Winery California

Although, owing to changes in ownership, etc, it is impossible to give a permanently accurate number, there are presently (ca 1997) about 940 active bonded wineries in California and about an equal number in other states. One California winery is generally conceded to be the largest in the world, shipping about 50 x 10 cases (1 case = 12 bottles, 750 mL each) per year, or about 35% of the California total. 

Table 8. Grapes Processed in California Wineries by Type and Variety ...

Spontaneous fermentations are used for wine production in Erance, some other European countries and in South America. In recent years, smaller California wineries have begun experimentation with spontaneous fermentations as well. They generally start more slowly than fermentations inoculated with commercial dried yeast, are more difficult to control, and may suffer from growth of undesirable contaminants. However, it is claimed that the resulting wines possess better organoleptic properties, particularly more complex flavor and aroma. 

At least two large California wineries actually own and operate their own glass plants where much of their wine bottle requirement is manufactured. These are typical glassware manufacturing operations and both have typical glassware quality control programs. Likewise, some larger wineries manufacture their own aluminum pilfer-proof caps, and their quality control effort is included in Phase II as used here. 

Malo-Lacttc Starter Culture. This must be monitored with great care and precision. Most California wineries don t use Leuconostoc starter cultures for malo-lactic fermentations because the organisms are generally so unpredictable and difficult to control. Where used, in the cooler coastal areas, the results are worth the effort, but it must be stressed that this is not for amateurs. Precise control is absolutely essential. See Pilone and Kunkee (10), Tchelistcheff et al. (II), and earlier papers by Kunkee. 

Based on prices f.o.b. California Winery, in cases of twelve fifths or equivalent. b Preliminary figures for 1979. 

Trends in White Wine Consumption. The 1970s have brought increasing consumer interest in white table wines. In 1979, California wineries shipped 114 million gallons of white wine to markets, up from 38 million in 1974. The 1979 shipments represented 53 percent of the total table wine shipped that year (Table V). 

Source Frepared by the Wine Institute in November 1979 and updated in February 1980. Prepared from confidential reports obtained from California wineries and reports of the California Board of Equalization ana the B ATF of the U. S. Treasury Department. 

Bottle Storage. These are stacks of individual bottles, Figure 2, bottles in wooden pallet bins, and bottles in cartons. Stacks of individual bottles are the classic method of storage, but only a few California wineries use it now. The bottles are brought from the bottling room and are hand stacked, bottle by bottle. There are two types of stacks, on slats or between bulkheads. These stacks are up to 36 or more bottles wide, 20-45 bottles high, and many tiers deep. Tens of thousands of bottles are often in one stack. It is remarkable how steady these stacks are, even in our famous California earthquakes. This is a labor-intensive method, as one person can stack only about 2000 bottles in a day. 

A poor batch of wine can sometimes be improved by chemical means, and then marketed as a blend. If it is not possible to correct the off wine, it may be distilled for recovery of alcohol, which again may be used for wine fortification. The aqueous residue, now significantly lower in BOD, is then discarded. An off wine may also be converted to wine vinegar by acetifica-tion [37](Eq. 16.15). This process is sufficiently profitable that one California winery has specialized in producing wine vinegar, rather than wine. 

Bioletti, Frederick T. The practical application of improved methods of fermentation in California wineries during 1913 and 1914. California Agricultural Experiment Station, Circ. 140. 1915. 

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