2009 Merlot blend, SO2, MLF and topping up

Been meaning to do this for over a month - checked the SO2 levels on the remaining bulk 2009 wine (5+5+1+1), and as expected it was pretty much depleted.  Added 10% solution to get it to about 40 or 50 ppm, opened a bottle we corked in August of 2010 and used it to top off, and replaced the airlocks with solid stoppers.  (Well, really I replaced the airlocks in the orange 2-way caps with solid covers.)

Also tested for MLF (Accuvin) and it looks like that was complete.

My only hesitation in this was whether to bottle one of the carboys instead of capping it: decided to pass on that, and count on what's already bottled plus the 2010 Muscat (plus maybe some of the cal-blend Grimaldi-Savino?) to entertain the wine party crowd in June of 2010.   (If I were less lazy maybe I'd do an MLF test on the August bottle I just opened as a topper?)

2010 Reds first racking

Racked both red wines today.

Free SO2 looked to be very low, and we went for a full 50 ppm, adding about a tablespoon of 10% solution to each 5 gallon carboy.  (Note to self: need to make another batch of 10% solution before next work - this one is good only through December 8.)

Both wines looked very clean - not very much lost to the lees. 

Primitivo went from 5+5+5+5+1 to 5+5+5+5, but had to use a wee but of lees and 750 ml of commercial zinfandel to get there.

Blend went from 5+5+5+3 to 5+5+5+1+1, using a tad of lees and no commercial topper.

All in all, and easy day of work, though way cold outside for the wash-up.

Diversion: 100percentcork.org

A trade organization that's advertising on NPR.  100percentcork.org.  Cork not just as good for closing wine bottles, but as natural, renewable and supporting biodiversity.

Why 100 Percent Natural Cork from Citizen on Vimeo.

Staten Island Red, Nov 14

Dipped a tube into one of the carboys yesterday and was very pleased with what I tasted. This is the first time I've done the malolactic fermentation--introduced the bacteria a month ago--and I'm impressed. That sharp, seemingly green edge which has been dominant in all the reds I think I've made through the first year had subsided some, revealing some of the wines fruit--a melange of raspberry and cherry as near as I can tell at this point.

I'll man up the SO2 tomorrow. Doug advises that a tsp of the potassium bisulfate per 5 gal carboy will put me in the vicinity of 40-50 ppm, so that's what I'll do.

2010 Reds, 5 weeks in

Took a look at the Primitivo, it's possible that the the TA is still 9 g/L and the malic acid is still 110 mg/L, but it's also possible that we're at 8.5 and 75.  Can't tell what's real and what's wishful interpretation of the Accuvin charts.  PH seems to be 3.53, down from 3.57 by meter.  Splitting hairs.

Haven't tested the Cal Blend yet - waiting to see if the Savino Grimaldi clan visits.

Need to consider if we want to rack next week, or wait on a positive change of the malic acid toward 30 mg/L.

2010 Muscat, first racking

The plan:

• Add Bentonite with the racking - 5% slurry based on 1 g Bentonite per 1 gal of wine: so a carboy gets a slurry of 5 g bentonite, 95 g water. Let the slurry sit for 2 hours.
• Boost the SO2 from 12 to 40 or 50 ppm. Will add 2 tsp of 10% solution.

The reality:
Well, gee, it was just like the plan.  Peter came over and we whipped through it.  Started with 14 gallons (5+5+3+1) and finished with +13 (5+5+3 3x750 ml).  The 750's are pretty gunky, but we're just looking at them as toppers.  Don't have proper sized drilled bungs for them, so have corked them and thrown them into the fridge.  Will get stoppers and see what can be done.

This is our first use of bentonite. 

2010 Muscat, 6 weeks in

Ready to rack.
PH 3.61 (meter)
TA 9 g/L
Free SO2 11 ppm by Titret

This was the first use of the meter, and the first use of Titrets.  Love the Titrets!!  (I interpreted Accuvin as 4 ppm, which would have been close enough.)

2010 Reds, one month in

Using Accuvin, both wines show 110 mg/L - unchanged from last week.  Hmmm.  I've known for a long time that I'm not the most color acute person in the world: maybe I'm just not an Accuvin guy?  (But, really, no change from last week.)  Raise the temp in that part of the cellar?

Used the new Hanna meter for the PH.  3.45 on the Cal Blend and 3.58 on the Primitivo.  Last week we tried these tests by Accuvin and settled on 3.8 for the Primitivo and 3.5 for the blend.  I guess in the long run, unless you're making adjustments, using the same test consistently is all you really need, but I'm glad to use an instrument where I can.  I don't see myself setting up lab apparatus to replace the Accuvin.  (But I have priced it out, just for the heck of it...)

Anyway, the thing to think about is whether to try to force the MLF along, and whether we can do it without adversely affecting the Muscat that we want to keep cooler in the same space.

Buying consortium?

I've met a few other winemakers recently, and I'm wondering if we pooled our dollars, if we could negotiate discounts on some of our supplies. The main thing I'm thinking of at this point is bottles. If we bought, say, 25 cases of bottles, could we get the price down to 50 cents a bottle? Corks, too.

Grapes are trickier, but it might make some sense to explore what we could negotiate if we eliminated the middle man, but the grape is complicated in ways bottles aren't because we'd probably have to get on the same page with a grape to be of interest to a vineyard.

What's everyone think?

Bernardo

Staten Island Red, Nov 6

The wine is quiet and clarifying. Following Doug's advice at PI, I'm going to let the malo-lactic fermentation bug have its way with the wine for another week; then, I'll add S02. Keeping the temp steady at about 64.

2009 Merlot, 13 months in

We still have 12 gallons of the 2009 Merlot blend in bulk - two 5 gallon carboys of free run, and two 1 gallon jugs of pressed.  Since we have fresh Accuvin tests laying around, I thought I'd poke into one of the carboys and take a look - these wines had never had free SO2 or malic acid or PH tests done before.

• Free SO2: about 23 ppm.  That's how I interpret the color chart.  I would have thought lower, but if that's right, I'm happy and ready to boost it.
•  TA: 6.5 g/L.  Low end of the acceptable range for red.
• PH: 3.8.  Really?  Really?  (Presque Isle, darn it, send my darned meter so I don't have to do the color chart for this one, eh?).  Well, if it's true, lots of SO2 to add.
• Malic Acid: 30 to 50 mg/L. 

As a newbie to testing, I'm surprised the PH is so high if the TA is so low.  Happy about the malic acid level. 

I think I'll wait on the delivery of the PH meter before adding SO2.  And we can decide then, too, whether to bottle or leave the wine in bulk.

2010 Reds, day 22 - readings

Primitivo:

• PH 3.8, 
• SO2 18 ppm, 
• Malic Acid 110 mg/L

We didn't have PH tests (and my meter still hasn't arrived from PI Wine, sigh) when we started, so this is the first reading.  Corresponds to the high acid readings we started with, which we're hoping will be brought down by the MLF.

