The Art of Winemaking

Listen closely, let the Variety and Site Sing

Winemaking

The Chalmers wines are all fundamentally expressions of place – of soil and geology, of climate and sensitive farming – seen through the filter of grape varieties that have adapted over thousands of years. They are wines reflective of a new home, with gentle, non-prescriptive winemaking coaxing out unique expressions – wines that magnify the impression of place while respecting the material.

Native yeasts are employed, with a richly diverse population in the vineyards. No introduced yeasts have ever been used in the winery, so this complexity is maintained through the whole winemaking process. The assortment of wild yeasts also differs from year to year, so each ferment progresses in its own way, with its own nuances.

A large array of maturation vessels is used, and whenever oak is employed, it is older. Wood flavour is never sought in the wines. Rather, barrels are used when a wine needs to breathe, when it will benefit from gently relaxing in oak. The use of lees is similarly responsive. Some varieties interact better with full solids and others to finer, fluffier lees, just as some need racking, while others need to rest undisturbed.

Skin contact is sometimes employed on white grapes when it suits the wine. For some wines, this is pushed into a full skin-contact style, but in general it is a subtle inclusion to build interest and tension, to enhance and never dominate. Similarly, some red varieties are suited to being pressed just after fermenting dry, while others are enhanced by an extended maceration.

The cornerstones of the Chalmers range are varietal wines made in an array or styles, from traditional method and Charmat sparklings right through to appassimento dessert wines, while field blends further deepen the offer. With all the wines, there is no recipe aside from the philosophy of a gentle hand guided by the spirit of experimentation, quiet observation, experience and faith in intuition.