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Equally important, we grow the herbs in the herb garden without herbicides or pesticides. We use care and attention throughout the year to ensure a successful harvest.
The grape harvest takes place in autumn, usually around the beginning of October. Our botanicals are harvested all year round in some cases. Elderflower in spring, coriander in autumn, for example.
The grapes are pressed to extract the Riesling juice before being pumped into the fermentation vessel. Some of the herbs are cooked out to natural and then stored in our cellar to preserve freshness.
Fermentation is the scientific process that produces alcohol. Natural yeasts from the cellar attack the sugars in the Riesling juice and consume the carbohydrates while producing alcohol and carbon dioxide. The carbon dioxide is allowed to escape and the yeast continues to work through all the sugars.
Once fermented, the wine is transferred to another vessel to develop flavours "on lees" for months in "Fuder" 1000 or 2000L oak barrels until it is ready for filtration.
With our spirit, wine is taken and distilled several times through a combination of alambic and continuous stills until it is almost completely neutral at 97% alcohol.
We extract flavours into spirits all year round. With extractions happening naturally through maceration, and the use of dried and fresh versions of our botanicals, it is important to continuously extract our botanicals as they become available within the season.
Once we have extracted our botanicals individually, we mix them together to make the final "elixir" that will fortify our wine. At this point, we introduce some of the infused spirits to sustain the fermentation of the wine with enough natural sugars still present.
Once the wine and botanical spirit are ready, the vermouth is finally fully blended together. It is then left to rest again in large 1000L "Fuder" barrels for 1-2 months. This allows everything to come together while also micro-oxidising, and helps us with stability.
After a very light filtration and final check, the product is bottled and stored in our cellar, ready for shipment.
© 2021 Würzgarten Vermouth
