Some words just get lost in translation. In France, they say remuage. Translated to English, the word is riddling. What is this riddling thing all about? Although it has a funny name, riddling is actually a labor-intensive and intricate task in sparkling wine and Champagne production.… Read More November 6th, 2018  |  Susanne Bullock  |   | 

The grapes that we use in our sparkling wines are French-hybrid grapes, and they have a unique history. In the mid-1800’s, our friends across the pond were dealing with “The Great French Wine Blight” and boy did it cause some excitement in France.  … Read More April 8th, 2018  |  Susanne Bullock  |   | 

There are many different ways to create bubbles in wine. Some are easy, some are incredibly involved. In this article, we are going to compare the two main ways of adding bubbles using a secondary fermentation. There’s Charmat, which is definitely more complicated than carbonation.… Read More March 7th, 2018  |  Susanne Bullock  |   | 

Brut, Sec, Demi-Sec – what do these strange-sounding words mean? These are some of the terms used to describe the sweetness level in sparkling wines and Champagnes. Unlike other wines, you won’t hear terms like dry, semi-dry, semi-sweet, or sweet when you are checking out the label of your favorite bottle of bubbly.… Read More December 8th, 2017  |  Susanne Bullock  |   | 

It’s time to pick the grapes! The big question is how do we know when the grapes are ready?  Here’s a rundown of the things that we monitor prior to harvesting: Wildlife
Birds, wild turkeys, raccoons, and other wildlife like to eat grapes – specifically, ripe grapes.… Read More August 20th, 2017  |  Susanne Bullock  |   |