Fruit is picked when grape flavour is optimum. The quality of the fruit is critical in the production of quality wine, and this is determined by both the sugar level and the balance of acidity in the grapes.

In cooler climates the optimum flavour of grapes is often achieved at lower sugar levels, whereas in warmer climates optimum flavour is usually experienced at higher sugar levels. The grapes are picked during the optimum phase of their flavour, depending on the climate.

Most grapes are machine harvested, due to the high costs of labour and the high daytime temperatures. However, hand picking is still common in smaller vineyards, younger vineyards or for delicate grapes. The best wines are produced from hand picked grapes. All Beckingham Wines grapes are hand picked.

After the grapes are picked, they are delivered to the winery, tipped into the crusher and processed to "must". Must is the split berries and their juice.The stems are also removed at this stage.Red grapes are always destemmed and crushed. White grapes are usually destemmed and crushed but for really delicate styles like sparkling wine this step is not used. Whole bunches are gently squeezed to produce the best sparkling wine.

The "must" is drained and pressed. Two fractions of juice are produced at this stage and these are known as "free run" and "pressings". Free run is the juice that drains freely from the press, while pressings is the juice obtained by mechanically squeezing the must. Both free run and pressings are clarified and the juice is ready for fermentation. The two fractions are sometimes separated at this point. Pressings are more fruity but more bitter whilst the free run juice is delicate and will produce a wine with very soft tannins. The air bag press we have is the "state of the art" for grape pressing.

Yeast is added and the fermentation begins. The temperature is usually maintained at 13°C until all the sugar has been converted to alcohol (usually after 10-18 days). The wine is 'racked' (the clear portion on top is removed) and clarified and  filtered. It is then stored until bottling. Some wines may be fermented and/or stored in small oak barrels (barriques) to add character and complexity.

After crushing and destemming, yeast is added to the red must. The colour and flavour of red wine comes from the skins, therefore the skins must be kept in regular contact with the juice to give red colour to the wine. Red wine is fermented at higher temperatures (25-30°C) than whitewine. The higher temperature in conjunction  with the alcohol being produced by the yeast helps to extract the colour and flavour.

Skin contact is achieved by plunging or circulating the juice so that the skins are mixed into the wine. This is known as 'maceration' and done intermittently over a 5 to 20 day period.

The wine is then pressed off the skins and after a few days the resultant wine is racked and clarified. Bacteria is then added (Lactic Acid Bacteria) and a second fermentation begins which converts lactic acid to malic acid. This step is done to ensure biological stability and avoid producing carbon dioxide in the bottle.  Most red wines are stored and/or fermented in barriques to add character and complexity and give softness to the wine through controlled aging. Once this is complete the wine is ready for blending (if required) and then bottling.

Oak barrels are used in the production of higher quality white and red wines. Oak barrels are fired or toasted on the inside, which imparts flavour to the wine. The use of wood depends on the wine makers preference and wine style. Barrels are kept full to prevent air from oxidising the wine but due to evaporation through the wood require topping every 2-4 weeks.

Wine in the bottle is clarified, and small particles that were not removed during pressing will be filtered to give it a crystal clear appearance.

Fining is a process where the bitterness or haze is removed from the wine using substances called fining agents. These are generally natural substances like bentonite, egg whites, gelatine or skim milk. These react with certain compounds in the wine to remove the bitterness and haziness.

Stabilising is the process of removing crystals (potassium bi-tartrate) from the wine before bottling, so they will not form in the bottle. This is done by super cooling the wine to less than 0°C until all the crystals have formed and can be filtered out. Wine crystals found in a bottle of finished wine are not harmful and do not change the wine in anyway.

Most of the wines produced by Beckingham Wines are straight varietals. If blending is required parcels of wine/juice are put together to meet the required style. The winemakers tasting skills are very important at this stage. The wine will need to be consistent and recognisable from vintage to vintage. Blending is an ongoing process, that can occur at the crusher or throughout the bottling process.

 Air is removed from the bottles by purging with a few litres of carbon dioxide. A constant level filler puts just the right amount of wine in the bottle and then it is sealed, either with a cork or with a screw cap. The corking machine has a special connection to blow the air out of the ullage space just as the cork is going in.

Preservatives like Sulphur Dioxide (SO2) and sometimes ascorbic acid are added to the wine to increase its longevity. These have the food codes 220 and 300.