NEWS

Cold Stabilization

Have you ever seen crystals or "wine diamonds" form in your wine or on a cork?  Those are most likely deposits of tartrates that have precipitated out of your wine.  To minimize this, we cold stabilize our white and rose' wines.  Formation of crystals is less likely in red wines, so we don't cold stabilize reds.

With the right setup, cold stabilization is easy.  Wine is chilled to a temperature just above its freezing point and is held at that temperature for two to three weeks.

We generally use 35 degrees. The frosty tank on the left has a built-in cooling jacket connected to a glycol chiller.  The cold glycol circulates through the jacket and chills the wine in the tank. This lowers the solubility of potassium hydrogen tartrate in the wine (KHT for you chemistry nerds, Cream of Tartar for you bakers) and facilitates their crystallization and precipitation. The tartrates bind to the inside of the tank where they can be removed after pumping the now stable wine to another tank.  The cooling fin in the other photo is covered with tartrates after stabilization and wine removal.  

The result is wine that is unlikely to produce crystals after refrigeration at home.  If you do find these crystals in your wine, they are harmless.  

Feb 9, 2021 at 11:09 AM Permalink

Savor Northwest Top 20 Cabernets

Savor Northwest recently released their "20 Northwest Cabernet Sauvignons That Blew us Away in 2020".  Two of our wines made the list!  

Fly Rod Cellars 2016 Stimulator Cabernet Sauvignon

Fly Rod Cellars is an occasional project of Convergence Zone Cellars' assistant winemaker Troy Mandeville and cellarmaster John Richardson. This Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon shows a deep ruby and offers forward sweet and spicy aromas of jammy black fruit and black peppercorn with notes of smoked cedar and sweet tobacco. Nicely structured on the palate, it presents flavors of tart black cherry balanced with textured tannins that display notes of cocoa and earthy, aromatic hints of graphite and dried herbs. 
AVA: Columbia Valley 
JUDGES SCORE: 93 Points 
PRICE: $35
 

Convergence Zone Cellars 2016 Squall Line Cabernet Sauvignon

North Bend, Washington's Convergence Zone Cellars used Horse Heaven Hill fruit for this Cabernet Sauvignon that offers aromas of black fruit, leather, dried herbs and Allspice. On the palate, it's juicy with flavors of black cherry and blackberry balanced by peppery spice, earthy violet and a finish hinting at coffee dusted dark chocolate. 
AVA: Horse Heaven Hills, Washington 
JUDGES SCORE: 92 Points 
PRICE: $35

Feb 9, 2021 at 11:07 AM Permalink

February Update

We are in a Phase 2 area, meaning you can now taste wine inside our winery.  If the weather is nice, outdoor seating will also be available.

Tasting hours are Saturdays from 1:00-5:00 pm.  Reservations are not required, but encouraged since we have limited seating.  Just complete the contact us form and tell us your requested date, time and number of people.  We will confirm via email.  

You can also purchase wine via appointment.  Just place your order online and contact us to arrange a pickup date and time.  

Feb 3, 2021 at 9:02 AM Permalink