I think the SO2 is where we want it to be right now, low enough not to inhibit MLF.  Target SO2 for wine this high in PH would be pretty darned high, and if we hit our target Malic Acid, we'll boost the SO2 accordingly.

As with PH, we started the process without a Malic Acid reading, so 110 mg/L is the level we'll ride into next week's tests.  Could have been 2 to 3 times as high at start. Just dunna know.  Target is 30 mg/L.

And for the heck of it, of course I also tasted the juice.  As warned by the yeast sellers, this strain leaves a barnyard nose which dissipates over 6 months of aging: mooooo.   Very tart, but no off tastes at all.

And Mike's come over to test the...
Cal Blend:

• PH 3.3, 
• SO2 23 ppm, 
• Malic Acid 110 mg/L

Wow wow, seeing the different PH readings of the two and then tasting the two is a very short, very clear lesson in what PH does to your mouth.

2010 Reds, day 16: malolactic bugs added

Mike over this morning and we added the bugs and Optimalo to all vessels of both wines.  That's a full week after the Cal Blend press and 5 full days after the Primitivo crush. 

Also tested TA with fresh Accuvin kits - up around 9 for both wines.  We're looking for the MLF to bring it down some.  PH meter still hasn't arrived (halloooo, Presque Isle?) so we're just guessing it's hand in hand with the acid.

And ran into Bernardo on the street - he's put the bugs into his Staten Island red: don't know if he also used any nutrients.

Let's MLF

I think both groups bought the same malolactic bacteria - Enoferm B - and I'm going to forge on here with that assumption.

The 2.5 g package of EB is good for 66 gallons of wine.  We have 21 gallons of Primitivo and 18 gallons of the Merlot / Cab / P. Verdot, so we can use a single package if we're going to work the two wines at the same time.

EB wants to be hydrated in 20 times it's own weight of 20 C chlorine-free water for not more than 15 minutes.  2.5 g package of EB, 50 g water, 50 g water = just a tad over 1/4 cup.  So, dump the packet in 1/4 C room temp distilled water and set the timer for 12 minutes.

We're also going to use Optimalo Plus as a nutrient for the malolactic bugs.  1 g per gallon, dissolved in just enough water or wine, and then added and stirred into the body of the wine prior to adding the malolactic bugs.  So, use a wine thief to draw off some wine from each vessel, weigh & add proper amount of Optimalo, swish-wait-dump-stir.  The Optimalo comes in 6 g packages, so for the 5 gallon carboys we can weigh out the 5 g or eyeball it - you're call.

By the time we've added all of the nutrients we should be ready to add the bugs.  Let's use a rule of 1 ml of hydrated bug juice per gallon of wine.  I'm basing this on our 1/4 cup = 2 oz = +59 ml for 66 gallons, round it off to 1 ml per gallon and round that to 5 ml per carboy = 1 tsp bug juice.  Jah?  So add 1 tsp bug juice to the 5 gallon carboys that already have nutrients added, stir, cap, relax.

2010 Reds, day 13

7 AM:
An uptick in bubbling activity from four of the five Primitivo vessels.  Two days post zero Brix.  Maybe MLF?  No similar activity from the Cal Blend, but I may have missed it if it was short lived.  So: we need to set the date for adding the MLF bugs and nutrients.  Suggestions have been from 2 days post press, to 7.

National Grid confirms: decline of home winemaking in Brooklyn

A meter reader from National Grid was just here.  As I led him down to the cellar I apologized for everything being a jumble - I still haven't stowed the press and the primary fermenters and the carboys we didn't use.  Now this was an experienced guy I was with, someone who sees a lot of Brooklyn cellars.  He said, You don't see much wine making any more.  I also do a route in Bensenhurst, and you see a few older Italian guys out there.

2010 Reds, day 11

5:30 AM:
Yes, because I'm me I'm already futzing around getting ready.

7 AM:
Press is cleaned, carboys are meta'd, Primitivo is at -0.4 B.  Oven is at 500 F and ready to bake a breakfast wine-dough pizza.  (I kid you not.)  All that's needed now is for some of the partners to awaken.  Weather is cool and wet - don't think we've pressed on a rainy day before.

9 AM:
Stunning!  Finished pressing, cleaned up, and wondering where we're going to stow the new fermenters and all.  Mike & Peter both here to work the wine.  Purple breakfast pizza was AOK.

21 gallons total - 15 free flow in carboys + 1 gallon, and a mixed 5 gallons of free flow (2) + press (3).  Will start a separate 2010 yield post to track the three wines - all of which started with 8 cases and are in very different places after pressing.

2010 Reds, day 10

7 AM:
Primitivo is 70 F, 0.2 B.  We're set to press it at 8:30 tomorrow morning.

Three of the Cal Blend carboys burped into their bubblers (they were topped off very high) and I've cleaned those up.  Looking good.

8 PM:
Primitivo 70 F, -0.3 B.  We've shifted press time to 7:30 AM Tuesday.  Don't be shy, boys and girls, ther'll be plenty of coffee.

2010 Reds, day 9

8 AM:
Both musts at 72 F.  Cal Blend -0.4 Brix, Primitivo +1.6 Brix.  Definitely pressing day for the Cal.  Targeting noon.  Problem with the Primitivo is we know we cannot crush tomorrow, so if we forgo today we're at Tuesday and an unplanned for extended maceration. We'll decide at noon.

12 noon:
Pressing time for the Cal Blend.  10 gallons free run, 5 gallons 50/50, 3 gallons pressed.  Juice was beautiful, and berries in the press cake were very dry.  Any more yield and we'd have been busting things.

At about 2 we had the wine-pizza.  I made two small ones - and here's the one that's shaped sort of like Africa. 

Not a bad thing to do as a tradition, but not something I want to do instead of my usual dough.

8 PM:
Primitivo 72 F, 0.7 B.  At this rate we'll be at zero tomorrow morning or noon, but we won't be able to press until Wednesday morning (the 19th).  Not ideal, but not terrible.  We'll keep a lid on it.

Day 8 (S.I.): full-tilt boogie

To crush is human; to press, divine is what the bard really meant to say.

The must was nearly still when I pressed yesterday. I tried a little of the wine as it came out the press's spout, and it's already showing a display of fruits and notes: I'm getting raspberry and the 1040, sched. D. No, I don't know--raspberry and something. The recipe I used was different from past barbera's simply because Mrs. Lapide was down to 5 crates of barbera--so there's twice the alicante in this wine and almost twice the grenache. We made a 70-20-10 barbera in the past; this one is a 50-30-20.

The yield was 28 beautiful gallons--I thought I'd get 30+. I was thinking 33, but considering how hot and dry the summer was, it's no wonder the yield's a little low. Anyone follow the weather in CA this past summer? Was it as hot and dry as ours?

Going to add the malo-lactic bug tomorrow, and will add some SO2 sometime soon. I think in the anaerobic state I can introduce them together, but I'm not sure.

Purple pizza

Ever since we read about cakes made with the pressed must I've been hankering to fool around with flour and the wine, so...

