Today one of my tasks was to punch the Pinot every few hours. Red wines need skin contact for a certain amount of time because their grape juice is clear - the color and most of the polyphenols (tannins, flavonoids, antioxidants) are in the skins. So Wiemer's 2009 Pinot Noir is in these white bins, fermenting on the skins. It needs to be 'punched,' or pressed down, every few hours to macerate the skins and maximize the contact with the juice. I love this job because the Pinot smells really good, and I like seeing it all bubble and fizz when you punch it!
Reading all about your experience has been really interesting, Mel. Thanks for sharing and keep up the good work!
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