This month, for our educational lesson, we will focus on another important but often overlooked topic: cap management. This is one of the early steps in winemaking, occurring after the red grapes are processed and placed into the fermentor, where color is extracted from the skins. The debate arises when the skins of the grapes float to the top of the fermentor and form a cap over the wine must below. “Must” refers to the grape juice before fermentation is complete. For many years, the standard technique for most varieties has been “punching down,” where the cap of skins is physically pushed down under the fermenting must. Some winemakers prefer to drain must from the bottom of the tank and then pump it back to the top, allowing it to pour over the cap and filter back through the skins. This process is known as “pump over.” This month, we will examine how two winemakers use these techniques to produce full-bodied red wines with excellent results.
There are two common processes: first, the classic technique of “punching down” the cap. The purpose of this technique is not only to help extract color from the skins but also to prevent the top of the cap from going dry. If this occurs, acetic acid—the chemical name for vinegar—can develop on and around the skins, which is undesirable. Typically, the cap is punched down by placing a stiff board over the top of the fermentor, and a person with a long stick with a pad at the end climbs up and pushes down the skins. This action breaks up the cap, allows oxygen into the must, and releases carbon dioxide. Today, modern machines can perform this work, but they can be too expensive for small operations, so the technique is still often done by hand. A drawback of this method is that modern winemakers find it can be too aggressive for thin-skinned varieties, like Pinot Noir, potentially leading to over-extraction.
With the advent of modern pumps, another common extraction process involves pumping the must from the bottom of the tank and redistributing it across the top. Depending on the winemaker’s intention, grape variety, and style of wine being produced, this process can be as simple as pouring the hose over the cap of skins. A few years ago, a “sprinkler” was developed that distributes the wine over the cap in a manner similar to a lawn sprinkler. It is worth noting that some winemakers believe that the use of pumps is aggressive and can damage the wine, whereas others contend that punching down is too harsh. Thus, it becomes clear that there are no definitive answers in this debate.
The final popular version that has emerged in recent years is the use of conical fermentors, which taper to the top. In this vessel, the cap of skins is not allowed to rise to the top of the fermentor, keeping the skins submerged beneath the must. This method, referred to as a submerged cap, still requires some agitation of the skins to help extract color, most often through pump overs.
For this month’s selections, we present examples of extraction techniques from both camps: punch down and pump over. In the process, we visit two wineries that have previously been part of our NWR selections: the first being a pick we featured way back in 2015, and the second from a winery we have spotlighted before, featuring a new wine that has somehow never been highlighted.
Download Full Club Write-upBlack Pearl The Mischief Maker 2022
In 1995, Dr. Lance Nash and his family moved from New England to South Africa and purchased the 600-acre Rhenosterkop Farm. Their goal was to create a farm that would allow them to restore the land without exploiting its natural resources. Over time, they established olive groves, herds of alpacas, and planted 17 acres of vines in 1997 and 1998. The vineyards adjoin a vast conservation area where the family is dedicated to restoring the indigenous renosterveld vegetation. This endangered flora comprises many plants unique to the western Cape of South Africa. To minimize their impact on these delicate plants, the vines are tended only by hand, and they use chemical sprays only when absolutely necessary.
My first exposure to these wines was at least two decades ago, and after reading about the Nash family’s commitment to their land, I am embarrassed to admit that I thought this label was taking advantage of the Pirates of the Caribbean movie series. However, after tasting the wines, it was clear that they are no gimmick. The name is actually a reference to the appearance of nearby Table Mountain after rain. Even the name of their wine region, Paarl, is derived from the old Dutch settlers’ word for pearl. Liking those early wines is a testament to the quality the Nashes are striving for at Black Pearl. Surprisingly, the winemaker is Lance’s daughter, Mary-Lou, who entered the position without any formal training or education. Now, with two decades of vintages under her belt, she has become one of the most acclaimed winemakers in the country.
For their Mischief Maker, Mary-Lou’s aim is to craft a New World example of a Rhône wine, building this version from a blend of 80% Syrah and 10% each of Grenache and Mourvèdre. The original wine was 100% Syrah from their dry-farmed parcel planted in 1998. This isolated planting on Paarl Mountain is adjacent to an extremely rare patch of Renosterveld (an indigenous flora) that is a World Heritage site, meaning the vineyard must be farmed organically. Starting in 2007, Mary-Lou began blending a small amount of Mourvèdre into the wine because she felt the Syrah was becoming too brooding. For the same reason, she later began adding Grenache for additional fragrance. All of these grapes are processed using punch-down techniques because the skins are quite thick. According to Mary-Lou’s notes, it was “3x per day, very gently.” Once fermented dry, the wine is blended and aged in 2nd and 3rd pass French oak for one year, then bottled without fining or filtration. She made 500 cases of the 2022 vintage.
