Winemaking at Artesa Winery & Vineyard
A multi-million-dollar investment has transformed the winery. Winemaker-designed for versatility, the facility offers many options, minimal and gentle handling, and the highest quality small-lot production capabilities.

Grapes
Grapes are hand-harvested and either de-stemmed only or sent as whole clusters directly to press; must chiller cools for skin contact or cold soak.

Presses and Tanks
Over-sized equipment provides the gentlest possible handling of fruit. New, larger (18-inch) screw conveyor operates at half-speed while Waukesha positive displacement must pump runs at 30% of maximum. Vaslin-Delta E6 de-stemmer operates at one-third to two-thirds capacity and delivers a high percentage (70% to 80%) of whole berries.

State-of-the-art tank presses: Diemme AR80 8,000-liter press holds six tons of whole clusters, 14 tons of red pomace, contains exact juice yield of one de-juicing tank. Willmes TP15 15,000-liter press holds 12 tons of whole cluster, 28 tons of red pomace, and has two over-sized Epernay doors for whole clusters.

Direct-to-press axial feed and gravity loading, temperature-controlled skin contact (four de-juicing tanks), cold and extended maceration capabilities. Dual-action air-actuated diaphragm pumps with no moving parts are ideal for gentle movement of juice and wine, pump-overs and racking.

42 small lot red fermenters, graduated capacities to 15 tons: 21 are open-top with optimal 1:1 height-to-diameter ratio, floating lids with sealing gaskets, pneumatic punch-down device; 17 are closed with various cap irrigators; four are totally automatic “fluid dynamic” experimental tanks.

Barrels
10,000 French (98%) and American (2%) oak barrels from a variety of coopers based on specific flavor attributes, 50% new and 50% used.