Hidden Cost of Sparkling Wine With Torr Na Lochs Winery

Forget what you know about Champagne and mass-produced bubbly—Texas is rewriting the rules with grit, creativity, and uncompromising passion. In this episode, Kristi Mayfield goes deep into the real story inside a bottle of Torr Na Loch’s traditional method sparkling wine.

If you’ve ever questioned why some sparkling wines are $10 and others command triple digits, you’ll uncover the true, labor-intensive journey that creates those signature tiny bubbles and creamy texture. Blake DeBerry and Colby O'Brien of Torn Na Loch share how they overcame million-dollar equipment costs, leaning into their engineering backgrounds to invent a made-in-Texas, hand-riddled approach—cutting startup costs by over 90%—and creating a boutique sparkling you can actually taste the effort in.

Learn how Malvasia Bianca grapes are hand-harvested and nurtured for acidity, why every bottle is touched by human hands up to 86 times, and how artisan riddling racks and cattle dosers for dosage dosing become tools of the Texas wine revolution. Understand how manual production and long aging translate to a richer, more meaningful glass (and a much fairer price tag).

This episode is a must-listen for wine lovers looking to decode wine pricing, discover Texas craft winemaking, or simply sip with more confidence—knowing exactly what’s gone into their glass.

BY THE TIME YOU FINISH LISTENING, YOU’LL DISCOVER:

• Why hand-crafted, traditional method sparkling wine costs more—and why it matters for taste and quality
• How Torn Na Loch engineered their own production revolution for Texas sparkling wine, reducing costs and maximizing flavor
• The behind-the-scenes secrets of riddling, aging, and the sheer number of skilled touch points in every bottle
• How sparkling wine is far more than just a celebration treat—it's a story of passion, innovation, and Texas grit you can taste

Episode Timestamps:

[00:02:30] “From Red to Bubbles: Why Torn Na Loch Chose the Hardest Wine to Make in Texas”
Discover why a Texas winery ditched convention and bet big on traditional sparkling wine, despite the region’s reputation for bold reds.

[00:07:14] “Million-Dollar Equipment—Or DIY: How Innovation Slashed Costs & Created a Revolution”
Learn how high equipment costs almost ended the dream, and how DIY ingenuity saved the day and changed Texas wine history.

[00:15:01] “Hand Riddling and the 86-Touch Process: What Really Sets Artisanal Sparkling Apart”
Explore the manual journey—riddling racks, twice-daily turns, and the secret to that creamy bubble mousse you only get from the traditional Champagne method.

[00:23:13] “Disgorgement by Design: How Texas Winemakers Freeze, Dosage, and Top Every Bottle”
See how custom-built gadgets (and a little farm wisdom) make each bottle absolutely unique, from yeast pucks to precise sugar dosing.

[00:34:51] “True Cost Decoded: What Goes Into Your Bottle and Why

Liked this episode? Share it and tag me @kristi_sipsocietycollective

Love the show? Leave a review and let me know!

CONNECT WITH KRISTI: Website | Instagram | LinkedIn | Facebook Group


Love the EVERYDAY SOMMELIER soundtrack? Follow the amazing Raymond Revel on Instagram!

Inspired by our artwork? Follow the uber talented Sophie Metzger on Instagram!

Transcript

Kristi Mayfield (00:01)
When you pop the cork on a bottle of sparkling wine, you're unleashing a celebration. However, it can be one of the most confusing styles of wine to decipher, especially when it comes to price. You can grab a bottle of Prosecco for $10 or under, but the bottles right next to it on the shelf with traditional method or method champenoise are selling for three to five times as much. Why is this you ask?

It's all about the process. The story before the pop of the cork, it's one of grit, ingenuity, and incredible painstaking effort. Today, we're talking to the team from Tornilocks, who faced with the prohibitive costs of buying European equipment, decided to shift gears, build their own traditional method sparkling wine program right here

in Texas. We're going to follow the journey of a single bottle to discover just exactly how many times that bottle is touched by human hands and why that effort is something you will taste in the glass. This is a story of how Texas Passion is redefining fine wine.

Kristi Mayfield (01:37)
I am obsessed with sparkling wine. I love dry to off dry, blanc to blanc, blanc to noir, rosé, all forms. I am equally obsessed, however, with how it's made, in particular those made in the traditional or champagne method. Take a journey with me. Imagine you're holding a cold, beautiful bottle of sparkling wine. You peel back the foil, untwist the cage, and with a p- rather than a big pop,

the celebration begins. It feels effortless, but the journey that specific bottle took to get into your hands was anything but that. Let's go deep into the heart of Texas, a place you might never have associated with elegant, delicate bubbles, especially the traditional method sparkling wine, and get started.

Kristi Mayfield (02:30)
Today I'm here with Blake deBerry and Colby O'Brien from Torla Knox Winery in Burnet Texas. They had a passion and a vision to create world-class sparkling wine right here in Texas.

But as they prepped their winery, they hit a huge wall. All of the specialized equipment they needed cost a miniature fortune. But in True Texas style, they did not give up and they decided to take a different route, use their engineering background and try it themselves. So get ready to have your understanding of sparkling wine completely transformed and turned upside down.

We're going to follow the life of one of their bottles from Vineyard to that lovely mushroom cork and cage to understand why the price of sparkling wine on a shelf next to other sparkling wines doesn't tell you the full story. And we're going to learn about this amazing wine and the craft behind it. So today I'm welcoming Blake and Colby. I'm so excited to have you guys on the show. Well, thank you.

Blake (03:35)
Well, thank you. We're glad

to be

Kristi Mayfield (03:37)
Well, before we get into the engineering side of things, I would love to understand why in Texas, you decided to make a sparkling wine. Traditionally, Texas wine, big bold reds, we're in a very warm climate, but you guys decided that you wanted to pursue one of the most challenging and technically difficult styles of wine to make.

Why sparkling wine? So when we first started Toro Locks, we had a couple of wineries that helped us get started. one of those came and offered us a Texas sparkling wine. The Cuvée was from Texas, but the wine was sparkled in California. ⁓ And we said, yeah, let's try that. That would be fun for our wine club members. And we did make it a wine club member only wine because it was limited.

Blake (04:00)
So when we first started Tornellox, we had a couple of wineries that helped us get started. And one of those came and offered us a Texas sparkling wine. The Cuvée was from Texas, but the wine was sparkled in California. ⁓ And we said, yeah, let's try that. That would be fun for our wine club members. And we did make it a wine club member only wine because it was limited.

And our wine club members.

Kristi Mayfield (04:25)
And our wine club members

Blake (04:26)
Loved it. They loved the option of having the sparkling wine alongside the still, particularly if they were coming in celebrating something. Of course, everybody wants to hear the pop as part of the celebration. And ⁓ we thought, well, that's great. We will do that. And it was very well received. But then we kind of lost that connection and were not able to get that. So we always said, we need to come back and figure out how to do the

Kristi Mayfield (04:26)
loved it. They loved the option of having the sparkling wine alongside the still. Particularly if they were coming in celebrating something. Of course, everybody wants to hear the pop as part of the celebration. And we thought, well, that's great. We will do that. And it was very well received. But then we kind of lost that connection. And we're not able to get that. So we always said, we need to come back and figure out how to do the.

