Diageo produces a range of both new world and old world wines, including Barton & Guestier, Sterling and Beaulieu Vineyard.
In addition to our own wines, Diageo’s wine merchants - such as Britain’s Justerini & Brooks - continue centuries of tradition by offering exclusive wine imports to restaurants, hotels and private clients.
Producing wines for sale and export is a tough job. Vineyards need to meet commercial demand without sacrificing character or quality.
Growing the grapes
Excellent wines require excellent grapes. One of the keys to this is ensuring the grape vines ‘struggle’. The more a vine struggles or feels threatened, the more effort it will put into reproducing – meaning more and better grapes. This is why most good wine is produced in climates that are hot and dry during the day, and cool at night.
The first buds appear on a vine in early spring. This is when the vine is at its most vulnerable – a frost or excessive rain could dramatically affect the harvest quality six months later.
Throughout the season great care is put into ensuring that leaf growth – the canopy – is kept under control. Grape clusters need to receive plenty of light, while air most flow freely to prevent mould.
Harvest
Grapes are harvested in the autumn. Once picked, they are taken to the winery and put into a destemmer/crusher. This machine helps to sort the grapes from their stems.
Fermentation
Once the grapes are crushed they are fed into a fermentation tank. Red wine retains the grape skins during fermentation, but these are removed from the liquid if producing a white wine.
During fermentation, yeast consumes sugar in the liquid and in turn produces alcohol and carbon dioxide.
Maturation
Once fermented, the wine is filtered to remove yeast and sediment before moving into tanks or casks for maturation.
Most high quality red wines are matured in oak casks, resting for months or years. The casks interact with the wine, adding character and complexity.