Flying Goat

”Disgorging of Goat Bubbles Sparkling Wine” by Owner/Winemaker Norman Yost

Flying Goat Cellars is a boutique winery located in the California Central Coast community of Lompoc. We are a pioneer in the production of Méthode Champenoise sparkling wine in Santa Barbara County, producing Goat Bubbles sparkling wine for 11 consecutive vintages. Under the Goat Bubbles brand we offer 5 unique styles of sparkling wine: Crémant, Blanc de Blancs, Blanc de Noirs, Brut Cuvée and Rosé. 

Méthode Champenoise is an Old World technique for producing a bottle of fermented sparkling wine. Each bottle of sparkling wine undergoes fermentation to produce carbon dioxide or CO2. The second fermentation in the bottle is created by putting the blended wine in bottles with yeast and small quantity of sugar and then stopped with a crown cap. Then the bottle is laid to rest in the cellar horizontally for the second fermentation to complete in 3-6 weeks.

Riddling Racks

Riddling

Typically, the aging period for Goat Bubbles sparkling wine is between 9 months to 16 months; the aging varies for each of type of sparkling wine. The bottles are then transferred to riddling racks to force all the sediment to move towards the neck of the bottle. The bottles need to be turned once a day by hand for 1-2 weeks, which facilitates movement of the yeast that is trapped on the sides of the bottle.

Chilling the bottles prior to disgorging

Once the bottles are ready for disgorging, they are very carefully transferred to an ice bath to freeze the neck.  After about 10-15 minutes the bottles are removed with the neck facing down. One hand tilts the bottle to 45 degrees while the other hand removes the crown cap. The tool for removing the crown cap is hooked shaped, thus allowing the operator to flip off the cap. This Old World process for removing the “lees” is called “disgorging”. The pressure inside each is bottle is 75-90 psi so once the cap comes off the product will come shooting out with considerable force, hence the need for goggles and overalls. (pictured below)

Dosage

The next stage of the process is the introduction of the “dosage,” which is typically a sugar solution along with a small quantity of sulfur dioxide as a preservative. The amount of dosage added to the bottle depends on the level of sweetness desired in the wine. Bottles are then corked by hand and a wire hood is applied to secure the cork. 

Sparkling Wine Corks

Hand Corking

Before the Wire Hood

Applying the Wire Hood

Wire Hood Complete

The next and final stage is the waxing of each bottle prior to going into a box. 

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Discover Flying Goat wine experiences in the VAULT29 app and add your own! Use hashtags #FlyingGoat or #FlyingGoatCellars. CHEERS!

#WineBuzzin': #Winetasting Extravaganzas!

It's every winelovers dream: imagine one large room, with 100 wineries pouring over 500 incredible wines to taste. With a limited window of time, where does one start? And how does one pace themselves? 

Throughout the year, we have the privilege and opportunity to attend such wine tasting extravaganzas. Typically, there is an underlying theme: a specific varietal (Pinot Days); a specific region (Taste of Mendocino); or Family Winemakers of California. 

We love these events because it gives us the chance to reconnect, catch up with our winery friends, and taste newly released vintages. But most of all, it's a great opportunity to discover new smaller, lesser known brands who are just starting out in the industry. Many of these wines won't be found in your local grocery store or wine shop because they don't yet have representation behind them. Not to worry, though. We've got you covered with a few of our favorites! 

Center of Effort

Wren Hop

Mattina Fiore

Barber Cellars

Flying Goat Cellars

Pech Merle

• Center of Effort (Arroyo Grande, SLO County, CA)- Located in Central California, the wines are crafted with Edna Valley grapes. Don't miss the refreshing Pinot Noir Rose for long, summer days! #CenterofEffort
• Wren Hop (Windsor, Sonoma County, CA)- We love everything about this newcomer! The wines are excellently crafted with care and Jim's passion shines through as he walked us through the tasting. Bonus points for the creativity behind their labels which are designed as book covers. #WrenHop
• Mattina Fiore (San Luis Obispo, SLO County, CA)- Andrea and her husband Scott got the wine "bug" after crafting 2 barrels of Syrah, and quickly expanded their portfolio to include their popular Albarino and GSM blend. It also helps to have one of California's hottest winemakers, Robert Hensen, at the helm! #MattinaFiore
• Barber Cellars (Petaluma, Sonoma County, CA) - Be on the lookout for Mike and Lorraine's tasting room in Petaluma coming soon, thanks to their cool Kickstarter campaign! Passion packs a punch with their awesome Zins! #BarberCellars
• Flying Goat (Lompoc, Santa Barbara County, CA)- Kate is a gem and owner of Flying Goat Cellars., along with her husband/winemaker Norm. Their focus is on making vineyard designated pinot noir and sparkling wine. Tasting room in the "Lompoc Wine Ghetto."
• Pech Merle (Geyserville, Sonoma County, CA)- We loved meeting Bruce and hearing about his passion about these small lot wines, like his 2012 Laguna de Santa Rose Pinot Noir. 

Download the VAULT29 app to see more of our experiences at the 2015 Family Winemakers of California event. Simply search by location ("Palace Hotel"), hashtag "Taste15", or by winery hastag (ie #WrenHop). If you're interested in attending future events, feel free to reach out to us for more information.

Cheers!