Terra Blanca Events - Winemaking Process HOME  
 
Fermentation
A variety of yeast types are used for red wine fermentation
Use both open and closed top fermenters.
Combining various techniques results in lots with a wide variety of properties.

Aging
Each lot is separately aged in 58 gallon French oak barrels.
In each vintage 30 to 40 percent of these barrels are new.
Barrels are purchased from more than two dozen coopers who source their wood from the major forests that produce white oak for barrels.
Coopers are from both the Burgundy and Bordeaux regions of France.

Barrel Storage Caves
Washington State’s first underground barrel storage caves
  • Capacity: 4000+ barrels
  • Consistent 58 degree temperature
  • Constant 95% humidity

Advantages:
Cave aging of wines is practical and efficient. The high humidity causes an alcohol loss to occur, which allows us to pick riper-flavored, higher-sugar fruit without the subsequent higher alcohol levels in the finished wines.
Also, as no natural resources are used to keep the wines at an ideal, constant temperature, caves are an old-fashioned way to reduce facility’s carbon footprint.