Sparkling Wine: In history, in the cellar, in the glass.
TYPES OF SPARKLES (And is there a difference between sparkling wine and Champagne, anyway?) It’s the epitome of celebration, the exclamation point on a toast, the most fun you can have in a glass—sparkling wine as a concept supersedes its value as a beverage. Its almost mythic status in the world of wine can […]
Blending Process
Arguably the most important step in the process of winemaking (beyond harvest, of course; crush wins every contest!) is the blending. Once vintage is over and we’ve had a bit of a chance to recover, we turn our attention to the bottling schedule, which in turn dictates the deadlines for each wine to be finalized. […]
Cold Stabilization
A stable wine is one for which, under normal storage conditions, there will be no change physically or sensorially in the time between bottling and drinking. This includes visual changes as well as those in mouthfeel, taste, and aroma. Through testing and trialing, we do our best to protect a wine’s stability for a reasonable […]
A Brief Look Into The Washington Wine Industry
Making wine may start out as a hobby for many in Washington, but the organized industry contributes significantly to the economy. In 2022 an estimated $9.51 billion was generated across all sectors, from nurseries and vineyards to tasting rooms and tourism. There are 836 wineries in the state, with more coming all the time; and […]
The Four Main Kinds of Grape
Grapes are a type of fruit botanically categorized as “berry”. Some traits of true berries are that they have internal seeds and pulp, and the fruit develops from the ovary of a flower. The general growth habit of grapes is to grow in clusters from a woody vine. Wine grapes are processed immediately after harvest […]
The Four Ways of Making Rosé
Sip sip hooray, it’s time for Rosé! We all seem to love the pink stuff, but how does it find its way into your glass? There are four standard ways of creating the beautiful beverage. The method we use at Merry Cellars is direct pressing. The red grapes are thrown in the press straight from […]