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Foundry Lane · Ferment 09

Industrial precision. Agricultural uncertainty.

Step inside the tanks, trials, and tasting decisions that turn small grower parcels into vivid releases.

03 / 08
Sampling from a stainless tank inside Lumen Vale studio

Built for the unfinished idea

A former metal shop became a place to test what wine could feel like.

Lumen Vale began with two borrowed tanks, a concrete loading bay, and fruit from growers willing to leave a few rows outside the usual plan. The first release sold from the studio door in one late-night weekend.

The project still works that way: compact, collaborative, and responsive. Lots stay separate until they reveal a useful tension—bright against savory, familiar beside strange, precise without becoming polished smooth.

“Consistency is not repetition. It is the courage to stay awake.”
01

Two steel tanks arrive in the empty Foundry Lane workshop.

03

The first public blending table turns guests into collaborators.

06

Clay and whole-cluster trials expand the studio vocabulary.

09

A permanent courtyard opens for release dinners and sessions.

Lumen Vale maker Ivo Mercer studying a fermentation sample

Founder & lead maker

Ivo Mercer

Ivo moved from restaurant cellars to production because he wanted to understand flavor before it reached the list. His approach mixes clean technical work with a high tolerance for surprise.

Meet the team
Studio | Lumen Vale