Have started a pizza dough using a cup of the still fermenting primitivo must, Montrechet Red Star wine yeast (1 tsp), a little more water, 2 cups all purpose flour and one cup bread flour, 2 tsp. salt.  Usually I like to use about 2 or 2.5 cups all purpose and 1/2 or 1 cup whole wheat, but I thought the Montrechet not find tougher access to anything it could eat in the flour very funny.

Going through first rise now.  Will report back.

OK, here it is after first rise - which was about the same time it might have been with baker's yeast and water. It's more purple in real life than it appears here in web-safe color land.  It smells like, uh, fermenting wine rather than like bread.  Will do a second rise and then chill it for use tomorrow.  More later.  So far so good.

Ahh, the second rise. Didn't color-safe it, so maybe there'll be more to see if you drill in.  And I thought it would be nice to do the second rise on a green board.

2010 Reds, day 8

7:30 AM:
Mike over to do the honors.  Cal B 74 F, 1.3 B.  Primitivo 73 F, 3.7 B.  We're assuming a press f the Cl B tomorrow, and assuming we will no be pressing the Primitivo tomorrow.

Chatting about when to initiate the MLF.  Bernardo says that Doug of Presque Isle recommends two days after pressing, when things are settled and we're not introducing any more oxygen into the wine.  Makes good sense to me.

3:00 PM:
Punchdown of both wines, without readings.  The ferm still be doing.

It's sharply cooler outdoors today, and the heat has been on in the house a couple of times, but the cellar temperature is unchanged - between 65 and 68 over the last 8 days.  This would have been ideal for the Muscat, but when we worked that wine the weather and house were still very warm - 75 to 76 F in the cellar when we crushed, and down to 72 later that week when the wine went to zero Brix.  Perverse.  Mike's fretted out loud a number of times in the last week about the low temperature of the Cal Blend must - and maybe it would have gone to the 80's if the cellar were in the mid 70's.  (I'm guessing Mike goes for a heat girdle next year, just in case.)

Staten Island Red, Day 7

We're flying at an altitude of about .65 acidity and 68 degrees. Cap has fallen apart and is not reforming. No froth--just some increasingly feeble bubbles each time I stir. I'm going to press tomorrow--aiming for 30-33 gallons of vino. Don't have a brix reading because the hydrometer arrived yesterday, but I'm guessing from the taste of the drops that I let fall into my hand from the stirring stick that I'm in the low single digits.

2010 Reds, day 7

Calibration: 
Using plain water, which the short scale hydrometer read as zero or darn close to it, I adjusted the paper scale in the regular hydrometer by nearly 5 B. Squirrels.  Haven't yet adjusted the spreadsheets to reflect corrected readings - and of course the long scale may have changed a bit over the week.  In another year I'll either resolve to check it every day - or just buy a new one that's less flaky.  Anywho...

6 AM:
Cal Blend 77 F and 4.6 B on the real live short scale hydrometer.Still putting up a bug cap, but ferment is calming.  Primitivo 76 F and 6.5 B on the newly calibrated long scale.  (Lori and I constantly read the thermometer we're using differently - Lori would read this temp as 72.)

And the Muscat... not clear yet but still brightening.  This is day 21 for that wine.  In 2009 we racked it at day 43 or so (starting from press).  That was the same time we racked the reds.  This year the white and red will be maybe three weeks apart, I'm guessing.

11:30 PM:
Cal Blend 75 F, 2.3 B; Primitivo 4.7 F and 74 F.Still good sized caps, but obviously less less active underneath when punched down.  Random berry tasting has the Primitivo tasting more sweet, and the Cal B tasting... what?  tart?  Someone else ought to give it a taste.

Time to figure out when the MLF bugs get added.
Sunday press, at least for the Cal B?

Fresh Accuvin acid tests have arrived, and Titret tests that can be used to measure SO2 in the Muscat (but not the red wines).

Staten Island Red, Day 6

Situation here:

Purple haze all in my brain
Lately things just don't seem the same
Actin' funny, but I don't know why
'Scuse me while I kiss the sky.

In other words, cake still forming but down to about 2 inches, less warmth, grapes soft and all red-purple, froth diminishing but still present, aroma deepening towards wine.

2010 Reds, day 6

5:30 AM:
Caps are still at their highest.  I have the exhaust fan off for the first time this week, and in the relative silence the fermentation vats are gurgling and snap crackle popping away like fools.  Cal Blend 77 F and +5 Brix (estimate 6 - see my posting on calibration).  Primitivo 74 F and 6 B (which might adjust to 8 or 9).  Tasted some of the grapes and there's a definite change now - no longer sweet fruit.

5:30 PM:
Holding temps and caps.  Am going to ignore Brix until morning and calibrate the hydrometers then.  Neither wine a a true 5 B yet.

9:30 PM
One last punch down for the day.

I remember again why I should calibrate that darned hydrometer

Yeah, the old one that doesn't have a visual calibration guide.  As we're approaching dry I've switched to the short scale hydrometer (+5 to -5) and it's pretty apparent there's a 2 or 3 Brix disagreement.  3, probably.  I'll add an "adjusted Brix" column to the tracking spreadsheet, and note in posts which device I'm using.  Begorah.

(The also probably explains the diference between the initial refractometer readings and the initial hydrometer readings.)

Let's get a little geeky, 2010 vs 2009

Yeah, baby, that's what I'm saying.  You see it more clearly in the second two charts, where the temps and Brix are done separately.  But with the Montrechet yeasts added in jumbo quantities and with crush, temps shot up above 80 and Brix shot downward.  (Day 5 for 2009 Brix is an estimate - may well have been zero-ish already.)  Will updat ethe charts as we go into days 6 and beyond.

2010 Reds, day 5

6 AM:
Cal B 78 F, 8 Brix, maintaining it's largest cap.  Primitivo 76 F and 11.5 B.  Not measuring Brix last evening let us shoot past where I wanted to add Fermaid K (which, I know, probably is the best indication that I really don't need to).  Did add it this morning, but 20 g rather than the 30 I had in my mind to have added at the 2/3 sugar point.

Cal B is notably looser, but not in the same loose as a goose way of the Primitvo.  Mike is hoping for a Sunday pressing.

Afternoon:
[Lori says...] Beautiful - at least a five inch cap and HOT! (though looks like it was just as hot this morning).

8 PM:
Both wines still have their largest caps.  CalBlend looks lie 5 Brix on the standard hydrometer, but the short scale hydrometer says we're not there yet.  Primitivo looks to be at 8 Brix.

Staten Island Red, Day 4

Big purple froth today. Grapes are cherrying up and softening and making the whole thing look easy. A great day to be a wine maker.

2010 Reds, day 4

6:30 AM
Mike over to punch the CalBlend and add FermAid.  15 Brix - less of a drop from last evening than S expected.  Must is 71 F, and coincidentally Mike had dinner last night with someone who's grandfather makes wine and uses heat belts.  For comparison sake, last year using Montrechet yeast and with cellar temps running about 2 to 3 degrees higher (two weeks earlier on the calendar) the must temps of the Merlot blend were between 80 and 82 F.  When it hit 80 F it was at 15 Brix and 24 hours later it was at 5 Brix.  Doesn't seem obvious that we'll have that sort of spike again: let's see.

