The Yucaipa Valley Wine Alliance is pleased to announce the opportunity to participate in the YVWA Wine Making Boot Camp. This year you’ll have the opportunity to participate in one of 2 winemaking sessions - Grenache Rose in early September or Syrah in late September!
Get hands-on training from award winning winemaker, Anita Matlock of Wildwood Oak Winery. You can be a part of every step of the process from crushing to bottling. Learn vital skills in the winemaking process such as:
How to properly work machinery like a grape crusher and destemmer
How to introduce yeast to your crushed juice
How to sterilize and it's importance in the winemaking process
How to punch down must and manage the fermentation process
How to test for total acidity, volatile acidity, and ph at the end of fermentation
How to rack wine, and managing the second stage of fermentation called malolactic fermentation.
How to conduct barrel tasting, as well as tops offs throughout the aging process
How to bottle wine and run an effective bottling line
In addition to learning how to make wine, you'll walk away with 3 bottles per person! Not too many people are able to open a bottle of wine that they made from scratch!
The tentative class schedule is as follows:
Saturday, August 31st 9 – 11 am for Orientation and Tour of the Winery. You'll learn about the types of yeast and additives we will be using and how to decide what to use.
TBD based on harvest date, but the Grenache Rose will be harvested early September and the Syrah will be harvest late September.
For the next 7-10 days, you can participate in adding the yeast, one or more punching down of the “must” and watching the fermentation process through completion. Punching down takes about 10 minutes and we will punch down 3-4 times per day so there are many opportunities to participate.
We will then “rack” the wine and start secondary fermentation called Malolactic Fermentation.
It can take a month or two to be completed and we will rack again. The class will pick a timeframe that works for the majority but assume it will be weekend morning.
The wine is now in its aging process. During this time, we will all rack in intervals with the first time being in one month then two months then three months. Racking takes a couple of hours.
Next August, you will bottle the wine. That takes about 4 hours and we will pick a weekend morning that works for everyone.
You are not required to participate in every activity but you are welcome to if your time permits.
This winemaking class is limited to 10 people! That's it, only 10 slots so reserve one while you can!
You have the option to help make a red wine (Syrah) and/or white wine (Grenache Rose). Price for each workshop is $150 but if you sign up for both, the price is $275. If you’d like to sign up for both workshops as a couple, get an additional $50 dollars off and reserve your spot for $500.
If you have an Industry Membership through the Alliance, you may attend this class for free! You will not be able to take free wine home, but you will be able to participate at your leisure.