Blake (04:53)
a

sparkling wine that we can offer to our wine club members and to our customers. And so that was really the driver. We just kept looking, how can we do it? How can we do it? And I said to myself, at that time I was still working my full time job. And so I had to get free from that full time job. said, when I, when I'm fully retired, I'm going to look into doing small batch Charmant because that seemed to me the easiest way to make the wine. And so that was the driver that

Kristi Mayfield (04:53)
sparkling wine that we can offer to our wine club members and to our customers. And so that was really the driver. We just kept looking how can we do it, how can we do it. And I said to myself at that time I was still working my full-time job and so I had to get free from that full-time job. So when I when I'm fully retired I'm gonna look into doing small bachelor moms because that seemed to me the easiest way to make the wine. And so that was the driver

of it.

Blake (05:21)
sent us down this path.

Kristi Mayfield (05:23)
when we think about Texas grapes, we don't really think about high acidity grapes for the most part, because in warm climates, you lose acidity very quickly. how do you as winemakers, get past that? How do you either find the right grapes or how do you farm differently

in order to ensure that you've got the right starting point for a sparkling wine here.

Blake (05:43)
So I think one of the reasons we decided to use the grape that we did, which was Malvasia Bianca, was that we've worked with it for a number of years prior to even starting our sparkling program. And the chemistry that it's always given us year over year has been pretty good. It's the site that it's being grown at, and the growers who are managing it are doing a really good job of doing it. And so that's one of the reasons we decided to go with that.

Kristi Mayfield (05:43)
So think one of the reasons we decided to use the grape that we did, which was Malvasia Bianca, was that we've worked with it for a number of years prior to even starting our sparkling program. And the chemistry that it's always given us year over year has been pretty good. It's the site that it's being grown at and the growers who are managing it are doing a really good job of doing it. And so that's one of the reasons we decided to go with that.

Blake (06:10)
particular grape. It kind of holds on to its acid pretty well early on and gives us at that point good chemistry, good sugar when we're ready to pick it.

Kristi Mayfield (06:10)
particular grape. kind of holds onto its acid pretty well early on and gives us at that point good chemistry, good sugar when we're ready to

Blake (06:19)
And in order to get that chemistry exactly where we want it, we have to almost on a daily basis be talking to our grower and coordinating the perfect day to get it picked and get it ready to go.

Kristi Mayfield (06:19)
And in order to get that chemistry exactly where we want it, we have to almost on a daily basis of talking to our grower and coordinating the perfect day to get it picked and get it ready to

Such a great point. And I think our listeners are going to learn throughout the entire process. Every second counts. Every process matters.

And it is definitely not the easiest wines to make. you, made the decision Blake, we need to do this. You mentioned Charmant method and talk about that moment as you made that commitment post retirement, you found the right grapes, but you now needed all of the equipment to move into a traditional method, sparkling wine.

process. How did that go about and what was your what was your aha moment that this might not be as easy as you thought? It actually happened pretty

Blake (07:07)
Yeah, so...

It actually happened pretty fast.

Kristi Mayfield (07:15)
once I retired, then Colby and I happened to be in Lubbock. were visiting McPherson Cellars and talking to Kim McPherson and Spencer Igoe as wine maker. And I mentioned in passing, hey, I'm looking at doing a small batch shermott. What do you think about that?

Blake (07:14)
once I retired, then Colby and I happened to be in Lubbock. were visiting McPherson Cellars and talking to Kim McPherson and Spencer Igoe, his winemaker. And I mentioned in passing, hey, I'm looking at doing a small batch shermat. You know, what do you think about that? And

he just looked at me in the true Kim McPherson way, very straightforward and said, well, you got a million dollars, right? And I was like, well, no, I don't have a million dollars to invest in that. That's not really what I want to do.

Kristi Mayfield (07:30)
He just looked at me in the true Kim McPherson way, very straightforward and said, well, you got a million dollars, right? I was like, well, no, I don't have a million dollars to invest in that. That's not really what I

want to do. And he just said, look, you know, once you go that down that route, it doesn't matter the size. You you have to have specialized bottling equipment and, ⁓ you know, in the tanks and everything else. And says, you're going to spend a million dollars. Doesn't matter that you're small and

Blake (07:42)
And he just said, look, you know, once you go that down that route, it doesn't matter the size. You know, you have to have specialized bottling equipment and, ⁓ you know, in the tanks and everything else. And he says, you're going to spend a million dollars. Doesn't matter that you're small. And, know,

our idea was we're a boutique vineyard and winery. We want small batch wines. And Spencer just looked at us and said, Hey, just do method champagne. Was, you know, you can, you can do method champagne. Was you can do it in small batch.

Kristi Mayfield (07:58)
You know, our idea was we're a boutique vineyard of winery. We want small batch wines. Spencer just looked at us and said, hey, just do method champagne was you know you can you can do method champagne was you can do that in small

batch and it's going to be definitely cheaper. You don't need as much investment. And we left it just kind of like that and Colby and I were loading up getting ready to go and Kim came out and said, hey, we're going to go to lunch at Rudy's Barbecue. Do you want to go to lunch? We said sure. He said, well, my brother John.

Blake (08:10)
and it's going to be definitely cheaper. You don't need as much investment. And we left it just kind of like that and Colby and I were loading up and getting ready to go. And Kim came out and said, hey, we're going to go to lunch at Rudy's Barbecue. Do you want to go to lunch? And we said, sure. And he said, well, my brother John is

in town and he's going to go. Is that OK if he goes with us? Well, it's John McPherson, who's the sparkling winemaker out in California. And we ended up spending the whole lunch.

Kristi Mayfield (08:27)
is in town and he's going to go. that okay if he goes with us? Well, it's John McPherson, who's the sparkling winemaker out in California. And we ended up spending the whole lunch,

Blake (08:37)
the five of us talking about how you would make small batch sparkling wine. And so that started us on the path that, maybe we can do this. And so we came back and just started doing our research and figuring out what the stumbling blocks were and how do we get around those. And here we are.

Kristi Mayfield (08:37)
the five of us talking about how you would make small batch sparkling wine. And so that started us on the path that, maybe we can do this. And so we came back and just started doing our research and figuring out what the stumbling blocks were and how do we get around those. And here we are.

It sounds like that chance lunch timing was very fortuitous in the rest of the story. I'd love to peel back the layers of the onion for you, our listener. You didn't go down the path of the Charmant method, which is a different method than what we're going to talk about. You didn't buy all of that expensive

equipment, you leveraged your background and you engineered some of your own equipment. Let's walk through not only that process, but let's walk through it taking the life of a bottle of your sparkling wine and talk through for you, our listener, all of those touch points and what you did differently versus if our

listener went to see John's sparkling facility out in California.

Blake (09:52)
Right. So I would say you're right. did engineer some things and we bought some equipment that would do the job and configured it. And we can talk about that later. But just to put things in perspective, I went back and looked up what did we spend for this program to pull this together. And we spent $50,000. That was our spend compared to

Kristi Mayfield (09:53)
So I would say you're right, we did engineer some things and we bought some equipment that would do the job and configured it. And we can talk about that later. But just to put things in perspective, I went back and looked up what did we spend for this program to pull this together? And we spent $50,000. That was our spend compared

to.

