AURORA - Behind every fine wine is a vintner who lovingly processed a grape into one of the many varieties on the market today.

The Cayuga Wine Trail sponsored a self-guided "Meet the Winemakers tour" Saturday. Winemakers at each of the 15 wineries along the tour were on hand to offer wine tasting, as well as personal discussions of winemaking techniques.

The Cayuga Wine Trail was established in 1981, by Mary Plane, owner of Cayuga Ridge Winery. The trail consists of 15 wineries that surround Cayuga Lake.

Gary Barletta, owner and winemaker at Long Point Winery in Aurora, wanted to let wine lovers learn about the different processes used to effect the wine's final taste.

Barletta's discussion, Red Wine Aging: Oak Barrels vs. Alternative Vessels, offered the tasting of a Merlot aged with four separate techniques. One aged in a stainless steel vessel, one aged in a 5-year-old American oak barrel, one aged in a brand new American oak barrel and one aged for only 6-months in an American oak barrel.

"Oak can have a very influential effect on the final product," Barletta said.

"I use American, Hungarian and French oak barrels. The different types of oak and the toasting levels used in making the barrels show in the final taste of the wine."

Barletta has been a wine maker for 28 years and comes from a family of winemakers.

"My grandfather was an amateur winemaker," Barletta said. "He moved to Syracuse from Italy and had the grapes shipped in. He made the wines in his basement."

Barletta specializes in dry red wines and has won many awards - both nationally and internationally - through the years.

Discussing the different varieties of Chardonnay, Alex Jackman, winemaker at King Ferry Winery, offered an opportunity for visitors to delve a little deeper into the fruit character of the traditional Chardonnay.

"The key to winemaking is we are always thinking of how to balance the fruit, the types of oak used, as well as the blend of the wines," Jackman said.

King Ferry Winery specializes in Chardonnay, a dry, fruity wine with a mix of delicate flavors and aromas. The winery sells under the Treleaven label.

Donna Meyer and Charlie Claes, of Brooktondale, hold season passes to the wine trail, and are amateur winemakers.

The couple took a silver medal at last year's State Fair wine competition. They attended Saturday's event in hopes of picking up a few tips to bring back to their own winemaking techniques.