NABC Announces Winemaking Course
Winemaking – Harvest to Tasting
Presented by the Northwest Agriculture Business Center
Date October 2012 through April 2013 (6 sessions)
Course Description
NABC will offer a course on the winemaking process. Sessions start in October 2012 and run through April 2013. Led by wine grape and fruit specialist Gary Moulton, this workshop series will guide students through every aspect of production from picking grapes in the field, to tasting and evaluating the final product. Participants will harvest and crush their own Pinot Noir Precoce and Burmunk grapes, learn and apply bottling and fermentation techniques and chemistry, then sample the resulting wines at a guided tasting and culinary experience to mark the end of the winemaking process.
Class Locations
The five workshop sessions will be held at WSU-Northwest Research & Extension Center in Mount Vernon or at Skagit Transit Station; harvesting will occur at the Moulton Farm in Bow. Participants must be prepared to be available for harvesting and pressing when grapes are at the appropriate ripeness.
Registration and Participation
The course is limited to 10 participants on a first come, first served basis. You must be at least 21 years old to attend. Register here.
Cost $795 per person course fee, plus supplies provided by participants
Course Agenda
- Orientation. October 10th, 2012: 6 to 9 pm. We will meet at Skagit Station for an overview of winemaking. In addition, you will be tasting Pinot Noir Precoce and Burmunk made in 2011. These are the varietal wines you will be making.
- Grape Harvest. Planned for October 13th OR 20th OR 27th: 9 am to 5 pm. You will harvest the grapes when they are the appropriate ripeness. Harvest will be ONE DAY ONLY. Participants will harvest their own Pinot Noir Precoce and Burmunk grapes at the Moulton Farm. Grapes will also be crushed, sulfited and cold soaked. Every effort will be made to harvest grapes on one of these Saturdays. However, weather will be monitored and if necessary harvest might need to be on an alternate day. Participants will be informed with as much notice as possible. This is the only session that will require this amount of flexibility.
- Preparation for Processing. For those wanting to ferment Pinot Noir Precoce (red) in the skins, yeast and yeast nutrient will be added to the fermenters on Tuesday evening following harvest at WSU-NWREC. These reds will then be pressed on the following Saturday with the whites and rosés.
- Processing. One week following harvest (Saturday), meet at WSU-NWREC for pressing, racking to remove sediment, adding yeast and yeast nutrient. This process will require the entire day and possibly the next morning. Carboys will be taken home and fermentation completed.
- Wine Evaluation. December 8, 2012, 10 am – 1 pm. Meet at Skagit Station to discuss maturation progress, bottling and sulfites, cold stabilization, oak and malolactic fermentation. (3 hours)
- Tasting. April 2012. Date and location to be announced. A culinary experience combined with the wine tasting will be the finale of the winemaking process.
Equipment and materials provided by NABC:
- Wine grapes: Pinot Noir Precoce & Burmunk
- Harvesting shears: 1 pair per person (for use during the sessions)
- Fermenters: 2 – 12 gallon (for use during the sessions)
- Cerevit yeast nutrient
- Sugar to boost alcohol content
- De-stemmer/crusher: shared by group
- Wine press: shared by group
- Storage cooler for juice: shared by group
Equipment and materials supplied by participants:
- Work gloves for harvest
- Carboys: 2-5 gallon, 2-3 gallon & 2-1gallon
- 5 airlocks for carboys
- K-Metabisulfite: 1 package
- Diammonium phosphate (DAP): 2 oz
- Pasteur red yeast: 1 packet
- Cotes de Blanc yeast: 1 packet
- 1 racking cane
- 1 hydrometer
- Optional: oak chips, malolactic bacteria culture
These materials may be purchased at Northwest Brewers Supply, 1006-6th Street Anacortes, WA 98221, (360) 293-0424. The cost of these supplies is approximately $150.00.
Click here for more information and registration.