FACILITIES & SERVICES

Fruit Receival

All fruit is either hand picked to 500kg plastic fruit bins or machine harvested to standard 3 tonne KVW stainless steel bins supplied by KVW to the grower. Fruit is scheduled such that it will be processed within two hours of arrival at KVW.

All incoming bins are individually weighed, tested for temperature Baume and assessed for MOG so as to ensure that no out of specification fruit is processed, KVW process within the customers wine making specifications. If the incoming fruit is found to be outside customer specification the KVW Winemakers contact the customer before onwards processing begins. If MOG is considered to be a problem then the bins are photographed and this information is forwarded to the customer.

Fruit Processing

White Grape Processing

King Valley Wines has the facilities for small premium fruit parcels to be refrigerated overnight if hand picked to slotted 400kg bins. This provides for fruit processing temperatures of less than 8 degrees, giving rise to lower colour and phenolics extraction but provides for greater apparent fruit flavours in the resultant wine. This has been particularly successful with Pinot Gris and other emerging varieties.

Larger quantities of fruit can either be directly tipped to the tank presses or crushed either to the presses or to holding tanks if skin contact is required. All white fruit is crushed via a heat exchanger with an aim of reducing must temperature to less than 10 degrees and lower on request. King Valley Wines operates four tank presses varying in size from 10,000 litres to 26,000 litres in size allowing the processing of small and large batches of grapes. A range of standard press programs allow the KVW winemakers to achieve the flavour and yeild goals of the customer.

All juices are transferred to stainless tanks via a heat exchanger to ensure that the customers specifications are met. All batches of juice are analysed immediately using a Foss FT120 FTNIR auto analyser with additions and fining trials carried out at the same time to ensure that the juices stay within specification at all times. Juices are then either floated or cold settled with or without enzymes to ensure the appropriate level of juice clarification. Juice lees are processed through a lees capable crossflow filter to maximise recovered volumes of high quality juice.

Juices are monitored by the winemaking staff on a daily basis. The juices are analysed every 48 hours to ensure that they are within the customers specifications. At this point juice can be filtered for interstate shipment using a Pall cross flow filter complying with Phylloxera protocols and ICA 22 (Interstate Certification Agreement) where appropriate. Alternatively the juice can be fermented at KVW in automatic temperature controlled tanks. Ferments are analysed twice per day and formally tasted/assessed by the winemaking staff at least once each day.

Red Grape Processing

King Valley Wines has the capability to ferment small (2 tonnes) to large batched of red grapes using open, static or rotary fermenters. Small batch ferments are carried out in 3,000 litlre stainless steel bins using either hand plunging or standard pump over techniques. Medium sized batches of fruit are crushed to 12 or 15 tonne static fermenters with larger batches fermented in rotary fermenters or of Jet out tanks sized from 30,000 to 80,000 litres.

Cap management for small batches ferments is either hand plunging or pump overs. Cap management on static fermenters is either by pump over or Pulsair with the option for drain and return on all red ferments. Standard twice daily measurement of ferments and daily winemaker assessment of the ferments by winemakers occurs as it does in white ferments.

General Fermentation Management

All additives are tracked and under normal circumstances freeze dried yeasts and bacteria specified by the customer are sourced for the inoculation although for larger batches where practical KVW can culture yeast to ensure a stronger ferment.

Laboratory

King Valley Wines runs a full laboratory service for standard grape and  analysis

  • Grape maturity sample preparation and analysis
  • Complete wine testing and analysis
  • Stability testing
  • Fining trials
  • Trade sample preparation and dispatch
  • Show sample preparation and dispatch
  • Blending trials
  • Tasting room

Reporting

King Valley Wines runs the Winefile winery management system as a live system and is happy to report standard analysis and operations to the customer as required. This system compiles with the legal requirements of the Label Integrity Program.

With appropriate notice KVW will have fresh analysis and samples waiting for customers who wish to inspect their wines at any point in the production process.As a minimum KVW will forward weigh bridge dockets weekly to the customer and grower. When dispatched King Valley Wines will provide as part of the shipping documentation up to date analysis for each product being delivered along with a detailed breakdown of the contents of each compartment on a tanker.

King Valley Wines has office facilities for visiting winemakers with easy access to the laboratory, KVW winemakers and a tasting room. Wireless Internet access and a telephone access is provided to visiting customer's staff as needed.