putting the grapes into the vat

 
The grapes are handpicked in 12kg crates and fermented in small, stainless-steel vats. No yeasts are added. The grapes undergo lengthy maceration and the marc cap is plunged into the fermenting juices every day to ensure adequate extraction. The grapes are then pressed gently using a vertical press.
 
         
 

The vinification facility is situated just above the barrel cellar, and so no pumping is necessary. The wines and juices from the vats and press are transferred to the barrels by gravity.

The wine is then aged in barrels for around 18 months. The barrels are regularly renewed and the proportion of new oak (lightly charred French oak) is decided upon depending on the vintage and the wine.

 
Klaus at the press
 
  Iris in the cellar   All the wines undergo malolactic fermentation in the barrel. The wines are racked off two or three times during aging – this is all that is needed to clarify them. The use of sulphur is kept to a minimum, and the wines are neither fined nor filtered.