Carbonic Maceration happens in many more wines than just Beaujolais Nouveau. Winemaker Fred Scherrer gives an in depth explanation of what is happening inside the grapes.
Author: Judi Scherrer
Wine Education 101: Fred Scherrer describes Cabernet Sauvignon
What is Cabernet Sauvignon? California Winemaker Fred Scherrer talks about the nature of Cabernet, it’s ability to age and some of the nuances that can develop with time.
What is Malolactic Fermentation?
Malolactic Fermentation is the conversion of Malic acid to Lactic acid in wines, but that is not all that is happening. Fred Scherrer of the Scherrer Winery gave us a detailed description of this process.
Was that a marathon or a sprint?
Instead, we saw a harvest season that in the beginning appeared very much like 2013 – early and compressed. However, it turned out to be very evenly paced and without undue crunch of time. Once again, it allowed me to focus on ‘outdoor things’ like sampling vineyards and planning the harvesting order rather than being stretched thinly between that and managing and performing ‘indoor winemaking things’ at the same time.
Pinot Noir Harvest: Sonoma 2013 – Gunsalus Vineyard
What is a day at a winery like during harvest? Fred Scherrer of the Scherrer Winery in the Russian River Valley walks us through his day, from a very early, pre-dawn alarm clock, all the way through bringing grapes into the winery and processing them.
Home Wine Making: Nutrient Additions
What nutrients are added to fermenting wines? Winemaker Fred Scherrer talks about why nutrients are added and what is added to the fermenting juice to help the wine go dry.
Home Winemaking: What is the ideal temperature for fermenting grapes?
What is the ideal temperature for fermentation of grapes into wine? Winemaker Fred Scherrer talks in detail about how he handles the energy that is created as yeasts eat sugar and create alcohol. This is intended to be helpful to all winemakers, but is part of our home winemaking series.
Wine Education 101: Fred Scherrer describes Zinfandel
What is Zinfandel? Winemaker Fred Scherrer, whose family first planted Zin in the Alexander Valley in the late 1890’s talks about the red and blue fruits that this grape can have, as well as the sort of foods that he likes to eat with Zinfandel.
Mixing it up
One of the things I love about Sonoma County is the complexity created by the wrinkled nature of our landscape with its myriad of soil pockets and differing effects of the Pacific Ocean fog. In a given vintage, even in a relatively small vineyard the size of my Dad’s, the same variety can express itself quite differently.
What are the greatest challenges for home winemaking?
What challenges does the home winemaker face? We asked Fred Scherrer of the Scherrer Winery and he detailed the problems that working on a smaller scale might create. He cites temperature in regards to fermentation and the amount of oxygen that comes into contact with a mass of grapes.