Page 6—SUSOUEHANNA TIMES
These huge vats are used to store wine. There are about a dozen of them in the
winery; each is made of stainless steel. They were originally in milk processing plants.
The motors attached to the front of each tank is connected to an internal propeller.
Manholes allow access for cleaning.
Visitors can sample the winery’s seven varieties after the tours.
New winery in Bain
[continued from front page]
and told him, ‘“You need a
winemaker—and 1 have
one.”
The winemaker he had in
mind was Carmen Canner,
the first woman to graduate
as an enologist from Penn
State. (‘“‘Enologist’” is a
$2.00 word for ‘‘wine-
maker’’).
Carmen brought to the
Nissley winery the required
specialized knowledge of
chemistry, biology, and
technology that ensure a
good product. A former
linguist, she became inter-
ested in wine—and the
relaxed lifestyle associated
with wine—while living in
Europe, where wines are
commonly drunk with most
meals.
Carmen’s training at
Penn State enables her to
decide the precise moment
to execute the various steps
of winemaking—harvesting
the grapes, fermenting,
second fermenting, and so
on. Timing and thorough
August 2, 1978
/
care in each step are the
keys to good wine, she
says.
The winery is housed in
a large and architecturally
striking stone building that
J. Richard built onto an old
tobacco shed to house the
production machinery and
store. The wooden parts of
the structure were once
part of a covered bridge.
Inside the plant are rows
of huge stainless steel
tanks which were bought
second hand from local
milk processors who went
out of business. Wine Is
transferred from one to
another by the force of
bottled high-pressure nitro-
gen gas. Mr. Nissley
explains to visitors that air,
while it would be cheaper,
has oxygen which would
tend to very slightly spoil
the wine (as air will turn
the pulp of an apple
brown).
The Nissleys and Carmen
take great precautions