The Family Business

            Fourteen years ago, when I started making wine, I would have never guessed I would be still making it and that I would be teaching my children the skill. My daughter, who is 5, could not wait to be daddy’s big helper in the fall when I needed to “degas” the batch of recently fermented Merlot and Cabernet. Now, it is bottling time and she was as excited as I was to sanitize, filter (yes, we filter our wine) and bottle this year’s batch.

            Typically, because of timing and temperature, I start my wine shortly after the harvest season for most wineries. Most wineries harvest in September or October and afterwards, the grapes are crushed, the juice is boxed-up and shipped to my house. Some years, depending on what variety I am making, the juice arrives much earlier, but I typically do not start the process until the same time because of schedules and due dates for competition.

            For the past few years, I entered our wine into international competition and entries are typically due mid-March making bottling to be sometime beforehand. After fermentation, clearing, aging, and bottling, Normally, I plan to have my wine ready to ship by the end of February or beginning of March. This year, because we made a Bordeaux blend, we pushed off the bottling process as far as we could.

            In the fall of 2022, we fermented 5 gallons of Merlot, 5 gallons of Cabernet Sauvignon and 1 gallon of Malbec. In our 5-gallon oak barrel, we combined Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and malbec with Cabernet being dominant at 52%. (Merlot was 47% and Malbec was 1%). In a glass carboy, we have 51% Merlot, 47% Cabernet Sauvignon and 2% Malbec. Call it an experiment if you will, but I truly wanted to see the flavor profiles both created. Chemistry in real life I guess you would call it.

            For this year’s competition, we bottled only the glass carboy. This blend would be akin to the East Bank of Bordeaux where wines are typically dominant in Merlot. The oak barrel will age for another 7 months or so. Depending on how it turns out, we will submit for next year’s competition.  

            Because our entry must be shipped by Mid-March, I waited until this past weekend to bottle and plan to ship sometime this week.

            This past weekend, my daughter could not have been more willing and eager to lend a hand. She was right there learning how to sanitize all the carboys, tubing and filters. Sanitizing the equipment is by far and away the most important step, which I probably told her 50 times. Afterward, she worked the filtration system. A few years ago, a friend of mine once compared the filtering system to dialysis and, you know what, it is! It takes the wine from the carboy, runs it through 3 filter pads and then spits it into another carboy.

            We typically filter twice. Once to get large particles and the other to polish and grab any micro-products. The wine looks amazing, but I do realize filtering wine remains a very controversial subject for many wineries and home winemakers.

            After filtration, she sanitized each bottle, I filled them and then she pushed the closure device down to secure the wine within the bottle. We worked together like a well-oiled machine. At one time, my wife came down to watch the two of us and my daughter showed her how she could help by teaching my wife how to sanitize bottles for us. She even said, “you know mommy, sanitizing is the most important step.” This made me so proud. I probably had the biggest smile ever at that very moment.

            Now some of you may be saying we at Vanny’s Vineyards must run a sweat shop. And though arguably true, she was more excited for the night than me.

            I could not be prouder than I was this past weekend. Teaching the family business, spending quality time, and educating her about such a special skill such as winemaking. A skill such as winemaking can assist in a variety of life skills. It is truly chemistry in real life. Taking ingredients and allowing nature to do what it does. The different steps involved; the different ingredients involved. The sanitation, the bottling, the capping and then the cleaning. Oh, the cleaning. What a mess we made, but man was that fun.

            The following day, she helped me label a bottle, wrap it up and get it ready to ship. If we win anything this year, for sure it is going to her. She made this batch, her very first wine and I was her assistant just showing her the ropes. So, if any judges from this year's competition are reading this article; that Bordeaux blend from Canfield? It was made by a 5-year-old, and though, never tasted by herself, it is spectacular, so be gentle.