TibTV

Part 2 of a series

In our last episode, winemaker, Anthony Austin, part of the Vintage Wine Estates winemaking team, spoke about how and why he chooses to barrel ferment the Sonoma Coast Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc. In this video he shows us how he uses sight, smell, taste and even sound to check on the progress of the fermentation. Yes, you read that right: sound. Listening through the bung (the hole on barrel), he can tell you what’s happening inside. I’ve never listened to wine before and last sound of wine I remember is the pop of the cork, so this was a really unique experience worth recording. So put your ear up next the computer speaker and imagine it’s an oak barrel and give this video a look and listen. Ahhh…I can almost smell the aromas right now.

A couple terms used in this video may need an explanation.

Headspace: The air space in the bottle (or in this case, a barrel) between the wine and the closure.

Reduction: A fault during fermentation that occurs due to a lack of oxygen in the container, resulting in a suphide (rotten egg) smell.

Wine Thief: Someone who steals your wine. No, seriously, in winemaking, it’s a tubular instrument used to steal a taste of wine from a barrel.