The Cellar at Bosue Vineyard
The cellar was built in 2005 and allows us to do all the winemaking here at Bosue. There is space for processing the grapes at harvest and for winemaking during the winter months. Bottling and labelling is all done here and we have a sales area where the wines can be tasted and purchased.
Current wines available are:
2008 Quality Sparkling wine - Silver medal winner 2011
2006 Quality Sparkling wine - Bronze award in 2010
2010 Phoenix - Orion dry white wine - Bronze medal winner 2011
2010 Rose - a dry, fresh rose from Rondo and Regent grapes
2006 Red wine - a dry light red matured in oak barrels
Winemaking at Bosue Vineyard
The wines are carefully made by Paul and Liz Sibley in the contemporary English style, ensuring throughout the winemaking process that the delicate natural flavours are preserved.
The red wines are aged in French oak barrels for 6 to 9 months, with regular checks and tastings by the winemakers.
We now bottle the whole range in modern screw capped bottles as our research has shown that this type of closure preserves our delicate wines better than the traditional cork
April in the Cellar
The wines made from last year's harvest are now maturing. Hopefully last year's white wine will all be bottled by now and we can tidy the winery ready for visitors and in preparation for this years grapes.May in the Cellar
May is quiet in the cellar unless we are behind with bottling! This month is usually English Wine Week when we open our doors to the public, and there are often Spring Food events where we display and taste the wines. This means plenty of labelling to be done, especiallly if we are also going to the Royal Cornwall Show in early June. I keep in touch with all our retail customers to keep them stocked up for the Bank Holiday weekends.
June in the Cellar
The main work this month is preparing bottles for the Royal Cornwall Show. This means cleaning, labelling and boxing bottles. and making sure the displays and leaflets are ready.The Show is a huge sucess for us. In 2007 we won first prize for the best newcomer to the Food and Farming Marquee with a presentation by HRH Prince Edward and we were able to introduce the wines to hundreds of Show visitors. Their feedback and genuine interest has been invaluable. 2009 saw no less interest in the wines, especially the Sparkling Wine which we launched at the Show. For us it is a family affair with all of us on hand to man the stand and sell wine.
July in the Cellar
July tends to be a quiet month in the Cellar. Wine is best not moved in the warmer months and there is always plenty to do outside!August in the Cellar
Another quiet month, but an opportunity to start preparing for the first grapes to be harvested in September. Time to get the crusher cleaned, the pump and press set up and to make sure all the right fittings are to hand.
September in the Cellar
The first grapes start to ripen in September, usually Rondo first. These we net to protect from birds. Test are carried out regularly to check sugar levels and acidity. Once harvest starts the grapes come into the winery for destalking and gentle crushing, and the mash is left overnight to extract the maximum juice before pressing the next day. From the press the juice is pumped to a tank to settle for 24-36 hours before the fermentation is started.
October in the Cellar
This is a really busy month with the harvest in full swing and whe winery often full of grapes and people. We can always use plenty of help: picking, heaving grapes around and turning the crusher handle. We can offer good company for the day, and a lunch on the decking ( with wine of course!)
November in the Cellar
After the frantic rush of harvest, the wine now ferments. To ensure we retain the fruit flavours, the ferment is carried out in the cool cellar, with the tanks cooled with water if necessary. Soon after fermentation is finished, the wine is racked off the lees and left to settle. In 2007, we bottled the sparkling once the secondary fermentation was under way. This will now stay in capped bottles for 12 -14 months before the final riddling, disgorging and corking.
December and January in the Cellar
During these cold months we keep a careful check on the wine, ensuring sulphor levels are maintained for freshness. The cold helps tartaric acid to drop out, forming a crust around the inside of the tank, and the wine is racked off regularly. The wine is showing its flavours and we can start to think about the final blending.February and March in the Cellar
These are important months to ensure the wines are clarified and stabilised ready for bottling, and we try to finish bottling in these cooler months.
