Vinification

Vini Falzari

Spreading, crushing and fermentation

As soon as the grapes reach the cellar, we remove the stalks from the grapes in a shady area, where they are crushed very gently without breaking the seeds. The must is then transferred into stainless steel vats and left to steep until alcoholic fermentation starts naturally after two or three days.

We guarantee this maceration process, which is essential for us, by placing the grapes in vats which have already been cooled to around 15°C. This ensures that yeast reproduction is not stimulated by high temperatures. Fermentation starts spontaneously thanks to the particular yeasts which are naturally present in the grapes; if it does not start within 3 days, we stimulate the process by bring the must over the grape dregs in contact with the air.

We then add 4-6 g of potassium metabisulphite per 100 litres, depending on the year and the overall health of the grapes.

We maintain fermentation in process by bringing the must over the grape dregs in contact with the air four times a day, depending on the condition of the grapes and the type of wine we want to produce.

The process

The entire process is carried out at a temperature below 30-32 °C for red wine and 18-22 ° for white wine. This is controlled by wrapping the vats in cotton cloth which is keep constantly dampened and ventilated with fans which run at an appropriate speed. The cooling process is complicated but allows us to prevent the must from suffering from the shock created by conventional cooling systems which run on ethylene glycol: this trauma is caused when the must, which is usually kept at a temperature of 28-32°C for red wines, comes into contact with the surface of the vat of just 3-5°C. At such a turbulent and delicate moment of its development, with such a huge reproduction of the yeasts, and one which is crucial for the quality of the future wine, in fact, the cold can easily cause damage.

We do not use selected yeasts, enzymes or bacteria nor any relative nutrients or any type of additive for aroma (powdered tannins, wood chips etc.).

We do not use the low-temperature extraction method, dealcoholisation, or any super-concentration methods (evaporation, reverse osmosis etc.).

Racking and conservation

At the end of the alcoholic fermentation we let the extraction continue leaving the liquid in contact with the marc until the scent of the wine changes slightly and we warn a slight reduction; at that point we swoon. The contact with the skins has a variable duration, from 15 to 40 days depending on the vine and the vintage, except for Trebbiano Toscano in amphora which lasts three/four months. We therefore separate into different vats the free-run wine from the pressed or narrow wine.

We await the natural development of malolactic fermentation in autumn, sometimes in spring successively, as the ambient temperature increases.

We store the wine in steel, concrete and wooden containers, depending on the need.

Spreading, crushing and fermentation