The quite young practice of growing grapes in Bali has started at the beginning of the 20th Century but it is only a few decades ago, after multiple trials and errors, survival to parasites and other vine diseases, that the grapes were grown with satisfaction on a commercial scale and found in markets all over the archipelago. The final choice was a black table grape variety of French origin called 'Alphonse Lavallé' or 'Alfonso' among the growers.

A visit to the coastal plain of North Bali will take you to vast planted areas where the vines are all trained into an overhead trellis called Pergola and where the posts consist of small trees, which have to be pruned as well. Besides keeping the workers cool, this system reduces the risk of diseases and sunburn on the grapes, all contributing to a better fruit quality. The daily task of seeing the grapes protected from the elements is a full time operation and workers often live in houses built amongst the pergolas to take constant care in case of rain. The crops have a surprisingly high quality and the grapes brought to the winery are certainly ranked as the best of the best. It is important to note that the tropical climate makes for the unique character of the winemaking in Bali: grapes are constantly harvested from evergreen vines and wine can be produced all year long instead of once a year.

After being harvested, the grapes are transported to the winery where they are gently pressed to extract their pink juice. Fermentation takes place in temperature controlled stainless steel tanks with the help of selected Champagne yeasts. Fermenting temperatures are kept low in order to preserve the delicate fruity aroma of the grapes. The magic of the artist winemaker, Vincent Desplat, then comes into play and the product of his tests and tasting is ready for bottling in due time.

Click on the images for closer look ...