Amidst all the fun, the one thing we take seriously at Uwharrie Vineyards is our winemaking. We first begin our quality control in the vineyard, training and nurturing each vine to its fullest potential. Our harvest usually begins in late August and can last until mid October, depending on the weather and season. The grapes are monitored daily to assure the right time for their harvest.

Once the right balance of conditions and sugars take place, it’s a busy two months in the winery as it begins with careful inspection of the harvested fruit to select only the finest quality. No attention to detail is overlooked in our state of the art winery. Each variety is worked with individually to bring forward its own unique characteristics.

White grapes are harvested, de-stemmed, and immediately pressed and the resulting juice is chilled. We conduct multiple tests of the juice and after careful analysis we begin the art of fermentation. Red grapes are harvested, de-stemmed, and crushed into large stainless steel tanks. The color of red wine is derived from fermentation on the skins. The longer the skin contact, the darker color of the resulting wine will be. When we feel the skins have done their job for the wine’s benefit, at the right moment we’ll press off the juice and continue the fermentation.

The wines are monitored on a daily basis throughout their life before they are bottled. Lab analysis, temperature control, sterile filtration, cold stabilization, and other customized techniques are an intricate part of the winemaking process and in creating a quality wine.