If you like to sip wine, why it wouldn’t be your own wine. Now, you can become winemaker, thanks to The Wine Foundry, a custom winery in Sonoma, California. You can participate in winemaking activities from sorting, punchdowns and pressing, to private blending sessions their talented winemaking team and of course, you are always welcome to drop in any time to check on your babies.
Pick – First, you can choose your vineyard(s) from the wide selection of the most prestigious vineyards in California, and then follow the progress of your grapes through the growing season right up to the point of harvest. Crush – When your grapes arrive at the winery you are invited to sort, crush, ferment (although that is mostly the job of the yeast), punch down, press, or all of the above. Your wine will begin to take shape and moved into barrel to begin the fermenting process. Blend – During blending session, you can influence taste profile of your finished wine and determine the shape it will take over the next several years. You will create your unique blend; shape the balance, texture, and flavors you desire.
Design – Now, it’s time to create the look and feel of your bottled wine. You have to select the appropriate glass, label, cork, and capsules to use with your wines. Their team will help you to create a label that captures your style and the story of your winemaking journey. Bottle – And, at the end it’s time for celebration! Bottling is the grand finale where your journey comes to fruition. You can come work the bottling line with the team and witness the exciting transition from barrel to bottle. Lift your first bottle and imagine all of the family, friends, and colleagues who will share in the delights of your wine.
If you aspire to share your wine more broadly, you can also participate in a Commerce Program to market it for commercial sale. At this point you move from the process of “Make your Wine” to “Sell your Wine,” and the business of wine marketing.
The Wine Foundry utilizes some of the most state-of-the-art winemaking equipment available on the market, including vibrating destemmer and sorting line for double sorting, and computer programmable bladder presses. These on-premise assets allow winery precise control over the winemaking process and enable clients to create the highest quality of wines possible.