Primitivo was down to 17.5 Brix, giving off a lot of juice and a lot of big-bubbled froth.  Punching down now feels very satisfying.

1 PM:
CalBlend is up 3 F, and down 3 B in 6.5 hours.  Primitivo up 1 F and down 1 B.  Both are frothy fools.

 [The Primitivo prior to 1 PM punchdown.  Mike was oohing at the size of the bubbles this morning]

8:30 PM:
Mike punches down  CalB, Lori punches down the Primitivo.  Big caps, slight temp rises.  We don't measure sugar (and I regret it a little the next morning).

Staten Island Red, Day 3

Grapes beginning to soften, liquid increasing--bright purple juice. The cake was about 3 inches before I punched it down. Pink-purple, noisy froth, the aroma is deepening from fruit juice to wine, and the must is throwing off some warmth. It's as robust a fermentation as I've seen.

2010 Reds, day 3

6 AM:
Full bubbling in both wines, but no real cap yet.  1 to 2 inch rises in volume in each.  Juice is running berry red, like a smoothy.  10% drop in Primitivo Brix (to about 20) - waiting on testing the Cal Blend to see if M can get here.  Waiting on punching (more like shoving) either until someone else is awake.  Shall we set 15 Brix as the point for adding Ferm-Aid?

7 AM:
Cal Blend is at 18 Brix.  Both wines punched down.  It's all very firm - early, but also the first year we only destemmed and did not crush, so we don't know quite what to expect.

1 PM:
Lori says, "Wine was punched at 1pm. Mike and Pam's has gorgeous color!"  I noticed the same thing this morning.  The Primitivo is berry smoothie colored, the the CalBlend is much richer looking right now.

8 PM:
Both musts to 66 F.  CalBlend @ 15.5 Brix and in range for FermAid - Mike will be over in early morning and will add it then.  Here's where the yeasts in the two batches are distinguishing themselves: Primitivo is only down to 19 Brix.  If the trend continues (as advertised it would) we'll be pressing on different dates.  We'll see.

Staten Island Red, Day 2

I crushed the grapes about 30 hours ago and added the yeast mixture about 24 hours ago, so we are into the second day by all measures. I just stirred the must. There was a cake about two inches thick and some big froth as I poked the board through the cake to stir. The froth is loud, and if you stick your head in the barrell--and who wouldn't?--there's a pleasant miasm of alcohol rising, though everything still smells and tastes pretty sweet. I'll stir it again in the morning.

Staten Island Red

Ciao cugini,

Gina and I went to see Mrs. Lapide yesterday, as I reported in an earlier email, and we bought 5 crates of barbera, 3 of grenache and 2 of alicante. I varied the barbera recipe we used in the past because I had to--Mrs L had only 5 crates of barbera left. Mrs. L gave her blessing to the mix, which was good enough for me. Turns out she and her late husband--born Lorenzo Lapide--made wine for years.

G and I crushed the grapes in the PM--OK, it was mainly me. Grapes were superb: the alicante did a fierce impersonation of black, the barbera was sweet, and the grenache sweet and fruity. No raisining, no rot, no lie. I crushed into 2 barrells because I didn't want to risk overflow from a single barrells. Grapes were room temp when I added the Red Star Montrachet yeast at about 9 P.M.--3 envelopes of yeast per half gal pitcher, plus 1/2 cup of sugar in each pitcher.

We're shooting for about 150 bottles.

Purple froth beginning to appear as of 7 A.M. this morning, and a gorgeous perfume beginning to emanate: a star is born.

The juice that's running from the stirring sticks is already purple and has a sweet taste with fruit--it already has a little alcohol push to it, or my tongue deceives me. Which it does from time to time.

In vino,

Bernardo

2010 Reds, day 2

6 AM: Chart updated with readings.  Room cooler, musts slightly warmer.  We held of inoculating the musts yesterday to let them come up in temp a bit and feeling OK with having added meta at destemming - an enforced mini-cold soak.  The D21 yeast Mike & Pam are using gives "best results" 55 F to 90 F.  The fussier D45 that Lori & Peter and I are using is best results 64 F to 82 F, but we'll be pitching at 56 or so.  Both yeasts will be mixed with Go-Ferm.  Question: add yeast and nutrients on volume of must, or expected yield of juice?  There's just under 30 gal of Primitivo must, and just over 25 gal of Cab / Merlot / PV must, but our history with the weight of grapes suggests 20 gallons of juice from each.  Oh, it's a mystery.  My guess is we'll shoot at the higher numbers.

[1.25 g Go-Ferm for each 1 g yeast.  Hydrate the Go-Ferm first in 17 ml water per 1 g Go-Ferm.  Then add yeast.  Then add to must 15 to 30 minutes later.]

9 AM:  We decide to base additions on expected juice, and go with 24 grams yeast, 30 grams Go-Ferm.  We follow hydration instructions, and add Crowe's step: at 15 minutes into hydration we add an equal volume of must, and let that stew for another 15 minutes.  Then we pitch.

3 PM:  Ferm has visibly and audibly started in both wines.  Am guessing we're at least a day from any capping.

9:30 PM: Steady as she goes.  Temps rising.

2010 Reds, a great first day

As M and I said to each other, god's given us pretty perfect grapes this year, and if the wine's not good it'll be because we messed it up.

Everyone was at our place by 9 AM - except Mark, the delivery guy from M&M.  We cleaned everything early, moved all of our gear into place.  A clear, beautiful day, we set the destemmer up in front of the house.  And we waited.  Calls back and forth to M&M didn't resolve much, but around 11 the grapes arrived, and they were easily the best looking grapes we've ever bought.

P&M worked theirs first (and they ended in the barrel above on the left).  P&L did most of the work on the Primitivo, and they ended in the barrel on the right above. 

By 6 PM the musts were still below 55 F, and we decided to wait until AM to pitch the yeasts.  (We did add 10% meta solution to the must as we destemmed it, to put the sulfites between 40 ppm and 50 ppm.)

Most notable, I think we're getting a little bit of fermentation starting right off the bat from the wild yeasts on the grapes - not as easy to see in the photos I've taken as it is when you just look in the barrel.  [OK, here's a note from the following morning - I'm wrong and just over-anxious.]

By late tomorrow morning I'll have the stats updated.  All grapes seemed to be between 24 and 27 Brix on arrival.  Acid in the Primitivo seems very high, but we need to get fresh tests, and also we'll be forcing MLF, which should help bring it down.  All grapes were sweet to the taste, seeds nutty, very little rot, raisining and mold.

2010 red grape delivery confirmed for Saturday, October 9

My message to M&M was that no time can be too early.  Driver will call when one hour from delivery.  All winemakers on board. 

Regime for 2010 Primitivo blend: L&S&P

Will refine this as we go, but as of 10/4, here's what we are looking at.

