One of the most common things the staff at Jackson Hole Winery hears from new guests at the tasting room is: “Wow, all of your wines are really good.” The team knowingly says, pointing to the stacks of awards and medals the wines have won over the years. “Yeah, we know, and thank you.”
There have been many articles showcasing the benefits of winemaking in a high-altitude environment but I thought we would dive into Jackson Hole Winery as a grower and producer.
Anthony Schroth is the grower and winemaker at Jackson Hole Winery. Schroth manages the vineyards and makes the wine, just like many of our favorite small wineries, except for a 16-hour drive.
ASchroth spends most of the year in Petaluma, Sonoma. It’s a full-time job with 28 acres – a little over 11 hectares of vineyard to manage.
We don’t just buy grapes; we grow them. This way, I can keep an eye on the quality of the fruit and make changes in the vineyard as needed.
Anthony Schroth, winemaker at Jackson Hole Winery
The logistics of getting the fruit from the vineyard to the winery in a timely fashion can be a challenge, but worth it, he says. Schroth and his team often start hand picketing the grapes at 4 a.m., to be on the road as the sun begins to crest the horizon. Picking the grapes in the cool of early morning keeps the acids more stable, and makes for better wine. He believe that the “rest time” on the drive to Jackson enhances the quality of the grapes and gives the fruit a little more time to pull nutrients from the stems.
They often use refrigerated trucks in the transport process, which keeps the flavors and aromatics fresh before arriving in Jackson. Dry ice can also be used in transportation to keep the temperatures down. The CO2 evaporates completely, not diluting the juice as regular ice would, while keeping out any oxygen affecting the grapes.
Organizing the drives to time with harvest can be tricky. Thankfully the rock star Jackson team is willing and able to head to California whenever the call to harvest comes in.
Schroth is excited about the 2022 Vintage which they winery just harvested and pressed last week. He has never seen sugar-to-acid ratios like this in his 16 years of making wine. There were 25 bricks with a PH of 3.2, which is unheard of and he is excited about the wines that will come from this vintage.
Jackson Hole Winery is currently in the throes of winemaking with more grapes still coming in.
I’ve done a few harvest in my time. It’s fun to be a part of, as wine making is so much about farming and community. Be warned though: there is a good chance you will be stung by a few bees!
