Facts About Wineries And Vineyards

If you happen to live in any areas around the world that produce wine, then probably you are already familiar with the sight of extensive fields of grapes, exclusively grown for the purpose of producing wine or wine vinegar. Many Loudoun vineyards, today, are separated into sections with each section being assigned a specific type of grape, for example, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Zinfandel. This is done so as to make the process of harvesting easier. Different grapes have different maturity dates and therefore, different harvesting seasons. Vineyard workers during these seasons, pick the sections separately, so as not to confuse which grapes to be used to make certain types of wine.

All year round, except during the winter months, when grape vines are dormant, the vineyard is a place of constant activity. Vineyard workers provide daily care to the growing grapes, for example, by applying fertilizers or sprays as needed and by checking the grapes for problems or the presence of mold or pests. Laboratory workers have also formed part of this workforce. Their main work is to evaluate the chemical nature of wine that is already bottled and to look at the chemical composition of grapes as they ripen so as to establish if they are ripe, and to find out what adjustments may be required once the grapes are pressed. At the final stages after juice has been obtained, they evaluate whether it is for ready to be used to create wine. These laboratory workers and chemists, who work as analysts and winemakers, are collectively referred to as called enologists.

Many vineyards, today, have ventured into a type of business where wine is sold directly from the tasting room. These same vineyards often offer tours of the winemaking apparatus and vineyard. Many a Loudoun winery uses this as an important part of the vineyard. It is a building or property that produces wine, or houses a business involved in the production of wine, such as a wine company. Apart from just having the winemaking equipment, larger wineries may also incorporate warehouses, bottling lines, laboratories, and large expanses of tanks known as tank farms. The wine making process here involves fermentation of grape fruits, as well as the blending and aging of the juice. The grapes used in the winery may be from the vineyard owned by the winery or alternatively the grapes can also be brought in from other locations.

Many wineries sell wines to larger commercial distributors, sell wine in-house and offer visitors a chance to taste their different varietals. This means a vineyard attached to a Loudoun winery will have a staff dedicated to customer service, marketing and distribution. Jobs as tasting experts or tour guides are common in larger wineries. Some wineries are so small, that they can only sell to buyers who approach them, like individual restaurants. By doing this, such small wineries cut down on marketing costs and derive more profits from the direct sale of wine.

In different areas selected as wine countries, where there is a lot of wine production, some people love the look of vineyards, especially in the fall as the grape leaves turn orange, yellow and purple. However, there are also others in these regions that complain that too many Loudoun vineyards can overshadow the production of other crops, thus interfering with biodiversity.

About the Author:

This article was written by Krista Scarlet, Communications Specialist for Big Cork Vineyards. They have the best quality of flavorful and aromatic red & white wines at their wineries. They offer a wide variety of delicious red 7 white wine categories like merlot wine, wine chardonnay, malbec wine, syrah wine and many more.

This article was written by John Spare, Communications Specialist at Big Cork Vineyards.