The secret of fine wine is a question of balance. Balance can be achieved only in the vineyard, not in the winery. We interfere as little as possible in the way of nature so that our wines taste natural and true to their origin.
For many decades , the practice in Eastern Europe had been to hand pick the grapes and then dump them into huge skips, letting them wait for hours under the scorching sun. While the reds endured mostly just fine, the white grapes suffered and often lost their freshness on the slow lumber back to the winery.
Our grapes are hand-picked up early in the morning to be delivered to the winery while still cool. We use small crates stacked on each other to make sure that the fruit is in perfect condition. We never use machine harvesters, because we old-fashionedly believe that the grapes for fine wine must be hand-picked. Besides, experienced pickers choose the ripest and healthiest bunches, and if necessary, repeat the process in a few days, allowing the rest of grapes to fully ripen.
Upon delivery in the winery, the grapes are immediately placed on tables and sorted by hand. Material other than grapes, such as the occasional leaf, is discarded, the stems are separated, and the sorting begins in earnest. On the slow-moving belt the grapes are minutely examined by human eye. Only triple-sorted grapes go into our wines. It sounds like a lot of work, but actually is the foundation for the elegance that is our hallmark.