Is Winemaking Art or Science?

September 2023 LDV Winery celebrates 15 years of winemaking. The photo Peggy, Curt, and Eppy (LDV Winery owners) is from LDV’s first harvest. One thing we know for sure is that every day we learn something new. Each harvest is different than the vintage before. There are winemaking basics and protocols we adhere to that align with our winemaking style, but our goal is to celebrate the wine grapes we grow each year and position them to produce the best wine they can! 

Before making our first bottle of wine 15 years ago, we had never made wine as a hobby or taken a viticulture or enology course. We did our research by drinking a lot of wine from around the world and talking to many winemakers and growers. We had great mentors along the way that provided guidance. One piece of advice that has always stuck with us was to get to know your spot. Understand your vineyard and spend the time taking great care of everything there (e.g., soil, water, rootstock, air flow, vine health). Without great grapes, making memorable and distinctive wines is very difficult. Our winemaking philosophy is to select the perfect vines and meticulously manage the vineyard, letting nature do its magic with as little intervention as possible.

As we take a moment to celebrate our 15 years of winemaking, we have often contemplated the age-old question “Is winemaking art or science?” We have found it is both with a whole bunch of luck, perseverance, trial and error, blood, sweat, and tears thrown in. So much of the winemaking process is out of our control, so we focus on what we can.

We hope you can stop by the tasting room to pick up some wine or order online so you can taste the fruits of our labor. Cheers to the next 15 years!