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Step 1
Pick the Pinot grapes at a nearby vineyard by September or October. Package the grapes in buckets or crates and transport them to the winery.
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Step 2
Remove the stems and the seeds, then crush the grapes with a basket-shaped press. Crushing will help extract the juice and bring out the colors of the Pinot wines. The skins and the pulp should also be crushed.
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Step 3
Use a stainless steel or oakwood tank to ferment the crushed grapes. Allow the skins and the pulp to ferment for up to five days so that it all turns to alcohol. Let the tank sit at a temperature between 70 and 80 degrees.
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Step 4
Wait for the skins and the pulp to float to the top to form a "cake." Punch down by hand, or use a must pump to stir or break up the cake-like appearance and to release more color. Separate the juice from the tank by transferring it to wooden barrels.
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Step 5
Age the wine. Most wineries use the large, wooden barrels to add a "smoky" flavor.
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Step 6
Clarify the red and white pinot wines using a technique such as racking. This is done by using a stainless steel siphoning tube to separate the clear wine from the dirt, dust, dead yeast cells and other debris that has settled to the bottom of the barrel. Siphoning must be done judiciously so as to not take away any flavors or aromas that make Pinot Grigio or Pinot Noir appealing to wine enthusiasts.
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Step 7
Bottle the wine. Use a funnel or a siphon tube to transport the wine from the containers into the bottles. Get a hand-corking and a labeling machine, which can be found online, to seal and label your wine.
