State Hornet reporter Amber Wertman went to local wineries to find out more about wine and try some of the wines they offered. Here’s what she found:

The wine-making process as told by John Alfonzo, owner of Rail Bridge Cellar:

Step 1: The fruit is picked from a vineyard.

Step 2: The fruit is transported on a flatbed truck to the warehouse where it is refrigerated.

Step 3: The fruit is dumped into a machine called a stemmer crusher. The stemmer portion of the machine pulls the berry off the stems and the crushing portion breaks open the fruit without cracking the seeds.

Step 4: The fruit is transported into a bin in order to settle in for a couple of days to allow as much material as possible to leech out of the skins.

Step 5: Foam forms when yeast is added to the fruit to begin the fermentation process. Fermentation is the process of adding yeast to soak up the sugar and turn it into alcohol. The fermentation process lasts anywhere from seven to 14 days, depending on the quality of the fruit and the climate it is stored in. Step 6: Liquid wine is then pumped out of the bins and the skins get shoveled into a rotating press. A balloon on one side inflates and pushes the skin aside and squeezes the remaining liquid out of the skins.

Step 7: A pump pushes out the dead yeast that has settled at the bottom of the wine, taking out the purified liquid wine.

Fact: Barrel age is anywhere from nine to 24 months.

What wines go with what foods as told by Peggy Hom, sales associate of Frasinetti Winery and Restaurant:

White Zinfandel is a pink blush wine that is slightly sweet but not too dry. It’s a great summer wine to be enjoyed outside during nice weather that pairs well with any kind of light sauce or a light dish. It pairs especially well with chicken or turkey.

Riesling wine ranges from dry to sweet in taste. This white wine pairs well with salads but also goes well with food that isn’t too heavy, such as turkey, fruit, or chicken salad. This wine has an aromatic grape smell with a high acidity. Riesling is well known for its mild honey taste.

Chardonnay is a dryer white wine that used to have an oak flavored taste, but now tends to have more of a citrus-peachy taste. This wine pairs well with pasta and bold seafood dishes, such as salmon.

Merlot is a fruity, full-bodied, dry red wine. Merlot is considered to be one of the lighter red wines. This wine pairs best with a hearty steak, lasagna or spaghetti.

Cabernet sauvignon is often referred to as the king of red wines. This robust and earthy wine pairs well with a prime rib roast or steak. Cabernet sauvignon is a wine that tastes smoother as it ages.

And here’s what she thought of two local wineries:

Vintner’s Cellar

Vintner’s Cellar, which opened in 2008, has a laid back and relaxing vibe.

Kim Oliver, co-owner of Vintner’s Cellar, said that local skilled workers make almost all of the merchandise sold in the tasting room.

The first red wine I tried, Berry Charming, was sweet and smelled like fresh-picked berries. The next wine I tasted was Riesling. The bitter taste was not too overpowering since I was able to taste quite a bit of citrus, apples and apricots. Oliver said this wine pairs best with cheesy chicken dishes and anything that is fairly light in texture.

The last wine I tasted was one I had never heard of before. It was called Ice Wine. This dessert wine is known for its frosty name because it is produced from grapes that have been frozen while still on the vine, which makes its taste and smell extremely sweet. After I got past its candied taste on my palate, a subtle hint of apricots and peaches then permeated my nose.

Rail Bridge Cellar

On the outside, Rail Bridge Cellar appears to be a vacant building that is located across the street from a lively casino cafe, but inside the cellar, the wine speaks for itself.

Filled with paintings done by local Sacramento artists, the pungent aroma of fermented wine was all I could smell. Large tanks occupy the warehouse with neatly stored oak barrels of wine lined up close to the ceiling.

Not being a wine drinker, I was a little pessimistic as I took my first sip of an extremely bitter Zinfandel wine. I was later informed that the wine was very young, which explained its tartness.

The next wine I tasted, Sauvignon Blanc, has become my new favorite wine. This light-bodied white wine is very crisp and has a lemon-lime taste to it. It also leaves the palette refreshed after every sip, which makes the wine easy to drink.

John Alfonzo, owner of Rail Bridge, said this wine pairs well with roasted chicken and any type of seafood, especially oysters.

Alfonzo said this urban winery got its name from an old bridge in Sacramento.

“We found a picture of the I Street Bridge from the 1920s that was clean and that fit the imagery of steel and metal gears in my head instead of rolling hills and grape leaves because that’s not what I’m about,” Alfonzo said. “The tracks that cross the bridge go through the vineyards of Napa and Sonoma as well.”

Amber Wertman can be reached at [email protected]