Process.
Every wine starts in the vineyard, most of which are rooted in the deep sandy soils of the Black Sage Bench. We are currently transitioning all of our vineyard sites to organic viticulture, taking care to treat the vines, soil, and all the connected flora and fauna with respect.
All of our grapes are hand-picked and processed immediately at the crush pad with the same gentle care. We tend to favour whole cluster fermentation or gently de-stemming, but always let the fruit inform our decisions. Fermentation takes place spontaneously with wild yeasts, after which they are very gently basket pressed into a vessel that best suits the varietal and vintage.
Every step of the process is taken with care and attention to detail that allows the land and fruit to speak through the wine that ends up in the bottle. Or something like that.
“Growing up we used to get a visiting black bear and her cubs that would sneak into the vineyard and eat (literally) tons of grapes just prior to harvest. Each year the game became getting to the ripe blocks before she did!
Also, the Ursa Major constellation (the Great Bear constellation) was the most prominent in the sky from our property. My parents used to say that she was just trying to feed her family from these grapes, just as we were. That story really stuck.”
“My approach to wine is definitely community oriented. It takes a group of individuals to come together to grow healthy, honest fruit and make authentic wines. Without this sense of community Ursa Major Wines definitely would not exist! And to take the pretension out of wine, to create something that I would enjoy drinking myself!”
— Rajen, Interview with Scout Magazine