Decant this wine for at least 20-30 minutes before serving and chill it to cellar temperature. The nose offers an inviting blend of cooked cherry and blackberry, dried fig, dark chocolate, and graphite. The surprise of this wine is its freshness on the palate, where the rich fruit is balanced by a nice bit of acidity and soft tannins. Serve this wine with a rack of lamb or cocoa/coffee-rubbed ribeye.
Antucura Calcura 2021
The Antucura winery is a 225-acre vineyard located in the middle of the Uco Valley, near the town of Vista Flores. I had the chance to visit another winery in Vista Flores a few years ago, where their winemaker told me it was the sweet spot for Bordeaux varieties, such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and of course, Malbec, in this vast region. This is because the elevation lies at just under 3,000 feet above sea level (FAS).
Despite its New World location, this winery has Old World roots, being owned by Anne-Caroline Biancheri, with winemaking directed by Hervé Chagneau, both of whom are French. Additionally, they work with mega-consultant Michel Rolland, who is also French and was raised on the right bank of Bordeaux, where Cabernet Franc is more important than Cabernet Sauvignon. The focus of this winery is their flagship blends, including this single-vineyard example from a vineyard called Calcura.
When planning the planting of their vineyards, Rolland considered the growing conditions of the Calcura Vineyard perfect for all the Bordeaux varieties. The soils consist of deep loam that is heavy with limestone, creating a low-vigor environment for the vines. This results in the plants focusing less energy on the growth of canes, leaves, and flowers, and more on ripening the fruit. For the Calcura bottling, it is always an equal blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Malbec.
Michel Rolland’s influence is evident throughout this wine, and owner Biancheri spares no expense in its production. Grapes are hand-harvested into small lug baskets, then de-stemmed and sorted twice to ensure that only the best examples make it to the fermentor. As you might expect from this emphasis on quality, the wine is macerated using only pump-over techniques, with a small sprinkler in each tank dispersing the wine across the cap. After 30 days, the wine is racked into French oak barrels, where it is aged for one year.
When the time comes to serve this wine, please decant it for up to an hour before serving. It offers a delightful interplay of red and black fruits: blueberry, dried cranberry, cocoa powder, dried fig, and vanilla paste. On the palate, it reveals a deep core of fruit with very polished, sinewy tannins that extend into a long finish. Enjoy it over the next two to three years with lentils and sausage, pork pâté studded with pistachios, or this killer black bean recipe.
Black Beans with Ham Hocks
I recognize the culinary minefield I enter when proposing a recipe for black beans in Florida. No, I do not think this is better than your Abuela’s recipe, and yes, I know that classic Cuban versions do not contain meat. I found a version of this recipe in the New York Times’ Cooking section a year or so ago and have made it a couple of times. Personally, I like the addition of meat and upped their version with a second ham hock. If you find any that are particularly large, then one would certainly suffice. If you want to skip the second paragraph and a lot of work, you can buy bottled or frozen sofrito, but it is worth the effort to build from scratch. As for wine, this works great with any full bodied red like our features.
Ingredients
1½ green peppers, stemmed and seeded
10 garlic cloves
1 pound dried black beans, rinsed and picked over to remove any stones
2 smoked ham hocks
2 bay leaves
5 teaspoons salt, or to taste
¼ cup olive oil
4 slices thick bacon, cut into ½-inch pieces
1 Spanish onion, diced
1 jalapeño, stemmed and finely chopped
1 teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
1 tablespoon brown sugar
Preparation
Cut 1 green pepper into 1-inch squares. Smash and peel 4 of the garlic cloves. Put the green pepper and garlic into a large pot with the beans, ham hocks, bay leaves, and 1 tablespoon of salt. Add 2 quarts of water and bring to a boil. Cover the pot and simmer until the beans are tender, an hour or more.
Meanwhile, make a sofrito. Cut the remaining ½ green pepper into ¼-inch dice. Peel and finely chop the remaining garlic. Heat the olive oil in a very large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the bacon and cook, stirring occasionally, until it starts to brown, about 5 minutes. Add the green pepper and onion and cook, stirring, until slightly softened, about 3 minutes. Add the remaining garlic, jalapeño (leave out the seeds if you don’t want it too spicy), oregano, cumin, black pepper, and 2 teaspoons of salt and stir for another minute. Pour in the vinegar and scrape any browned bits from the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. This is your sofrito.
When the beans are cooked, discard the bay leaf. Remove and set aside the ham hocks and let them cool. Transfer 1 cup of beans to a small bowl, mash them into a paste with the back of a fork, and return them to the pot. Add the sofrito, then the sugar. Pull the meat from the ham hocks, leaving behind any white sinew or gristle. Chop the ham into ½-inch pieces and return it to the bean pot.
Stir the beans well and bring to a boil over medium heat, then lower to a simmer and cook, uncovered, for 20 minutes or so, skimming any foam from the top. Taste for salt and serve with rice.