Blake (10:20)
a

million dollars for Charmant. So for $50,000, we're able to make, you know, I think we can probably get up to about 3000 bottles a year, you know, without too much trouble. And so it's a pretty economical way to do that. But it is labor intensive, which is the part I think you want to hear about, the labor intensity part.

Kristi Mayfield (10:21)
million dollars for charm lock. So for $50,000 we're able to make, you know, I think we can probably get up to about 3,000 bottles a year, you know, without too much trouble. so it's a pretty economical way to do that. and, but it does, it is labor intensive, which is the part I think you want to hear about the labor intensity

part.

Right. I'll let Colby talk about, you know, the steps that go into making the not only just the couvert, but then getting it sparkled and then get it finished. So Colby, you mentioned that you've found the perfect grape, the Malvasia Bianco which obviously when you're talking about sparkling wine, you need something crisp, fresh and high acidity. So walk our listener through that point on.

Blake (10:49)
I'll let Colby talk about the steps that go into making not only just the couvert but then getting it sparkled and then getting it finished.

Kristi Mayfield (11:15)
everything from the harvest up to the time when they get to pop the cork. So from harvest we get the fruit hand harvested, which is another one of those things we typically would get this fruit machine harvested, of course having it hand, excuse me, having the fruit hand harvested ensures that we can get it brought to the winery, get it pressed off very gently.

Blake (11:19)
So from harvest, we get the fruit hand harvested, which is another one of those things. We typically would get this fruit machine harvested, of course, it hand, excuse me, having the fruit hand harvested ensures that we can get it brought to the winery, get it pressed off very gently, and

avoid extracting any undesirable flavors or aromas that you might get from all of that prolonged skin contact.

Kristi Mayfield (11:41)
and avoid extracting any undesirable flavors or aromas that you might get from all of that prolonged skin contact.

Blake (11:48)
From there, the juice gets clarified and cleaned up, chilled down, and then we have it, we get it into our tanks in the winery and get the fermentation going just like we would a normal, still white wine. And once that primary fermentation is complete, we have our base wine or our cuvee

Kristi Mayfield (11:49)
From there, the juice gets clarified and cleaned up, chilled down, and then we have it, we get it into our tanks in the winery and get the fermentation going just like we would a normal, still white wine. And once that primary fermentation is complete, we have our base wine or our

where we go to tirage. That's the stage where

Blake (12:08)
where we go to tirage. That's the stage where the wine is.

Kristi Mayfield (12:11)
the wine is being bottled into its final bottle. that's where the secondary fermentation will

Blake (12:11)
being bottled into its final bottle. And at that's where the secondary fermentation will take place.

Kristi Mayfield (12:18)
let me ask you a really quick question. When you talk about hand harvesting the grapes versus you would traditionally with that varietal do a machine harvest, are you harvesting at the same time or are you harvesting earlier or later? So we have to harvest earlier again to ensure that we maintain that high acidity before we lose it as the grapes get more ripe. And at that point too, the sugar levels are lower.

Blake (12:32)
So we have to harvest earlier again to ensure that we maintain that high acidity before we lose it as the grapes get more ripe. And at that point too, the sugar levels are lower around

Kristi Mayfield (12:45)
around 18 bricks is typically what the time primary fermentation is done, the wine is gonna be sitting around 10 to 11 % alcohol, which is desirable for a sparkling

Blake (12:45)
18 bricks is typically what we'll target. And by the time primary fermentation is done, the wine is going to be sitting around 10 to 11 % alcohol, which is desirable for a sparkling wine.

Kristi Mayfield (12:57)
wine. Because after everything is said and done, it's gonna pick up another one to one and a half percent through the secondary fermentation in the bottle.

Blake (12:57)
Because at the end of is said and done, it's gonna pick up another one to one and a half percent through the secondary fermentation in the bottle.

And so at that point, we end up with an 11 to 12 % wine, which is just perfect for a sparkling.

Kristi Mayfield (13:06)
And so at that point, we end up with an 11 to 12 % wine, which is just perfect for a

You also mentioned a word cuvee that I would like for you to define, if you will, for our listener. So the cuvee is just the base wine being used for sparkling wine. Typically, again, very low pH, low alcohol. Usually a kind of a more delicate wine, still very

Blake (13:18)
So the cuvee is just the base wine being used for sparkling wine. Typically, again, very low pH, low alcohol. ⁓ Usually a kind of a more delicate wine, still very, especially

Kristi Mayfield (13:33)
especially with the malbasia that we use nice aromatics but nothing And I think it's fair to we make the base the cuvee

Blake (13:33)
with the malbisilla that we use. Nice aromatics, but nothing overpowering. I think it's fair to say that we make the base, the cuvee.

you spend all the same effort that you would spend making a still white Before the tirage, we go through all the cold stabilization, so it's prepped for low temperature. ⁓ We do all the filtration. We filter it just like we're getting ready

Kristi Mayfield (13:43)
you spend all the same effort that you would spend making a still before the tirage we go through all the cold stabilization so it's prepped for low temperature ⁓ we do all the filtration we filter it just like

Blake (13:57)
to put it into a bottle. So you put all the effort into it that you would put into a still wine, and you're not even close to having a sparkling wine at that point. Yeah, for every other wine, that would be the final stage. It would be done.

Kristi Mayfield (13:57)
getting ready to put it into a bottle. So you put all the effort into it that you would put into a still wine and you're not even close to having a sparkling wine at that point. Yeah for every other wine that would be the final the final stage it

would be done be ready to you mentioned at that stage you have the final clarified still wine you could bottle it and put a cork in it and sell it as a still

Blake (14:11)
Be ready to be sold.

Kristi Mayfield (14:22)
But you're going into the next step and Colby, you mentioned tirage Are you doing the tirage which is a combination of yeast and sugars and nutrients for the yeast? Basically, it kicks off that second fermentation. Are you doing that while it's in the tank or are you doing that after you've put that original still wine into the bottle where it lives the rest of its life?

Yeah, more than what you have in the tires on your car. So describe after you have put still wine with the tirage in a bottle. What happens next? This is where the real labor intensive part comes into place. Am I correct? Yeah, well, it'll sit for about 18 months. Just untouched.

Blake (14:48)
Buy a long shot. Yeah.

Yeah, well, it'll sit for about 18 months, just untouched. We try

not to look at it. It's a little too tempting to try to crack one open. And during that time, the secondary fermentation will happen, that CO2 will be created, then the yeast will die and settle to the bottom of the bottle where it creates this

Kristi Mayfield (15:07)
We try not to look at it. It's a little too tempting to try to crack together. And during that time, the secondary fermentation will happen, that CO2 will be created, then the yeast will die and settle to the bottom of the bottle where it creates

this layer of fine particles in the bottle. And over that,

Blake (15:21)
layer of fine particles in the bottle. And over that

12 to 24 months or however long we decide we want to age it, the yeast will go through a process called autolysis where the cells are kind of breaking down. And that's really one of the most important parts of traditional method sparkling is you get all of those characteristic bready

Kristi Mayfield (15:28)
12 to 24 months or however long we decide we want to age it, the yeast will go through a process called autolysis where the cells are kind of breaking down. And that's really one of the most important parts of a traditional method sparkling is you get all of those bready,

Blake (15:48)
toasty, nutty notes from those dead yeast cells breaking down.

