VATS Wine Club is involved in a winemaking competition in which we test our skills against our rival club Cellar Rats. Approximately 100 kg's of Pinotage or Shiraz grapes are sent up each year from Beaumont Wine Estate, Botrivier. 

First we de-stalk and crush the grapes. The juice is then collected into a barrel and fermentation started. 

This is a precise operation under strict hygienic conditions as the pictures below show. 

Our expert winemakers produce between 75 and 80 bottles of wine each year. 

It's a real fun time and everybody involved is a highly trained volunteer.