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OUR PROCESS

Estate Wines

Winemaking truly begins in the vineyard. Our Master Winemaker works closely with the vineyard manger and crew to plan vineyard practices throughout the year that ensure the best fruit quality while being good stewards to the land.

Estate Pinot Grigio Harvest

The growing season for Our Estate Vineyard is considered a Region III. This allows us to grow an array of varietals from Pinot Grigio, Riesling to Malbec, and Cabernet Franc.

THERE’S A SPECIAL ELECTRICITY IN THE AIR DURING HARVEST SEASON.

Harvest season begins in September when grapes are reaching their peak ripeness levels. All of the estate vineyard grapes are hand harvested. At Firelands our strict adherence to time-tested process decides which grapes to pick based on laboratory testing and sensory evaluation of each varietal individually.

White Wines

For white wines, the must goes through a dejuicer immediately.

White Wines
For white wines, the must goes through a dejuicer immediately.
Red Wines
For red wines, the skins are allowed to remain with the must to color the fermenting juice.

Keeping local tradition alive by continuing to make wines that the original Mantey Vineyards made

we use the native grape species known as Labrusca varietals. A few of the most popular are Concord, Catawba and Niagara. In contrast to traditional wine grapes, vinifera species, the native grapevines are very winter hardy and can survive even negative temperatures. We source these grapes from the Lake Erie AVA (American Viticultural Area). These wines have a very distinctive foxy flavor that locals have grown up with and love.

Our work is a labor of Love, Passion and Patience.

While the flavor of wine begins in the vineyards, the winemaker’s unique artistic talent
is essential for proper aging and blending of the final product.

Firelands’ expert Wine Maker and the professionalism of the committed cultivation team, are leaving an indelible mark on the land and the fine fruit it produces.

The flavor of wine begins in the vineyards

While the flavor of wine begins in the vineyards, the winemaker’s unique artistic talent
is essential for proper aging and blending of the final product.

Once the fruit is harvested it is processed either by whole cluster pressing for the whites or de-stemming and leaving the berries intact in the fermentation vessel for the reds. All wines are inoculated with specific yeast strains while whites are kept cold during fermentation the reds are allowed to heat up to make sure the proper color extraction occurs. Once the primary fermentation is complete the reds are pressed off and inoculated so they go thru the secondary fermentation to soften them. Whites are racked off and put to bed until they are ready to bottle. All reds and some whites are put into oak barrels for aging purposes.

LAKE ERIE (LAMBRUSA) WINES

Making wine from the Labrusca grapes differs from our estate wines in a few ways. They are harvested less ripe, at lower sugar levels. Also, generally these grapes are machine harvested and delivered to us first thing in the morning. The grapes are processed by de-stemming, crushing then pressing them. From that point forward the process is the same as our white wines.

“Our work is a labor of Love, Passion and Patience”.

Routine laboratory testing and sensory evaluations are

preformed on all wines throughout the aging process.

Once wines are ready they are filtered and bottled.

Fine Wine takes time
Not until the winemaker has approved the vintage is the wine pumped through sterile filters, bottled,
and labeled for distribution.
Tradition, Process, and handmade excellence

Ohio is number 6 in the nation for wine production.

Come pay us a visit.
We’ve curated a wonderful escape with you in mind.