Kristi Mayfield (15:49)
sort of notes from those dead kind of breaking down.

Blake (15:53)
You're releasing manoproteins, polysaccharides, amino acids, and all of those things are what contribute directly to the unique flavor of a traditional method sparkling

Kristi Mayfield (15:54)
You're releasing man of proteins, polysaccharides, amino acids, and all of those things are what contribute directly to the unique a traditional method

why does it take so long? The 12 to 24 months, from a winemaking perspective and a winery perspective.

you're holding onto that inventory for a significant amount of time before you're actually releasing it to the market. So that in itself is a huge cost of just holding that inventory.

Blake (16:23)
We decide to do 18 months, think, is where we've kind of honed in on because some of the reasons behind that are with the release of something like those mannoproteins, you get a better stability in the wine. It gives it more structure. It allows the bubbles to kind of stay in the wine a little more than just like a Charmant method sparkling wine. You don't get the same amount of mannoproteins.

Kristi Mayfield (16:24)
We decide to do 18 months, I think is where we've kind of honed in on because some of the reasons behind that are with the release of something like those mannoproteins, you get a better stability in the wine. gives it more structure. It allows the bubbles to kind of stay in the wine a little more than just like a Charmant method sparkling wine. You don't get the same amount of mannoproteins.

Blake (16:52)
the bubbles

Kristi Mayfield (16:52)
the bubbles aren't as intense or prolific in the wine. So that's one of the reasons. And then it just, it takes some time. It takes a significant amount of time for those proteins to really start being released into

Blake (16:52)
aren't as intense or prolific in the wine. So that's one of the reasons. And then it just, takes some time. It takes a significant amount of time for those proteins to really start being released into the wine.

Kristi Mayfield (17:07)
if I were to describe that it's like taking those bubbles from that pop rocks kind of feeling where you really do feel them popping in your mouth to that smooth, moosey type of sensation. Is that

an accurate representation? I would say so. And along with like those polysaccharides, that kind of contributes to some of that creamy mouth feel that you get as well. And so they all kind of integrate together.

Blake (17:21)
I would say so, and along with those polysaccharides, that kind of contributes to some of that creamy mouth feel that you get as well, and so they all kind of integrate together at that point.

Kristi Mayfield (17:32)
So at 18 months, if that's the magic number, what happens next? This is where the real intensity comes into play when we're talking about touch points. everything's great in that sparkling wine, except the bottles have been laying there. And one of the things that we probably didn't clarify to your listeners is that when we do the tirage and we bottle it,

Blake (17:42)
everything's great in that sparkling wine, except, ⁓ you know, it's the bottles have been laying there. And one of things that we probably didn't clarify to your to your listeners is that when we do the to Raj and we bottle it,

we are doing that by hand. It is a hand bottler ⁓ and we got we got five touch points on the bottle before we get the charge done. ⁓

Kristi Mayfield (17:58)
We are doing that by hand. It is a hand bottler. And we got five touch points on the bottle before we get the garage done.

Blake (18:08)
but we cap it with a regular crown cap, like a beer bottle. And that's traditional, that's nothing we're doing special, but it will hold the CO2 and not allow it to release. You if you put a cork in that bottle, it would just blow out when the CO2 pressure came on. So we have these bottles under pressure

Kristi Mayfield (18:08)
But we cap it with a regular crown cap, like a beer bottle. And that's traditional. That's nothing we're doing special. But it will hold the CO2 and not allow it to release. know, if put a cork in that bottle, it would just blow out the CO2. Right. So we have these bottles under pressure.

Blake (18:26)
with all of the yeast adjuvants.

Kristi Mayfield (18:27)
with all of the yeast, adjuvants,

Blake (18:33)
everything else, know, solids, they're sitting in the bottom. You can hold the bottle up and carefully look through it and not disturb it. And it's clear wine. It's beautiful. Well, you got to get that out. You got, and that's what the riddling part comes in. And that was a challenge because we're

Kristi Mayfield (18:34)
everything else, solids, they're sitting in the bottom. You can hold the bottle up and carefully look through it and not disturb it. And it's clear wine, it's beautiful. But you gotta get that out. And that's what the riddling part comes in. And that was a challenge because...

Blake (18:51)
like, how are we going to riddle? think our first batch was we were right around 1200 bottles and we're like, how are we going to get 1200 bottles eventually upside down?

Kristi Mayfield (18:51)
We're like, how are we going to riddle? think our first batch was right around 1200 bottles. Okay. And we're like, how are we going to get 1200 bottles eventually upside

down economically space in the right kind of space. So here to this point, we have bought commercial equipment, the hand of the hand filling stations over commercial, the cappers that's commercial. All we did was figure out how to

Blake (19:03)
economically and space in the right kind of space. And here at this point, we have bought commercial equipment, the hand filling stations, those are commercial, the cappers, that's commercial. All we did was figure out how to put that on a

table that we can roll around and move and set up our own little bottling line. ⁓ But the riddling became challenging and that was where the engineering part came in. And so I

Kristi Mayfield (19:20)
that on a table that we can roll around and move and set up our own little bottling line. ⁓ But the riddling became challenging and that was where the engineering part came in

and so I dreamed up a way of creating a riddling rack and we ended up calling it the ⁓ redneck riddling rack. So you you didn't buy an automated gyro palette.

Blake (19:31)
dreamed up a way of creating a riddling rack and we ended up calling it the ⁓ redneck riddling rack.

Kristi Mayfield (19:43)
You didn't go out and search through antique stores to get the traditional wooden pepitas. You literally created your own redneck riddling rack. Oddly enough, know, my mother, ⁓ years and years ago, had an antique store and she said, hey, I got this cool wine rack. And she gave it to us and it was a pepita and it's up in the room we're in right now, which is our members lounge. And the first bottles that we riddled, riddled

Blake (19:44)
No.

Oddly enough, my mother, ⁓ years and years ago, had an antique store. And she said, hey, I got this cool wine rack. And she gave it to us. And it was a pepetra. And it's up in the room we're in right now, which is our members' lounge. And the first bottles that we riddled, we riddled in that.

So it was very much old school when we were just trialing the bottles and trying to figure out how we were going to do all this. ⁓ And then we said, OK, we've got to do something that we can do at a little bigger scale.

Kristi Mayfield (20:12)
very much old school when we were just trialing the bottles and trying to figure out how we were going to do all of this. And then we said, OK, we've got to do something that we can do at a little bigger scale.

Blake (20:23)
And so we designed our riddling rack is the reason I call it a redneck riddling rack. And a lot of what we do, think about, you know, how does a farmer or a rancher do it? But we made the riddling rack out of hog panel and angle iron. And, you know, I, you're right.

Kristi Mayfield (20:24)
so we designed our riddling rack is the reason I call it redneck riddling rack. And a lot of what we do, I think about how does a farmer or rancher do it. But we made the riddling rack out of hog panel and angle iron. And I.