1. Destem and collect both grapes in a single primary.  (252# Primitivo, 36# P. Syrah).
2. Add 50 ppm potassium metabisulfate to the must.  If we base this on expected juice, that will be 1.5 g x 20 (gal) = 30 g.  If we do this based on volume of must with skins, we'll add more.
   Test for Brix, acid, temp.  Target acid will be NN.  Adjust acid if necessary.
3. Prepare yeast, BM45, with Fermaid K and Go-Ferm.
4. Inoculate must.  No cold soak prior to inoculation.
5. Monitor and punch down as necessary.  Keep temperature below 85 F.  Add ice-packs or dry ice if necessary.
6. Unsettled: do we draw off any juice for rose, when, and how much?  One day after active fermentation begins and 1 to 3 gallons?
7. At 0 Brix test again for acid, and for free S02. 
8. Inoculate with MLF bugs - DYWM2 Enoferm Beta, 2.5 g - and possibly Opti'Malo Plus 60 g.
9. Unsettled: do we try for an extended maceration at this point?  How long?  Answer will likely depend on how many days it took us to get to 0 Brix and whether we can muster the troops quickly to press.

2009 Merlot / cannoli swap

G, who turned 82 a couple of weeks ago, asked to buy a couple of bottles of our wine to share with oneof his sons and I explained both we can't sell it and even if we could we would not sell G what we could give him instead.  Intense negotiations followed.  This evening at checkpoint charlie two bottles of the 2009 Merry Merlot were exchanged for three cannoli (from Court Street Bakery!).

G said he always wants home made wine rather than store bought because "you never know what those guys put in there". 

Potassium Bitartrate crystals, ah

Mike bottled his and Pam's 2009 Syrah today.  Hardly any sediments other than Potassium Bitartrates that fell out.  I couldn't remember their name or what causes them, so went back to Crowe (205-206, 267-268) and got the refresher course and how commercial wineries cold-stabilize their whites to deal with these salts and all that jazz.  Not a taste issue, just cosmetic.

Yeast selections for 2010 reds

S&L&P are going with a BM45 from Brunello for their 87.5% Primitivo, 12.5% P. Syrah.

Dry Wine Yeast - BM45 Brunello (80 g)
DYW74A

Italian isolate that is recommended primarily for Sangiovese and extended maceration wines. A slow starter and moderate fermenter, BM45 has high nutritional needs and therefore should be used in conjunction with Go-Ferm (AD342) and Fermaid K (AD345) in order to minimize H2S production. BM45 contributes higher acidity, low astringency, and due to its' high levels of polysaccharide production, resultant wines have great mouthfeel and improved color stability. In addition, it can also be used to minimize vegetal characteristics that may be present in the fruit. In red wines, BM45 brings out aromas described as fruit jams, rose petals and cherry liqueur, with notes of sweet spices, licorice and cedar. While this makes it perfect for creating traditional Italian wine styles, BM45 also excels in Cabernet Sauvignon. When making white wines, some producers use this yeast on Chardonnay as a blending component to increase mouthfeel, but care for proper nutrients must be taken. It should be noted that BM45 may produce a "gamey" quality immediately post alcoholic fermentation, that will age out in about 6 months. Best results from 64 to 82 degrees F, with an alcohol tolerance up to 16%.

Meanwhile, M&Pa are looking at ICV-D21 for their Cab S / Merlot / P. Verdot blend.

ICV-D21: Fresh berry fruit along with big mouthfeel and positive tannic structure. Maintains good acidity and inhibits herbaceous characters from developing. Useful for hot climate fruit (high pH) and in blends for maintaining a lively freshness. 

M&M order placed

 Target delivery date is October 9:

• Lanza Vineyards - Cabernet Sauvignon, 36#, 4 lugs
• Merlot(Napa), 36#, 3 lugs
• Petit Verdot, 36#,
• Lanza Vineyards - Primitivo, 36#, 7 lugs
• Lanza Vineyards - Petite Syrah, 36#, 1 lug

Woof.

Muscat, you have my full attention right now

Well, it's kind of interesting to me.  What happened?  The temperatures from one year to the next were just about identical, but the fermentation rates were as different as they could possibly be.  Same yeast  and same grape - but possibly a good deal more yeast in 2010, though not more than manufacturer's recommendation.  And 2009 was in 2 half filled glass carboys while 2010 was in a single 2/3 filled 100 liter Graf poly fermenter with a good fitting lid and bubbler. 

Will have to comb the hand-written notes for more 2009 detail.  I know we combined the half carboys on day 8 and I have a posted note that says we were "approaching" dry then.  Really?

2010 Muscat day 5, jugged

At 9:30 this evening we were at -0.2 Brix and decided it was time to get the must into topped-off carboys. The 100 liter tank 2/3 full was more than Lori and I could lift t a workbench, so we pailed the must out to fill a first carboy, then lifted it and used the spigot to fill a 2nd 5 gal., then a 3 gal, and then a 1 gal.

So, wildly early and 15 gallons of must. Very opaque. I'm hoping n the long run we have 1 or 12 gallons of finished wine. We'll see.

We'll want to build a hose that attached to the Graf poly's very wide diameter spigot - will make using it to fill future carboys much less airy.

A few notes on the cellar setup for the 2010 Muscat

The setup we've been using this year so far is very comfortable. I'd made solid 2x2 foot lids for the red wine primary fermenters, and I'm using these as my working bench for the Muscat.  Digital thermometer with probe, regular and short scale hydrometers, wine thief, hygrometer (just for yucks), camera, notebook, small pail of meta'd water, measuring spoons, paper towels, rag.  In the bus tray, too, is a baggie with ice packs in it - this is how I've been putting the packs into the must.

Down the front end of the cellar is where we've kept the 100 liter Graf poly - by the cellar hatch where we passed the juice down from the press (which was outdoors when we used it for the Muscat and is there to the right in this picture.

Very easy to keep clean this way.  Everything comes to the poly in the bus tray to work, then the bus gets carried back to the slop sink for clean-up.  Been working twice a day this way, 30 to 45 minutes each time.

2010 Muscat day 5, approaching zero

5:30 AM:
Room 72 F, must 73 F & 0.2 Brix.
Still a good deal of CO2 coming up, and enough to stun an ox if the ox put his nose in it like I did.  Will need to move to filled carboys this evening.

Same milky yellow opaque coloring as last year - just about the same color of the rubber O ring that came with the Graf poly. 

2010 Muscat day 4

Morning:
Still active and hot.  See readings.  Switched to short scale hydrometer (+5 to -5) that we bought in the off-season, which which is giving us a much easier reading here in the sudden early end game.

Evening:
Down to 1.5 Brix.
There are a fare number of grape skins, dessicated and floating now, that made it in from the pressing.  Not a cap in the red wine sense, but maybe 50 or 100 grapes.  I skimmed them out.  Next year need to be more careful and strain all the juice going into the fermenter.

2010 Muscat, day 3, best laid plans

Up at 5 and fretting over what might be happening in the cellar.  Here's the deal:

• Room: 71 F;
• Must: 74 F, 8 Brix

Skank!

