The Art Of Wine Making In Southern Utah
Join Zion Vineyards for a special day of WOGA on March 17, starting at 10 AM. That’s Wine & Yoga. More information below.
Zion Vineyards in March is a busy time for us, bottling our 2022 wines and pruning the vines. Pruning is a vital part of the health of the grapevines. The trimming promotes new growth that encourages the vine to yield high-quality fruit and helps to ensure the new growth has enough air flow and sun.
The Reds will include a few Reserve Wines such as a Petit Sirah Reserve, a Field Blend, and a Cabernet Sauvignon aged in both a French Oak and an American Oak barrel and combined into one bottle. Until now, the 2022 wines have come into very little contact with air. The barrels that the wines have been aging in “breathe” a little, and a small amount of evaporation may occur. While bottling and racking from barrels into the bottle filler is the last time our wines contact oxygen prior to bottle aging.
This is when our Winemaker, Robert Cec, and our Vintner, Michael Jackson, and the crew observe the crucial steps of Wine Bottling 101. 1) Clean and sanitize Bordeaux and Syrah bottles. 2) Fill the bottles with Nitrogen (this is a heavy gas and acts as a barrier between the wine and cork). 3) Wine is then dispensed into the bottle using a 6-port filler; this displaces the nitrogen, leaving some to act as a barrier. 4) The bottle is immediately placed into a cork machine, inserting a 5-year cork into the bottle (meaning the wine may be shelved for up to 5 years). 5) The top of the bottle is then foil-wrapped. 6) Last, our Zion Vineyards label is placed on. Then, we bottle age for a few months and then go off to the Tasting Room. In general terms, barrel-aged wines have an astringent and strong flavor that, through bottle storage, will evolve towards a more fruity, softer flavor because of further oxidation of the wine. This will round out the mouthfeel and smooth the tannins in a big red.
Open seven days a week, noon to 6 PM. Please come on out and join us for a fun time and taste some of our award-winning wines. 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. Online at www.zionvines.com or call 435-849-8376