Blake (20:40)
I used to be an engineer in my early days. And so I drew this thing up and the way it works, each rack holds about 630 bottles.

Kristi Mayfield (20:40)
You're right. used to be an engineer in my early days. And so I drew this thing up and the way it works, each rack holds about 630 bottles.

Blake (20:52)
They're about 14 feet long, six feet tall. But the racks actually pivot. They will stay vertical and pivot to 90 degrees in 15 degree increments. And so you can load the bottles in the rack and then every day,

Kristi Mayfield (20:53)
They're about 14 feet long, six feet tall. But the racks actually pivot. They will stay vertical and pivot to 90 degrees and 15 degree increments. And so you can load the bottles in the rack and then every day.

Blake (21:09)
and you will see if you get a Tournolox bottle of sparkling, if you look at the bottom of bottle, there's a little white mark on it because every day, twice a day, they go out and they rotate the bottle a quarter of a turn.

Kristi Mayfield (21:10)
And you will see if you get a tourniquet bottle of sparkling, if you look at the bottom of bottle, there's a little white mark on it because every day, twice a day, they go out and they rotate the bottle a quarter

of a turn. And that goes for about six weeks. And about every 10 days, we would rotate the entire rack 15 degrees. And so ultimately over a six week period, the bottle is completely upside down, you know, the neck of the bottle down and all of the

Blake (21:21)
And that goes for about six weeks. And about every 10 days, we would rotate the entire rack 15 degrees. And so ultimately, over a six-week period, the bottle is completely upside down, the neck of the bottle down. And all of the yeast

and everything else, the nutrients we put in there, they're down in the bottom. And they're all in the bottom, right at where the cap is.

Kristi Mayfield (21:39)
and everything else, the nutrients we put in there, they're down in the bottom and they're all in the bottom right at where the cap is.

Blake (21:48)
the all the solids have been settled out and the line is clear. And so that's probably the biggest touch point. I think it's about 70 times the bottle is touched by one of our employees during that period. ⁓ And it just takes a significant period of time for all of that to settle out.

Kristi Mayfield (21:48)
And ⁓ all the solids have been settled out and the line is clear. And so that's probably the biggest touch point. I think it's about 70 times the bottle is touched by one of our employees during that period. And it just takes a significant period of time for all of that to settle out.

so over approximately six weeks, approximately 70 or more touch points and not just weekly touch points, but twice a day. Twice a

Blake (22:17)
twice a day.

kind of a relaxing way to start a morning. Put some music in and just get to work riddling all the bottles.

Kristi Mayfield (22:19)
of a relaxing way to start a morning. some music in and just get to work

from a wine making perspective it seems like such a simple process but this is one of the most critical elements in traditional methods sparkling wine.

And on top of that, you're dealing with not just still bottles of wine, but bottles that have an intense amount of built up or pent up pressure in them. So once the bottles get upside down, how did you guys go about envisioning how to do the next step? Because the next step not only is risky,

because of the high amount of pressure in those bottles. But in order to preserve what you've created over the last 18 to 24 months, it's very scientifically specific. called disgorgement. And that's open up the bottle of sparkling wine.

Blake (23:13)
the next step is called disgorgement. And that's where you quickly open up the bottle of sparkling wine ⁓

to blow out all of that debris. to do that, ⁓ and this is where we bought a piece of equipment, we bought a neck freezer. And that's one of the things I say if there was mistakes we made, that was one of the areas where we made a mistake. We bought a neck freezer that didn't have enough

Kristi Mayfield (23:23)
to blow out all of that debris. But to do that, and this is where we bought a piece of equipment, we bought a neck freezer. And that's one of the things I you know, that I would say if there was mistakes we made, that was one of the areas where we made a mistake. We bought a neck freezer that didn't

have enough capacity. So it slowed our speed down. So if you're planning on doing this, you know, you need to look at how long does it take to make that ice plug in the neck and the neck freezer.

Blake (23:38)
So it slowed our speed down. So if you're planning on doing this, you know, you need to look at how long does it take to make that ice plug in the neck. And the neck freezer is really

that. We just pick the bottle up still. Don't stir it up and you put it neck down into the neck freezer. It goes into a minus 25 degree water propylene glycol mixture.

Kristi Mayfield (23:50)
is really that we just pick the bottle up still don't let don't start up and you put it neck down into the neck freezer it goes into a minus 25 degree water probing glycol mixture

Blake (24:05)
And in a pretty short period of time, two or three minutes, five minutes, it makes an ice plug to encapsulate all that yeast byproduct that you don't want. And then from there, you

Kristi Mayfield (24:05)
and in a pretty short period of time two or three minutes five minutes it makes an ice plug to encapsulate that all that yeast byproduct that you don't want and then from there

Blake (24:18)
go in and you do the disgorgement. And there are automated equipment that will do all of that, disgorgement, and then we'll talk about dosage in a minute. But the disgorgement is a pretty explosive operation because you have this bottle that's

Kristi Mayfield (24:18)
you go in and you do the disgorgement. And there are automated equipment that will do all of that disgorgement and then we'll talk about dosage in a minute. But the disgorgement is a pretty explosive operation because you have this bottle

Blake (24:34)
under about 100 PSI or six and a half bar of pressure. the bottle, ⁓ and I will say the bottle should be cold because

Kristi Mayfield (24:34)
that's under about 100 psi or six and a half bar of pressure. And the bottle ⁓ and I will say the bottle should be cold.

Blake (24:46)
the colder the bottle is, the more it retains the CO2 inside. We do not have a walk-in freezer. We didn't have ability to do that. And so what we did is we looked at the weather forecast and when it was going to be

Kristi Mayfield (24:46)
because the colder the bottle is, the more it retains the CO2 inside. We do not have a walk-in freezer. We didn't have ability to do that. And so what we did is we looked at the weather forecast and when it was gonna be

Blake (25:01)
a cold front come through and the temperature was supposed to get down to 30, the low thirties. We said, okay, we're doing disgorgement and finishing these wines out tomorrow.

Kristi Mayfield (25:02)
a cold front come through and the temperature was supposed to get down to 30, below 30s, we said, okay, we're doing disgorgement and finishing these wines out tomorrow.

Blake (25:11)
And we rolled our riddling racks outside onto the crush pad and they spent the night outside and we use God's freezer to get that temperature down. And so we were under a timeline to before it heated up to get all of these bottles done in a certain period of time.

Kristi Mayfield (25:12)
And we rolled our riddling racks outside onto the crush pad and they spent the night outside and we used God's freezer to get that temperature down. And so we were under a timeline to before it heated up to get all of these bottles done in a certain period

of time. And then when we do the disgorgement, you have this ice plug with yeast and everything shooting out. You have to catch that. You just can't let that flow anywhere. And, you know,

Blake (25:31)
And then when we do the disgorgement, you have this ice plug with yeast and everything shooting out. You have to catch that. You just can't let that flow anywhere. And, ⁓ you know, again,

we use kind of the farming method. What tools do we have? Well, we five gallon plastic buckets and some spare two by fours and some vinyl sheeting. And we just added that. That was a feature we added to our table with our filler and everything else. And we set that up and we just disgorge into that.

