Westfall Winery offers a unique opportunity to learn the art and science of winemaking with our easy hands on, fun filled course. During a period of approximately ten months to one year, you make and bottle your own wine using our equipment and expertise. No experience is required! Just click on the following buttons to learn more about:
WINE SCHOOL CELEBRATION & OPEN HOUSE
PRICE LIST AND PAYMENT SCHEDULE
In late August/early September, let us know what type of wine you would like to make. If you need help deciding, please visit our tasting room between 12-5pm on the weekends to taste wine. You do not need to make an appointment, just tell the tasting room attendant you are interested in the wine school. You can make any of the white or red wines on the list, singly or in any combination/blend.
Crushing the grapes
For the sake of the wine, we encourage you to be very flexible about this step! Since the grapes travel a long journey from California and we do not have refrigeration, we like to crush the grapes as soon as they arrive, which is difficult to pinpoint and sometime difficult to get your group together on such a short notice. Since this step only takes about 15 minutes, sometimes it is easier to let us do this step for you. If you would like to participate in this step, again….let the grapes dictate the date!
Pressing the Grapes
This is when the fun begins! After your grapes have been crushed and the yeast has converted the grapes to wine, it is time to press the grapes; this occurs typically one to two weeks after the grapes have arrived at Westfall. You simply load the grapes into the press and then pump the wine into a tank or barrel. Try to have at least two people for this step, but the more the merrier! This step is fun and sometimes messy, so dress appropriately. We invite you to picnic, relax, taste wine, and enjoy this day at beautiful Westfall Farm.
Bottling the Wine
White wines could be ready to bottle as early as May, red wines typically will not be ready to bottle until late July or August. This step is a lot of fun and you also get the rewards of sipping your finished product! Try to have at least three people for this step. Again, after you complete the bottling, we invite you to picnic, relax, taste wine, and enjoy this day at beautiful Westfall Farm.
SIGN UP FOR THE 2007 FALL WINE MAKING SEASON
If you are interested in making wine with us this fall, please contact us as soon as possible via telephone (973-293-3428) or email (orders@westfallwinery.com), to state your interest and if you have further questions. At that time I will put you on the Wine School Email List. You will be contacted via email (or telephone, if you prefer) in late August when it is time to sign on. We also encourage you to join us for our:
Wine School Celebration & Open House
September 16 Noon till 3:00pm
Free of Charge.
Reservations Appreciated.
COME & JOIN THE FUN!
This is a special event meant to show our appreciation for all people who attended our wine school over the years. We also encourage anyone who is interested in making a barrel of wine with us this year to attend this event to get the opportunity to talk to our wine school attendees about the fun of winemaking.
New Comers will get a tour and orientation to the winemaking process. Wine School "graduates" will have an opportunity to share their wine (if you want!) & experiences with others.
We will be providing wine samples and serving traditional Italian foods (Imported meats & cheeses, homemade sausage & peppers, pasta dishes & Italian Pastries).
We encourage all winemakers to bring a bottle of their wine for tasting or a dish of their favorite recipe
We are offering a $150 discount on all who sign up for a barrel on or before this day.
The prices listed below includes
EVERYTHING YOU NEED to make wine.
We do not provide labels. Many of our winemakers choose to make their own labels.
One Barrel (240 bottles) Lodi California grapes $2100 plus tax
One Barrel (240 bottles) Sierra Foothills California and other premium grapes $2500 plus tax
Remember, you may go in on your barrel with as many friends or family members as you like!
Costs include the following:
Your grape order
Use of professional winemaking equipment
Technical oversight
Storage container (oak barrel or stainless steel tank)
All 750 ml bottles for bottling your wine
Storage
Materials and additives (corks, capsules, yeast, etc.)
Use of bottling equipment
Payment Schedule
We accept all forms of payment including MasterCard, Visa, Discover and American Express. Upon placing your grape order, you will be invoiced and a deposit of at least ˝1/2 the total amount will be due.
The balance is due on the date of your press appointment. We ask that you appoint a “Captain” for your group. This Captain will be the contact person and will be responsible for collecting payments from the group and providing the payment to us.
If you are interested in making wine with Chilean Grapes in the spring or California grapes in the fall, contact us .
Red Wines
BARBERA
A grape that produces a red deep-colored, full-bodied wine. Produces a dry somewhat tannic wine that ages well and softens with time. This wine has high alcohol content and can exhibit a ripe currant flavor with a hint of smokiness.
GRENACHE
Naturally
sweet, fruity and very low tannin. Used to produce Rose wines. Among the
best of Rose wines in France.
MERLOT
Distinctive aromatic, spicy red table wine is produced from this varietal grape. An abundance of fruit and a velvet-like quality.
PETITE SIRAH
These grapes produce a deep-colored robust and peppery wine that packs
plenty of tannin and has good aging ability. Goes well with big
well-seasoned meals.
PINOT NOIR
Originally from France where it is used in all of the great red burgundies. This grape produces a wine that is clear, brilliant and medium to deep red in color. It is rich, velvety and full of flavors such as cherries, plums, raspberries and strawberries.
The
dominant grape in the famous Barolo wines from the Piedmont Region of
Italy. The California grape is lighter in color and much less
tannic, producing a wine that is very approachable at a young age.
The
dominant grape in Chianti, it is usually blended with 20% white Malvasia
in Italy. The California grape is lighter in color. The grape can be
blended with Zinfandel or Cabernet
SIRAH
Clonal
cousin of Petite Sirah, makes a full bodied tannic wine. Make it straight
or use it in any blends.
Three styles of red wine are produced from this varietal grape depending on what region the grape comes from. A light spicy flavor with a berry-like aroma. Oak aged. Intense, berry-like, full bodied and dark in color, or a rose style White Zinfandel.
This
premier California varietal grape yields a full-bodied moderately acidic
dry austere wine. Flavors can be described as creamy, buttery and smoky.
Excellent with fruit and cheese. Loren's favorite!
CHENIN BLANC
Produces a fresh, fruity, dry to sweet wine. Makes a well-balanced wine with delicate floral characteristics with a hint of melon. Popular as a cocktail wine.
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