KJ_egg_100413

Is this an…egg?

We found this interesting object in the tasting room right before the K-J Tomato Festival. We had to go straight to the source and ask just what this thing was…

Winemaker Matt told us: “Wine Educator Gilian and I have been talking about getting one of these for a while, partly for the cool factor, partly because it’s a great way to ferment wine.” (It’s a fermentor!)

“We decided to test out our new egg fermentor with a small batch of Chardonnay. The shape of the egg causes natural circulation of the wine so the lees don’t settle into the bottom. The end result is a wine that is a bit softer with great texture.”

Pedro, Wine Educator, checked in on the Chardonnay this morning, testing brix (sugar levels) and temperatures. He said that they expected that the Chardonnay would ferment in about 10 days, but it because it has been a bit on the warmer side, it has been fermenting much faster, about 7 days. This egg fermentor holds about 146 gallons of wine.

Our team loves the egg…

Cheers!