I'm sure it's all fine, but it's just about opposite what I was hoping for.  Didn't get the very slow start of fermentation that we got last year, so I wasn't ready with enough cooling when things went wacky, and then there seemed to not be enough cooling in the world.  (If I squeeze my eyes shut the bright white flashes look like stainless steel glycol cooled tanks!)

Fermentation is calming with the lower sugar and higher alcohol (probably up to 6 or 7 %), but still pretty vigorous.  Took off the fans but put a couple of ice packs in.

And am already setting on the changes for next year.  A longer sit for the whole grapes before pressing, with pectic enzyme; much less cultured yeast at inoculation, and maybe even trying to cool the must before adding the yeast - going to need help figuring out how to keep it cool.

2010 Muscat, day 2, fermentation is running way too hot

Fermentation is running away and I'm not able to stop it.  Have been adding ice in bags and icepacks through the afternoon but at this point it looks like we'll have fermented down about 9 Brix in a little more than 24 hours and I can't budge the temp down out of the 70's.  Lori's put a big fan on it, and I've reversed the cellar exhaust fan to bring in some of the cooler night air.

For comparison, last year it took 48 hours for the Muscat to really start fermenting and process off one Brix, going from 21 to 20.  (After that it went quickly - going to 10 Brix 36 hours later.)

Should I mark this up to gear lust?  The 100 liter poly doesn't fit in any tub I have that I might create a cold bath in.  I also wonder whether the poly with it's lid and bubbler just does not dissipate as much heat as the carboys I did the primary in last year.  Woe!!  Woah!!

Muscat yield, pectic enzyme?

Yield might be a little better this year than last, but it's still close to only half our red yields.  Lori's going through some back issues of Wine Maker Mag and has found an article on Muscat where they hold they add pectic enzyme to the destemmed grapes and let it sit for 8 hours before pressing.

(Author: Alexis Hartung Issue: Dec 07/Jan 08 Online Date: Thursday, 29 November 2007.)

2010 readings chart

Here's a link to a 2010 chart of our daily wine measurements - temp, Brix, occasional acid, etc.  Entries will lag a day or so, I'm guessing.  I've also added the link to our sidebar re 2010 timing.

2010 Muscat Alexndria day 1. It begins.

The group decided to go ahead and make another Muscat Alexandria from Central Valley grapes this year while waiting for Beckstoffer or Lanza or other reds to be harvested and shipped through M&M.

(Our neighbor, Michael Hearst, snapped this while we were culling bad grapes in the destemmer hopper)

So, yesterday morning at about 8:30 Steve & Mike headed to Terminal Market and picked up 8 42# lugs of Pagnini Muscat Treasure - same grapes as last year, but double the quantity and much more expensive than last year - $40.  (I have last year's Muscat recorded at $34.  A result of this year's late harvest?  Are we getting grapes from small early shipments?)  Brought a refractometer with us, and the grapes looked to be just above 21 Brix - about the same as the sugar content of last year's Muscat (started on Sep. 27, 2009).

I couldn't stop myself from also buying the 100 liter Poly Graf fermenter Lori and I have been eying over the last month.That has to be the end of this year's gear lust.  No?

A quick unload of the grapes at the house, Mike went off to get Pam & Carmello, Peter arrives, S & Pe and L start setting up the works.  We decide to do everything we can out of doors this year, so the new destemmer and the press both wind up in front of the house, and only the Poly Graf goes downstairs.  We get to use the hoses to our hearts' delights (thank you, Jimmy, for the plumbing work).

The work takes on a nice flow - lugs get opened and dumped into the destemmer hopper, 2, 3 or 4 of us pick them over and chat, the destemmer gets fired up, the grapes get transferred to the press where someone futzes with them a bit while the next lug gets loaded into the hopper for picking over.  As free run or press juice reaches a couple of gallons under the press it gets carried downstairs to the fermenter.

The grapes were delicious.  (Some of them wound up on our late lunch cutting board.)  I think condition was better than last year overall, but some of the lugs where better than others.  Raisins and broken grapes, a leaf here and there, a fair number of browned broken grapes.

The destemmer worked incredibly well, which is maybe counterproductive for pressing this white but you can see that it's going to save us hours of work on our reds.  I think destemming was way over 90% and much of the fruit was whole.

Pressing was just as disappointing as last year in terms of yield.  I think we got about 60 liters from the 8 lugs.  After we pressed the first four lugs we got into the habit of a couple of us crushing the grapes by hand in the press basket, and I think this made a significant difference.  We also crushed each full basket twice - redistributing the grapes and starting again.  We also added about 4 inches of blocks to our collection to get a little more oomph.

At some point Mello stopped enjoying himself, Mike took him and Pam home, we started the cleanup (Peter and Lori were heroic), Mike returned, we got the press stowed downstairs and the destemmer out back.  Unless we have real bad whether, the destemmer will get used out front again when we do the reds, but the press will likely be used downstairs, next to the primary fermenters for the reds.

Late afternoon now - Accuvin TA test put the acid at about 7.5, where we want it to be - and the must measured at something like 21 or 21.5 Brix in the hydrometer.  I added about 1/4 tsp. KS02 per 10 gallons - so about 3/4 tsp. in total, to get us to about 50 ppm.  This is part of my fixation in 2010 that we pay more attention to oxidation and try to retain more of the fruit character and stop being the only home wine makers in the world who don't add brother sulfur at this point.

We prepped the yeast (Red Star Montrachet - really wanted to use a white-specific yeast, but didn't get it together in time to do so and this is the only yeast Lapide carries year after year):  used three 5 gram packages, which is what the manufacturer would recommend.  Thinking about it now as I'm writing, I think it would have been better to use a good deal less and let the fermentation start a good deal more slowly.  Next year.

Popped open one of the last three bottles of the 2009 Muscat with lunch.  Then popped open a second.  It's possible that only Peter and I drank the second one, after which I added the yeast to the must and Peter fell asleep on our couch.  Then a wash-up and change of clothes and it was 5 PM - a full day of very sticky white wine making.

At 11:30 PM tested temperature in the ferm, and it was low 70's and the yeast action seemed to have taken hold all across the very broad surface of the tank.  Will start icing it down this morning.

Backyard Brix

Birds and bees have been rollicking in the back yard Concord grapes.  Decided to put one on the refractometer, for yucks.  +20 Brix.  Potential alcohol of just under 11%.  Might be fun to try to gather enough to let go with the wild yeasts that are on them.  (Except no one likes the taste of on Concord wine.  Maybe mulled?)

Corrado? Another possible grape supplier

Ran into big David from up the block.  They just crushed yesterday morning - 26 crates - down on 4th Ave.  Got a direct delivery there from Corrado out of Clifton New Jersey, 30 bucks.  Said they have all sorts of varietals out of CA and that the quality of the grapes was much better than what they got last year from Terminal Market in BKLYN.  (Don't know if they bought from Lapide or Pagano last year.  Do know that in any given year we've had grapes of one variety look great and another be badly molded on the same day.)  Anyway, David is high on Corrado, thinks they move a lot of grapes, knows they deliver t the home cheaply.  I'll call them.  If they have Paso Robles or WA grapes we might be back to a weekend delivery schedule and no drop-ship pickups.

