Behind the Scenes with the Winemaking Team at Wilson Creek Winery During Harvest
As the sun rises over the Temecula Valley, a sense of excitement fills the air at Wilson Creek Winery. It’s harvest season, the most exhilarating time of year for our winemaking team. Behind every bottle of Wilson Creek wine is a dedicated team working tirelessly to bring you the best flavors and experiences. Today, we’re taking you behind the scenes to show you what harvest is all about and why it’s so crucial to creating the wines you love.
Preparing for Harvest: The Calm Before the Storm
Before the first grape is picked, months of preparation go into ensuring a successful harvest. Our winemaking team, led by Kristina Fillippi, starts by monitoring the vineyard’s progress throughout the growing season. Using cutting-edge technology alongside traditional techniques, the team carefully tracks grape ripeness, sugar levels, and overall vine health. This data-driven approach allows us to decide the perfect time to harvest each grape variety, ensuring optimal flavor and quality.
Before the first grape is picked, months of preparation go into ensuring a successful harvest. Our winemaking team, led by Kristina Fillippi, starts by monitoring the vineyard’s progress throughout the growing season. Using cutting-edge technology alongside traditional techniques, the team carefully tracks grape ripeness, sugar levels, and overall vine health. This data-driven approach allows us to decide the perfect time to harvest each grape variety, ensuring optimal flavor and quality.
Kristina explains, “Harvest isn’t just a single day—it’s a series of carefully planned events. Timing is everything. We start preparing long before the first grape is ready to be picked. From equipment checks to team training, everything must be just right to make sure we capture the essence of each grape at its peak.”
Grape Picking: Hand-Harvested for Quality
We believe that quality wine starts with quality grapes. We believe that it starts in the vineyard, and that’s why we are fully committed to our regenerative agriculture practices. By nurturing the vines with sustainable techniques, we ensure the healthiest and most flavorful grapes. Hand-harvesting is a vital part of this process. Hand-picking allows us to be selective, choosing only the ripest, healthiest grapes. Our skilled staff picks through when the temperature is cooler, which helps maintain the grape’s freshness and quality.
Walking through the vineyard during harvest is an experience like no other. You can hear the snip of pruning shears, the rustle of leaves, buckets of grapes being thrown into larger bins and the energetic conversations of the harvest team. There’s a palpable energy and sense of teamwork that happen each night.
Crush and Fermentation: The Art of Winemaking Begins
Once the grapes are harvested, they’re immediately brought to our crush pad. Here, the winemaking process truly begins. The grapes are sorted, de-stemmed, and gently crushed to release their juice. This juice, combined with the grape skins, seeds, and stems, is then transferred into fermentation tanks.
Once the grapes are harvested, they’re immediately brought to our crush pad. Here, the winemaking process truly begins. The grapes are sorted, de-stemmed, and gently crushed to release their juice. This juice, combined with the grape skins, seeds, and stems, is then transferred into fermentation tanks.
During fermentation, yeast is added to convert the sugars in the grape juice into alcohol, creating the base for our wine. Kristina and his team monitor this process closely, sampling each batch daily to ensure the flavors develop perfectly. Temperature control is crucial during fermentation, as it can influence the taste and quality of the wine.
Kristina shares, “Fermentation is where the magic happens. It’s where we start to see the true character of the wine emerging. We use a hands-on approach, constantly tasting and adjusting to make sure every batch meets our high standards.”
Pressing and Aging: Patience and Precision
After fermentation, the next step is pressing, where the juice is separated from the solid grape material. For red wines, this is done after a period of maceration to extract color, tannins, and flavor. For white wines, pressing occurs immediately after crushing to keep the juice light and fresh.
After fermentation, the next step is pressing, where the juice is separated from the solid grape material. For red wines, this is done after a period of maceration to extract color, tannins, and flavor. For white wines, pressing occurs immediately after crushing to keep the juice light and fresh.
The pressed juice is then transferred to barrels or tanks for aging. This is where our winemaking expertise truly shines. Each wine has its own aging process, tailored to enhance its unique characteristics. Whether it’s aging in oak barrels to impart subtle flavors of vanilla and spice or in stainless steel tanks to maintain crispness and freshness, every decision is made with the final wine in mind.
Blending and Bottling: Crafting the Perfect Wine
One of the final steps in the winemaking process is blending, where the winemaker combines different lots or varieties of wine to create the perfect balance of flavors, aromas, and textures. This step requires a refined palate, and a deep understanding of how different wines interact with each other.
Once the blend is perfected, it’s time for bottling. We take great care in ensuring that each bottle is filled and sealed with precision. Quality control is paramount, and every bottle is inspected before it’s ready to be labeled and shared with our guests.
One of the final steps in the winemaking process is blending, where the winemaker combines different lots or varieties of wine to create the perfect balance of flavors, aromas, and textures. This step requires a refined palate, and a deep understanding of how different wines interact with each other.
Once the blend is perfected, it’s time for bottling. We take great care in ensuring that each bottle is filled and sealed with precision. Quality control is paramount, and every bottle is inspected before it’s ready to be labeled and shared with our guests.
Celebrating the Harvest: A Time of Gratitude
Harvest season at Wilson Creek Winery is more than just hard work—it’s a celebration of everything that makes our winery special. It’s a time when our winemaking team’s passion and dedication come to life in every bottle. From early mornings in the vineyard to late nights in the cellar, every member of our team plays a vital role in creating the wines you know and love.
As Kristina puts it, “Harvest is about gratitude. Gratitude for the land, for the vines, for the team, and for the opportunity to share our wines with the world. Each bottle is a testament to the hard work and heart that goes into every step of the process.”
Join Us at Wilson Creek Winery
Interested in seeing the winemaking process firsthand? Visit us during harvest season to experience the sights, sounds, and tastes of Wilson Creek Winery. Our team is always excited to share our passion for winemaking with our guests. From vineyard tours to tastings, you’ll gain a deeper appreciation for the care and craftsmanship that goes into each bottle.
Whether you’re a seasoned wine enthusiast or new to the world of wine, Wilson Creek Winery welcomes you to be part of our harvest story. Come celebrate the season with us and discover the art of winemaking in the heart of Temecula Valley.
