Wine Type Selection

Vint Hill Craft winery makes wine from grape varietals grown in California, Washington State and Virginia. Our current offerings are shown on the ‘Prices’ page. We have been at this for a while, however, and have a few recommendations that you may want to consider: Our Classic Recommendations Virginia Chardonnay or Viognier in Standard Barrels California Cabernet Sauvignon in Any New Oak Barrel Virginia Cabernet Franc in Standard Barrels or New Hungarian Oak Barrels Virginia Merlot in Standard or New American Oak Barrels What’s all the fuss about barrels? Barrels are very complicated tools that impart certain flavors in wine. Oak from different regions of the world flavor wine uniquely, as does the “toast” or charring inside. We use several barrel coopers from around the world and we’ll help you pick the one that’s best for you based on the style and flavor profile of the wine you want to craft. To give you an idea, here is a diagram showing barrel flavor profiles.

We offer four barrel selection options.  When we meet to plan your wine, we’ll help you select the barrel type that best matches the result you want to achieve in your wine.
 

Barrel Options

• Standard Barrel – Three (3) rack and returns of your wine, at least 1/3 of the time in new oak barrels of our choosing but based on your stylistic guidance.  Balance of time in 2-3 year oak barrels.
• All American – 100% new oak barrels for 9-10 months
• All Hungarian – 100% new oak barrels for 9-10 months
• All French   – 100% new oak barrels for 9-10 months

Wine Processing Options

Together, we’ll make lots of small decisions along the way, but there are a few variables that you get to choose in advance. There is an option for extended cold soaking and another for post-fermentation maceration in our hotbox. And, you can leave your wine in barrel longer if you like. This really isn’t all that complicated, but we need to know so we make room and reserve your space. These options are offered on a first come, first served basis.