Web presence is not helpful.  Don't think they advertise in Wine Maker Mag. 
Corrado's Wine and Beer Making
600 Getty Ave, Clifton, NJ 07011-2161 (973) 340-0848 ()

corradosmarket.com

Quick test of the destemmer

Wanted to make sure the big thang works before crush day, so clipped a quarter bucket of the concord grapes over the patio and fired the sucker up.  It is not quiet.  It works.  I think.

Destemmed for sure, but it's hard to say if the grapes were treated gently.  They were in bad shape going in, and were in worse shape coming out. 

Also built a rolling cart from the skid it arrived on so we can move it around the cellar during the winter.  (Pics later this morning.)

Paso Robles at M&M

Lori's been hungering for grapes from Paso Robles.  It's becoming a little more clear that M&M will have these grapes from Paso Robles:

1. Cab. S.
2. Merlot
3. Petit Verdot

Also looks like the only Gewurztraminer is as juice - bummer to Mike.

Destemmer arrives, weekend at Shinn, and, oh yeah, total unsought for validation

The destemmer and stand arrived Friday the 10th from St. Pats.  We've got it assembled out back and under tarps, and hope to use it out doors on crush day.

Then it was off to Shinn for the weekend (including a vertical Merlot tasting, their first - 2002 - through 2007, plus the reserves).  Friday late afternoon we were talking to Barbara Shinn and I pointed to the destemmer on their crushpad and I said that we'd just had a new one delivered earlier in the day.  Barbara launched into questions about it and a mini-lecture, the point of which was DON'T CRUSH!  Just destem.  Be gentle.  Wella, wella, music to Lori's ears and all the validation we need.

Yeast / Grape pairing manual

I'm ordering supplies and came across More Wine's yeast / grape pairing manual.  Good ref.

Wine Library TV Vin de Pays

Really, I just couldn't resist.

And the ancestral equipment migrates to Staten Island

Bernardo and Laura just carted off the old press, crusher, bottler, washer, carboys and assorted gear.

We salute you, vintners of Richmond County!

Shopping list, 2010 pre grapes

(Yeah, this is like my Aug. 1 post, only with a little more urgency.)
OK, destemmer and stand already ordered.
Much of our other equipment will be going to B's new place on Staten Island, so here's a list of what we're looking to acquire, with notes. 

Primary fermentation tanks,

• at least one 44 gal., one 32 gal.,  one ten gal.  James Guido thinks he can get them for us at a commercial restaurant supply here in NY.  We'll know on Monday, Aug. 30.  Food grade: would like to avoid plain trash cans.  Lids yes, dollies no.
• one 50 gal purchased @ Lapide, 8/29/2010
• another 50 gal @ Lapides, 9/4/2010
• We have plenty of 5 gallon buckets already on hand.  
• We'll want additional large fermenters if Mike and Pam want to make a different wine than S&L&P.

Bottling:

• corker, 
• Portuguese floor corker @ Lapide, 8/29/2010
• bottle washer, 
• @ TP&S, 8/29/2010
• large plastic funnels (2), 
• @Bowery Restaurant Supply, 8/30/2010
• 12 feet of 3/8" tubing, 
• @TP&S, 8/29/2010
• 150 colmated corks (for the remainder of our productions still in carboys).  
• 100 @TP&S, 8/29/2010

We can get this either from Presque Isle or one of the other houses we've used, or from Terminal Market.

Secondary fermentation, aging:
another stainless steel variable capacity tank is what we would really love to get, but it's a little too rich for us this year after the destemmer, so

• just more carboys.  M&P own four, S&L own two, but two have P's 2007 Cab. S. in them, and three have 2009 wines in them.  I think we're going to want to have a total of 10 empty at press time at the end of next month.  Probably best to buy these at Terminal Market.  
• one 5 gal cb @ TP&S, 8/29/2010
• 3 more 5 gal cb @TP&S, 9/4/2010 
• 6 more 5 gal cb @ TP&S 9/18/2010
• We'll also want new caps and bubblers for these, which I'll order from P.I.
• 6 caps & bubblers @ TP&S, 9/4/2010

Chemicals, additives, tests:

• KS02, 
• 2 # ordered 9/6/2010 from MoreWine.
• malolactic bugs.  
• ordered 9/6/2010 from MoreWine - enough for 66 gal. 
• Anyone want any extracting enzymes?  (I'm willing to pass on these this year, though I've been the one who's suggested them in the past.)
• Clinitest (which I think I might like to use for the white wine)
• Accuvin acid tests
• Tartaric acid ordered 9/6/2010 from MoreWine.

Stemmer, no crusher, it's official

Laddies and lassies, it's official.  After much back and forth the House has decided to go with destemming and no crushing.  The final nudge came from Alison's Crowe's entry on the topic in the Wine Makers Answer Book.  So, we're there.  We've ordered the Eno 10-S (pictured above) with the standard height stand, which will accommodate a 5 or 10 gal bucket under the chute.  We'll destem and not crush, trusting that there will be enough gentle damage to the grapes in the process to put the juice into contact with the yeast.  And if we're wrong, Lori goes into the tub with the grapes. Purchase was from St. Pats.

2009 yield notes for the Merlot blend

As we're getting ready for 2010, here's a red wine yield guideline:

2009:

• 7 x 36# Merlot +
• 2 x 36# Cab S. +
• 1 x 36# P. Syrah
• ------------------
• 25 gal. pressed, fermented juice
• - 1.5 gal. in 1st rack
• - 1.5 gal. in 2nd rack and carelessness
• = 22 gal. finished wine
• = 100 to 110 bottles

10 cases require five 5 gal carboys plus smaller vessels.
10 cases require either a 50 gal primary, or two smaller primaries

Field trip: North Fork

Might as well mention here that we spent some time on the North Fork earlier this month, visiting the Shinn Estate, Sherwood House (right next door to Shinn in Mattituck), the Tasting Room in Peconic, and then dipping down to the South Fork to visit Channing Daughters.  We bought wine everywhere (Comtesse Thérèse at the Tasting Room). 

We spent two nights in the farmhouse and Shinn, and were blown away by how much farmland is still there - OK, now that's where we're moving.  Chatted with Barbara Shinn and were free to walk the vineyard which we did a couple of times (and sat out by the vines all dark and starry one night with a bottle of their 9 Barrels.  Be there).

Also loved Sherwood House.  The vineyard is zoned for agriculture only, no permanent structures, so the tasting room is a shed on blocks and a bunch of rustic (ahem) furniture in the field and under a tent.  Walked in from Shinn. (Sherwood's built a 2nd tasting room, a real one with walls and floors and all that somewhere else: we ain't going.)

We're going back to Shinn 9/11 for a vertical tasting of their Merlot.  And staying again at the farmhouse.

A funny thing happened on the way to dumping the 2008 Cab. S.

Prepping the cellar for the 2010 production.