Kristi Mayfield (25:41)
Again, we use kind of the farming method. What tools do we have? Well, we five gallon plastic buckets and some spare two by fours and some vinyl sheeting. And we just added that that was a feature we added to our table with our filler and everything else. And we set that up and we just disgorge into

that. And we drill the big hole in the table. And when the stuff runs out, it goes into a bus tub below that to catch all the debris and that we can. ⁓

Blake (26:00)
And we drilled a big hole in the table and when the stuff runs out it goes into a bus tub below that to catch all the debris and that we can dispose

Kristi Mayfield (26:09)
you know, dispose of it. And that's how we discourage.

Blake (26:09)
of it. And that's how we disgorged.

Kristi Mayfield (26:13)
I just have this visual of people running around the winery with these big orange Home Depot five gallon buckets catching the yeast pucks as they pop out of the bottles. It's not quite that dramatic, but that's my visual. So

Blake (26:22)
Ha

It's not like that. We put the bottle up into the bucket. Yeah.

Kristi Mayfield (26:32)
When you once that and I call it a yeast puck so forgive my my really elementary terminology but once the yeast puck leaves the bottle it has left a gap. There's the bottle is no longer as full as those of us who want 750 milliliters of liquid in our wine bottles. Tell us about that next step because this is another magical part of the journey.

Blake (26:46)
Right.

Right.

Right. So that's

why we put the disgorgement bucket and everything on the same table as our filler because you have to top the bottles up. But before you top the bottles up, you also have the opportunity to do what's called dosage. And when you get this

Kristi Mayfield (26:57)
the same as our filler you have to top the But before you top the bottles up, you also have the opportunity to do what's called dosage. And when you get, know,

this sparkling wine is now fermented, all that sugar that's in there is turned into alcohol and CO2, the things we wanted. But

Blake (27:12)
sparkling wine is now fermented. All that sugar that's in there is turned into alcohol and CO2, the things we wanted. But it

Kristi Mayfield (27:22)
You know, it may not have the residual sugar. So if you want to brut wine, that's somewhere, up to 1 % residual sugar. And, and so you can do what's called dosage where you make a wine syrup. So a concentrated wine

Blake (27:22)
may not have the residual sugar. So if you want a brut wine, that's % residual sugar. And so you can do what's called dosage, where you make a wine syrup, so a concentrated wine syrup.

Kristi Mayfield (27:38)
syrup. And you can put SO2 in there to stabilize wine and prevent if there's any yeast remaining in that.

Blake (27:38)
And you can put SO2 in there to stabilize the wine and prevent if there's any yeast remaining in that bottle,

Kristi Mayfield (27:47)
in that bottle, it prevents it from fermenting that residual sugar. And so in our case, we made a wine syrup out of still malvasea. So was the same wine. And we made it 55 bricks. So it's about 55

Blake (27:47)
it prevents it from fermenting that residual sugar. And so in our case, we made a wine syrup out of still malvasia. So was the same wine. And we made it 55 brick. So it's about 55 % sugar.

Kristi Mayfield (28:05)
it literally tastes like syrup. tasted it said, man, this would be good on a waffle. I mean, it was good. And then we figured out how much.

Blake (28:04)
It literally tastes like syrup. tasted it said, man, this would be good on a waffle. I mean, it was good. And then we figured out how much

we needed to dose in to get the flavor profile we wanted in the wine. In our case, it turned out to be about 9 milliliters per bottle. And then that became the next challenge. How do we quickly put 9 millimeters of this into each bottle?

Kristi Mayfield (28:13)
We needed to dose in to get the flavor profile we wanted in the wine. In our case, it turned out to be about nine milliliters And then that became the next challenge. How do we quickly put nine millimeters of this into each bottle?

Yeah, it's then once you put that in there, then you know, the first 10 bottles we we disgorge, we put right back into the filler.

Blake (28:29)
it's precise put that in there, then you, you know, the first 10 bottles we pull, we disgorge, we put right back into the filler.

And that was like top up wine. So that got us back to the 750 milliliter mark. But first we had to get this dosage in there. I recalled that, you're trying to give cattle medicine,

Kristi Mayfield (28:37)
And that was like top of wine. So that got us back to the 750 milliliter bar. But first we had to get this this? And I trying to give

Blake (28:48)
Orally, they have what's called a livestock drencher.

Kristi Mayfield (28:49)
orally, they have what's called a livestock drencher.

Blake (28:53)
And so I went to a veterinary website and sure enough, I found a livestock drencher for $40. you could adjust the dosage anywhere 2 milliliters to 10 milliliters or 15 milliliters. I said, it's perfect. And so for $40, I bought a livestock doser. And then I went to the hardware store and I bought a

Kristi Mayfield (28:54)
And so I went to a veterinary website and sure enough, I found a livestock drencher for 40, And you could adjust the dosage anywhere two milliliters to 10 milliliters or 15 milliliters. I said, this is perfect. And so for $40, I bought a livestock doser. And then I went to the hardware store

and I bought a brand new five gallon bucket with a lid and drill a hole in the lid.

Blake (29:15)
brand new five gallon bucket with a lid and drill a hole in the lid, put

a couple of couplings at a PVC pipe to give me a pipe down to the bottom. And that's where we poured our dosage. so the way the system worked is Colby was disgorging Bobby are one of our seller workers. He was moving wines from the rack, from the riddling rack to the

Kristi Mayfield (29:20)
put a couple of couplings in a PVC pipe to give me a pipe down to the bottom and that's where we poured our dosage. And the way the system worked is Colby was disgorging Bobby, one of our seller workers. He was moving lines from the rack, from the riddling rack

to the neck freezer. Then Colby would pull it out of the neck freezer. He'd disgorge, he'd slide it to me. I'd

Blake (29:39)
to the neck freezer, then Colby would pull it out of the neck freezer, he'd disgorge, he'd slide it to me. I'd pick up

the cattle doser, and I'd squeeze nine milliliters of stuff in, put it on the filler. And that's how we got our dosage done and the top up done. And then we pass it on and cork and then cage.

Kristi Mayfield (29:46)
with cattle doser and I'd squeeze nine milliliters stuff in, put it on the And that's how we got our dosage done and the top up done. And then we pass it on and cork and then cage.

Blake (29:59)
And then of course, the bottles have been sitting for 18 months, not to mention that the neck has now been sitting in this sticky glycol water. So we give the bottles a them water, we wash them, then we

Kristi Mayfield (29:59)
And then of course, the bottles have been sitting for 18 months, not to mention that the neck has now been sitting in this sticky glycol water. So we give the soap them water, we wash them.

Blake (30:11)
rinse them, then we dry them. And then you stack them back into the storage containers that they originally were in because the wine now has to sit for at least a month to allow that dosage to spread through the wine and mix up.

Kristi Mayfield (30:12)
Then we rinse them, then we dry them, and then you stack them back into the storage containers that they originally were in because the wine now has to sit for at least a month to allow that dosage to spread through the wine and

It's interesting. We do give it a turn a little bit to try and mix it,

Blake (30:27)
It's interesting. We do give it ⁓ a turn just a little bit to try and mix it. But,

you know, when we started doing this, Colby and I went out and looked at it and You could hold the bottle up to light and you could see the strings of the syrup where it hasn't dissolved completely in the wine. And so it was pretty clear that this waiting time is really important to allow that diffusion of all those flavors to come together.

