On May 2nd 2009 we finally were able to taste the 2008 Cabernet Franc and bottle the wine, the last step in the winemaking process. An exciting time, particularly because this is our first batch after working with the vines and harvesting the grapes during 2008. This is the time that all our efforts and aspirations are captured into a bottle - a nice, neat little package that you can save for your own consumption or that you can pass along to others.

The first step was to quickly “clean” the new bottles by holding the bottles upside down and blowing nitrogen into them. Next step was to siphon the wine into the wine bottles. The bottles should be filled so that the wine is about one inch away from the bottom of the cork.  What this means is that if you are using a cork that’s one inch long, the wine should be 2 inches from the top of the bottle neck.  This is important: you don't want to leave a lot of ullage (airspace) in the bottles, but you have to leave enough room under the cork for the compressed air to sit. 

Next we cork the bottles securely, a heat-shrink capsule was fitted over the corked neck and labeling was next. After labeling we filled-up our case, it’s best to leave bottles upright for 3-5 days (to avoid any leakage) and then store them on their side at 55 degrees Fahrenheit for six to eight months before sampling it again.