Zion Vineyards Perfects Wine Making In Southern Utah
Here’s what’s happening at Zion Vineyards in January. This is the time for barrel aging our 2023s and bottling our 2022 wines. We will be taking wine from grapes harvested this past Fall in 2023 and transferring this finished wine into barrels, both French Oak and American Oak.
Barrel aging is an extremely important part of the Winemaking Process, where our Big Reds develop much of their character. This may contribute toasty notes of oak and leather or vanilla, clove spice, and char. Barrel aging adds complexity to a wine’s bouquet, nose, and taste. The way the oak barrels are charred or the species of oak used all affect the wine. The porous nature of wood may allow for oxygen to gradually get into the wine allowing a smoother, rounder finish.
We will be bottling our wines from 2022 in January as well. Our bottling process is small, and we run with 3-4 people. We start with Bordeaux-style bottles that are sanitized and then filled with nitrogen gas. This acts as a preservative, and this helps the winemaker to better control oxidation. The bottles are then filled with wine, displacing much of the nitrogen but leaving a barrier between the wine and the cork, preventing oxygen from coming in contact with the wine. Our use of nitrogen in the process allows us to use less sulfites which is better for you. Bottle aging is an important part of the process but not as critical as in years past. With just a few months of bottle aging it may increase fruit flavor, lower the astringent flavors, or create a softer mouthfeel. Two great examples of this are our Syrah 2020 and Zinfandel 2020; both wines have improved with just a year in the bottle. Some of the wines we will be bottling are our 2022 Petit Sirah, Primitivo, Cabernet Sauvignon, and two new Red Blends.
Please come on out and join us for a fun time and taste some of our wine. Visit us at 5 Hidden Valley Road in Leeds. We are just 12 miles north of St George and just off the I-15 in beautiful Leeds, Utah. Reservations are not needed. We are Open Seven Days a Week, from noon to 6 PM. Online at www.zionvines.com or call 435-849-8806