Kristi Mayfield (30:33)
You know, when we started doing this, Colby and I went out and interesting. You could hold the bottle up to light and you could like strings of the syrup where it hasn't dissolved completely in the wine. And so it was pretty clear that this waiting time is really important to allow that diffusion of all those flavors to come

Blake (30:54)
And I will say that kind of passed over the corking and caging.

Kristi Mayfield (30:54)
And I kind of passed over the corking and

that was a decision we were originally just going to put crown caps back on. Like a pet nap. Yeah. It's kind like a pet nap, but you could do that with a, with a sparkling wine and be fine. And when this aging process was happening, I was bringing people out that we wanted to take tours and stuff. I say, here's a new project we're

Blake (30:57)
That was a decision we were originally just going to put crown caps back on, which you can do. Yeah, it's kind like a pet nap, but you could do that with a sparkling wine and be fine. And when this aging process was happening, I was bringing people out that we wanted to take tours and stuff. I said, here's a new project we're working on.

Kristi Mayfield (31:18)
the ladies always

Blake (31:18)
the ladies always said,

it's not going to have a cork. I really want to hear the pop. And it became clear that the cork was so intrinsic to the celebration of drinking a sparkling wine. And we said, OK, we've got to buy the cork and cajure. And that was probably the most expensive piece of hardware we bought. I think it was about $15,000

Kristi Mayfield (31:20)
Oh, it's not going to have a cork. really want to hear the pop. And it became clear that the cork was so intrinsic to the celebration of drinking a sparkling wine. And we said, OK, we've got to buy the cork and cajure. And that was probably the most expensive piece of hardware we bought. I think it was about $15,000

Blake (31:42)
You know, we thought we could get by without it, but I just don't think you can. I don't think anybody's ready for a crown

Kristi Mayfield (31:42)
know, we thought we could get by without it. But I just don't think you can. I don't think anybody's ready for a

Blake (31:48)
cap sparkling. there's something about the opening of that bottle because typically people drink this when they're celebrating something.

Kristi Mayfield (31:48)
crown cap I there's something about the opening of that bottle because typically people drink this when they're celebrating

it's funny you say they love the pop because as as sommelier, of course, we do everything possible to have a not a pop.

Blake (32:04)
Yep.

Kristi Mayfield (32:05)
let's do a quick recap. Colby, you talked everything from the hand harvesting through making the still wine to adding the tirage to get the second fermentation kicked off in the bottle to the application of the crown cap to the 18 to 24 months of laying that bottle down to let the autolysis and all of the magic that happens with.

the leaves decay happen in that bottle. Then you go into the process of completing or finishing it, which is freeze the net crown cap off puck shoots out. You dosage it with your cattle doser and top it off with a little bit of residual wine, cork cage wash, lay it down again for an at least another month before it goes into

applying the foil and the ultimate label and then being ready. So if I count just the 70 plus turns in the riddling process, I would say we're now between 90 and 100 touch points if I am even halfway good at math.

Blake (33:11)
Yeah.

Something like that. think we, we, I kind of sat through and said, how many times have we touched this thing? And I came up with, 86 times over 24 months. So it's two years from harvest date. So you're going to have a sparkling wine. ⁓ and you're going to touch it, you know, somewhere near a hundred times.

Kristi Mayfield (33:13)
We I kind of sat there and said how many times have we touched this thing and I came up 80 86 times over 24 months So it's two years from harvest date So you're gonna have a sparkling wine And you're gonna touch it, you know somewhere near 100 times

for our listener so you are shopping for a sparkling wine and you see bottles that

talk about Charmant method, or you see something that is a Prosecco. And the equipment for that is expensive. It is a tremendous investment. However, the touch points for that style of sparkling wine is less than 10. Where we just talked in Blake's math, he said at least 86 touch points for the traditional method. So the amazing

part of your story is you were able to find a way through innovation and creativity and engineering to achieve one of the most traditional and celebrated styles of wine, traditional method sparkling wine with less capital investment, but still a huge investment of manpower as well as time.

that time invest time you've kept it in your winery and not sold a single bottle for a minimum of say 19 to 24 months. So for our listeners,

we've talked about the investment side and you guys got very creative in establishing a traditional method, sparkling wine production facility. However, the touch points between the different methods is dramatically different. In fact, you are at least

10 times as many touch points. that manual labor all the way from hand harvesting through applying the cage and the cork, the foil and the label. So when you look at that from a pricing perspective, how do you go about translating all of those touch points into not only the price point, but then translating that into the message that

the consumer, will experience.

Blake (35:24)
I mean, I would say just like some of our bigger red wines, which have a whole lot of time tied up in them in the aging process and barrels and then eventual bottle aging, ⁓ of course, those take a lot less labor, have far less touch points than, say, the sparkling wine does.

Kristi Mayfield (35:25)
I mean, I would say just like some of our bigger red wines, which have a whole lot of time tied up in them and the aging process and barrels and then eventual bottle aging. ⁓ Of course, those take a lot less labor, have far less touch points than say the sparkling wine

Blake (35:46)
So it should be priced comparably. Yeah. I would say, yeah, that just because of all of the labor that goes into it, just like a good red wine takes a lot of labor on the front end to produce as well as maintaining it throughout its lifetime before it even gets to the bottle. I think that's why like our sparkling wine is comparatively priced to some of our higher end red wines just because of all of the time.

Kristi Mayfield (35:46)
So it should be priced comparably. Yeah, I would say, yeah, that just because of all of the labor that goes into it, just like a good red wine takes a lot of labor on the front end to produce as well as maintaining it throughout its lifetime before it even gets to the bottle. I think that's why like our sparkling wine is comparatively priced to some of our higher end red wines just because of all of the

time.

Blake (36:15)
the work, the labor that you have to put into it, the care. And in our instance, the consumers getting a small batch, very handcrafted product.

Kristi Mayfield (36:15)
the work, the labor that you have to put into it, the care. in our instance, the consumers getting a small batch, very handcrafted

product.

when you go through the process, each touch point, of course, is manpower. But at the end of the day, really, this is a fine craft. This isn't just, to your point earlier, Colby, you make the still wine, you bottle it, you cork it, you're done.

But this is a very high touch, high craft that you guys say revolutionized with some innovation

have your consumers continued to get really excited when they know this bottling, this next release is getting ready to be available to them? The answer is yes. So we released, we released for sale our

Blake (37:02)
The answer is yes. So we released for sale

our very first sparkling wine and the only one so far. The others are in the aging process ⁓ in February. We ended up making 87 cases when it was all said and done. mean, we had some losses because we were still trying to figure out the whole disgorgement and I mean, we'll get better, but that's where we ended up.

