are panning out.   We have a 2009 SKN Napa Rose and a 2009 Crusher Clarksburg Rose wines.   We are currently completing our fining in order to get them bottle ready later this month.   The concept of California Rose is an interesting one.   New World Rose wines are generally deeper in fruit flavor and less acidic than our Old World counterparts.   We feel that our Rose needs to be a combination of Old World and New World.  We want fresh vibrant fruit flavors balanced by integrated acids.   None the less, these wines have been a lot of fun to make and I am sure we will be looking at more Rose options in the future.

Grapevines just starting to bud

So that is your springtime winemaking update.   And it just dawned on me the other day, we are only 4 and half months away from the harvest of 2010.   So get out there and enjoy the sunshine with a bottle of DS&S wine.   We will make more!!