Nestled in North Farm in the midst of cotton crops at the Mississippi State University Research Park, a 27-year-old lab serves as MSU”s resident winery.Built with surplus funds from 1971 to 1974, the A.B. McKay Lab is state-of-the-art and equipped to make barrels of wine for research purposes under the arm of MSU Human Sciences.
From red wines and white grigios to blueberry brandies and German grappers, a variety of alcoholic beverages are made at the facility with the purpose to aid Mississippi agriculture.
McKay Lab’s goal is to assist the vineyards of Mississippi by researching and improving their production processes.
By aiding vineyards, the lab is also aiding Mississippi agriculture–excess or damaged commodities may be used to make wines, providing an indirect boost to the economy.
Cary Sutphin with the A.B. MacKay Lab said their research will “give farmers a way to sell more of a product.”
According to Sutphin, it was not easy cutting through red tape to make the facility functional in the mid-O70s.
“It was illegal when we began to produce wine in the state,” Sutphin said.
The lab received permission from the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, and as a result, they were able to operate the lab, despite the fact that wineries were not legal until the passing of the Native Wine Act of the mid-O70s by the Mississippi legislature
The laws were set up, according to Sutphin, to stimulate agriculture in Mississippi.
He said that a small family could support themselves with 10 to 15 acres of vineyards.
MSU, however, is only permitted under federal legislation to research and evaluate wines. The university is forced to keep their wines “for in-house purposes,” according to Sutphin.
The lab produces approximately 600 gallons of alcoholic beverages per year.
After the wine is made and evaluated, it must be inventoried and then eventually dumped.
The A.B. McKay Lab also produces juices from a variety of fruits, including grapes and muscadine.
Muscadine grape juice is sold at the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station store, at the MSU Fountain and through MSU Human Sciences.
The process of making wine can take as little as four weeks to numerous years, depending on the wine and the desired quality and flavor.
According to A.B. McKay Lab Plant Manager Jimmy Fox, the longest the lab has held a wine was six to eight months.
The wine-making process–fermentation–varies slightly by the type of wine; however, the overall process is similar. It begins with the crushing, pressing and separating of the fruit.
Next, the wine must have the appropriate, brick or sugar, content. The most desirable mix is 22.5 percent brick–allowing 11 to 12 percent alcohol. Yeast and sugar is added, and the mixture rests on average of four to eight weeks.
Then, the wine undergoes clarification at 22 degrees Fahrenheit on average of three to five weeks. After the wine is clarified, sparkaloids and/or betnonite are added to the wine, depending on the type of wine.
Finally, the beverage is filtered and bottled.
The key to the fermentation process is aging, as it directly influences the color, flavor, clarity and other factors of the wine.
The A.B. McKay Lab is currently seeking approval from the BATF to perform the distilling process in order to research hard liquors.