Kristi Mayfield (37:10)
very first parking line and the only one so far the others are in the aging process ⁓ in February we ended up making 87 cases when it was all said and done I mean we had we had some losses because we're still trying to figure out the whole disgorgement and I mean we'll get better but that's where we ended up and ⁓

Blake (37:31)
I had, we had a wine club pickup party actually last, last

Kristi Mayfield (37:31)
I had we had a wine club pickup party actually last

Blake (37:34)
Saturday and I had a wine club members say, Hey, tell me what the deal is with your sparkling program. You know, first, are you continuing it because we want you to continue. And we said, yes, of course. And in fact, ⁓ for the 24 vintage, we did the Malvissi of Bianca again, but we also did a Rose using San Giovese. so we're going to have a Rose sparkling as well. ⁓ and so I've telling that I said, but.

Kristi Mayfield (37:34)
last Saturday and I had a wine club members say hey tell me what the deal is with your sparkling program you know first are you continuing it because we want you to continue we said yes of course and in fact for the 24 vintage we did the malvisee of bianca again but we also did a rose using san giovanni so we're going to have a rose sparkling as well and so i've telling that i

said but you know we're looking at the timing

Blake (38:00)
You know, we're looking at the timing. It's probably

Kristi Mayfield (38:04)
it's probably going to be in 27, know, early 27 before these wines come out. Because we are dependent on doing our disgorgement when it's cold outside, we can't just say 18 months, that's August, let's disgorge right now. we always do that disgorgement in November, December, January or February

Blake (38:04)
going to be in twenty seven, you know, early twenty seven before these wines come out because we are dependent on doing our disgorgement when it's cold outside. We can't just say 18 months. that's August. Let's discourse right now. that disgorgement in November, December, January or February.

when it's cold outside.

Kristi Mayfield (38:27)
when it's cold outside.

Blake (38:29)
And honestly, that's when the cellar is a little bit slow. we're the free time that we have in the cellar to make a different product.

Kristi Mayfield (38:29)
And honestly, that's cellar is a little the free time that we have in the cellar to make a different product.

Blake (38:41)
right.

Kristi Mayfield (38:41)
it up, right?

So our wine club members are very interested in it. I think we're gonna make better and better sparkling wine. think between year one and year two, it's gonna be significantly different. And in year three, it'll be better than year two. As we learn something

Blake (38:43)
our wine club members are very interested in it. going to make better and better sparkling wine. think between year one and year two, it's going to be significantly different. And year three will be better than year two because we learn something every time we it.

Kristi Mayfield (39:00)
do it. I cannot wait to try a bottle for myself

For our listeners who also might be interested in grabbing a few bottles I will put your website in the show notes

the one thing I would like to add, if you could give me this moment. Absolutely. We did a lot of work to figure out how to do this. I kind of coined it sparkling wine on the cheap and not meaning that the wine is cheap, but that we minimize our investment. And if there are.

Blake (39:14)
would like to add, if you'll give me this moment, ⁓ we did a lot of work to figure out how to do this. I kind of coined it sparkling wine on the cheap, and not meaning that the wine is cheap, but that we minimize our investment. And if there's

a lot of interest in sparkling wine in Texas, so don't think we're the only ones out there doing it. mean, Heath Sparkling's going in big. William Chris is going in big. Alisa Christopher is

Kristi Mayfield (39:29)
There's a lot of interest in sparkling wine in Texas. So don't think we're the only ones out there doing it. mean, Heath Sparkling's going in big. William Chris is going in big. Elisa Christopher

is ⁓ in between us and then everybody has their way in their niche. And that's great. think, you know, all those people need to be supported. We just figured out a way to do it that matches what our winery was designed to be, which is a boutique vineyard and winery. And if there's

Blake (39:39)
⁓ in between us and then everybody has their way in their niche and that's great. I think, you know, all those people need to be supported. We just figured out a way to do it that matches what our winery was designed to be, which is a boutique vineyard and winery. And if there's other

Kristi Mayfield (39:59)
wineries out there that want to know more about how we did that. I'm happy to share. I'm happy to share the drawings of our riddling rack.

Blake (39:59)
out there that want to know more about how we did that, I'm happy to share. I'm happy to share the drawings of our riddling rack. They can

Kristi Mayfield (40:07)
They can manufactured locally by a company called stuff here in Burnett

Blake (40:07)
take those. We had manufactured locally by a company called Nailhead Spur here in Burnett. And

And so rather than reinvent the wheel, I'm not trying to patent this silly thing.

Kristi Mayfield (40:15)
And so rather than reinvent the I'm not trying to patent this

And I think that is in the true spirit, at least what I see of the Texas wine industry is everybody is in it together. It's not a competition. It's sharing and growing the industry.

the key takeaways from today, one, where there's a will, there's a way.

And if you have a passion, go for it and figure out with a little bit of ingenuity, a lot of creativity because I think you guys use a lot of creativity. The touch points for our listener, just understanding that if it says traditional method or method champagne, method champenoise, if it's in this style, you now understand how many touch points.

The riddling process can be done with a Jira palette, which is a mechanized riddling machine. It still does take multiple days, about a week to get the yeast puck down into the neck. So that does take out some of the cost. But overall, this is an art. It is a craft. It goes way beyond just a still bottle of wine. And while we've talked several times about people wanting to use it celebratory.

I like to drink it with my potato chips on a Tuesday night. So I always encourage people not to think of sparkling wine only as for celebrations. But the, we have it for breakfast on the weekend. Colby and like any, any last thoughts? This has been really enlightening and I've very much enjoyed.

Blake (41:29)
Yeah.

We have it for breakfast on the weekends. So there you

Kristi Mayfield (41:43)
listening to the process you went through. And of course, I hope that this process continues for many, many years to come.

Blake (41:50)
I would just say that, one of the reasons we started doing this was to see if we could. It's always fun to try something new in the winery, different techniques, always try and get better. ⁓ And this was just another one of those things. We said, let's try it and see if we can do it. And it has gone from just an experiment to this is now part of our program.

Kristi Mayfield (41:51)
just say that, you know, one of the reasons we started doing this was to see if we could. It's always fun to try something new in the winery, different techniques, always try and get better. And this was just another one of those things. We said, let's try it and see if we can do it. And it has gone from just an experiment to this is now part of our

program.

Blake (42:17)
This

is something we're going to do on a regular basis. And our objective is to get better and better at it every time we do it. It's certainly been an exciting experiment to kind of figure out.

Kristi Mayfield (42:17)
This is something we're going to do on a regular basis. And our objective is to get better and better at it every time we do it. It's certainly been an exciting experiment to kind of figure out.

happen.

Blake (42:29)
we got it done.

Kristi Mayfield (42:28)
at it, but we

got it done.

thank you guys so much for being a part of Everyday

Thank you for having us. It's been a pleasure.

Blake (42:34)
Thank you for having us. It's been a pleasure. Thank you

very much.

Kristi Mayfield (42:37)
Thanks so much for listening. And I know I am not the only sparkling wine fan out there. And I know you have so many people in your life who also love sparkling wine. So do them a favor and share every day Somalia podcast with them right now. Just copy the link and send them a text today. They're going to thank you. And if you want to stay

apprised of all the great things going on in the WIne Wize community, www.wine-wise.com. Now next episode, we are going to shift gears and move away from sparkling wine into the world of hybrid grapes.

It is going to be a series you won't want to miss. So until then, grab your glass and learn line your way.