We have a plumber coming in (Jimmy) who is going to put a spigot in the front of the cellar so we can have a hose more easily up front, replace a few valves, extend some pipes to the back cellar well so we can turn things on and off from out back, and put in a slop sink.  The sink should save a hell of a lot of trips up and down the stairs.

I bottled another cb of the 2009 Merlot blend, and it's tasting very nice.  Will be the main red for next year's party.

And then came the biggy:  the dumping of 60 liters of the 2008 Cab. S.  Lori said, Let's just taste it once more before we dump it.  Because, you know, stranger things have happened.  I mean, if the British secret service could plot the death of Princess Diana...

And guess what?
It's wildly improved.  All the aftertaste issues are gone.  The taste is almost OK.  Color is good.  Alcohol is good.  So we're not going to dump it.  I cleaned the tank, added a very little KSo2 and sealed it back up.  Maybe we'll taste it again on it's 2nd birthday, about 40 days from now.

Cellar prep, decisions

Lori and I have decided on a stainless steel hopper crusher destemmer, with an appropriate stand.  (I nearly swallowed my tongue when Lori started leaning toward stemmer crushers with must pumps...)  Not yet decided on manual or motor - I'm leaning toward manual.  (Aside from the motor, many of the powered versions have screw augers rather than the agitator paddles like we have on our plain crusher.)

B will be making wine on SI, so for sure we'll be moving equipment there and ordering more for 11th St.

Will also order two 32 gallon and one 10 gallon food grade primaries (or look to see if the same can be had locally).  Carboys I'll wait on until I know who else is in and out.

I've set up a 2010 Timing sidebar.  The 18th is out for Lori, so it looks like the September 25th is our crush date.  I've thrown in other dates based on that.  (Track the grapes you want at M&M's harvest pages.  The 11th could turn out to be a better date, though not likely.)  Of course, if our dream comes true and we can get premium grapes dropped shipped here, we'll work whatever date the grapes arrive.

In the cellar...
It's damned crowded and dirty down there.  Spent a part of yesterday cleaning things out.  Will bottle another CB of 2009 Merlot blend today, to make a bit more room.  Need to repaint the floor and the ceiling over the winemaking area.  We'll be calling a plumber tomorrow to see if we can get new valves and a slop sink installed before crush date.

Time to be seriously thinking and prepping for the 2010 production

(For anyone looking in - I'm going to refine this over the next couple of days.  Shout if you want something included - fact or opinion.  S.)

Well, it's not shocking, but we haven't done much in the way of prepping for this year's production yet.  Here's what I've been thinking.

Who's in, and how far in?

• Pietro?
• Bernardo and Laura?
• Pam and Mike?
• Sebastian?
• Len and Annie?

Is every one wanting to make their own wine, or just wanting to get wet?  If making your own wine, how much and red or white?  I'm assuming that Lori & Peter and I will pool our grapes again.  I'm guessing the House will make a red and a white, hopefully much more white than last year, but still will likely do the white primary fermentation in carboys, unless we use the steel tank.  I think the max number of primary fermentation barrels we've had going in the cellar at one time is three.  Lori, can we fit four?  It's not obvious.


Where will be be getting our grapes from?
We need to decide whether we're going with Central Valley grapes (from the terminal market here in Brooklyn) or whether we want to choose from other parts of CA or from WA or OR.  For the latter three we would have to go to M&M in Hartford or find another supplier (and there is one in southern Jersey, I think.)  Hartford adds either an over-night and 2.5 hours, or 5 hours to day 1.  Unless we can get the grapes shipped here.  I'll start researching.

When is day 1?  When is day 8?
Saturdays in September are the 4th, 11th, 18th, 25th.  If we go with grapes from outside the Central Valley, then the date might get determined by harvest, but if in the CV then certainly there will be grapes at terminal market on the latter three weekends, and probably the first, too.  If we get to set our own date, I'd suggest the 18th with the 25th backup date.  For red wine makers, that means pressing on the 26th or October 3 (Sundays) or possibly 1 to 3 days later, mid-weeks, if fermentations go slowly.

What equipment do we need to purchase?
Depends. 

We have our press (and need to bet Bernardo's press to S.I.)

We have a crusher, but Lori and I have been talking about buying a new crusher / destemmer to save an hour or two of labor each year.  Pricey, but it is backbreaking labor.  Lori and I need to decide this week or so.

If B wants to make wine on S.I., we need to get the existing primary tanks to S.I..  And, even if he doesn't, since they aren't stored at 11th Street, we might find it good to purchase.  Research time.  Food grade, or 32 gal heavy duty trash?

There are lots of carboys, but again we need to figure out if B wants to move them, or some of them, to S.I. for wine making there.  We won't need any for day 1 except for white wines.  We can figure it out as we go (and visit terminal market on day 8), or work it out before hand.  What I think we'll definitely need to do in the next few weeks is bottle some of the 2009 reds to free some carboys and to make some room.  (And pitch the failed Cab. S. from 2008 to free up even more room.)  We have 4 1 gal jugs and a couple of 3 gal carboys: need more?

Funnels, buckets, masher, thermometers, refractometer, regular and low-scale hydrometers are all in hand. 

Test kits, chemicals, yeasts
I'd like to order everything in mid August and not sweat any last minute needs.  I'd like to test total acid, ph, sugar, free SO2.  Depending on the reds we buy, I'd like to force malolactic fermentation, and will buy appropriate bugs whether we use them or not.  Maybe enzymes for extraction.  More meta.  Maybe yeast nutrients.  Anything else anyone wants?

Need to 2x check whether a ph meter seems worth the cost.

Welcoming Len into the group...

Laddies and lassies, I've just sent an invite off to Len Rubin.  Looks like he'll be making wine with us ths coming year.  Howdy, Len.

Sour cherry liqueur

Lori's started a sour cherry liqueur with about a pound of sour cherries from this Saturday's G.A.P. green market, and 3 cups of Titos.  When the time comes it'll be sweetened with sugar rather than simple syrup, so the only dilution of the alcohol will be what comes from the cherries.  Gonna be closer to 40% than 30%, I'm guessing, but we'll be able to tell from the final volume.

Very long maceration and settling times.  (Maybe we can fill it in here later.)

(Mike's June notes)

Pamela and I had been tasting both our Grenache and Syrah. I like the Grenache but think the Syrah leaves as awkward aftertaste. Pam doesn't like either. The Syrah was made from juice rather than fruit so who knows. We used a medium toast on the Grenache but I decided to use a heavy toast on the Syrah. Nothing like a little makeup! Anyway, we bottled some of the Grenache over Memorial Day weekend so that we might serve some at the June 5th party. Notice the copper color below. Pam hates it but I think it has character.

One guest suggested we give it a slight chill and pass it off as a rose and viola', success! Nothing like a little packaging.

Let's dump the 2008 Cab

Or label it Death Cab.

I have theories.  And I vow to be cleaner.  I vow to test sooner and more often.  But right now I'd like to just get the 2008 as far away from our good wines as possible.  Nu?

We just lost a gallon of the 2009 Merlot, and here's how

I think it was the day after the party last weekend I noticed that the solid rubber cork on one of the 2009 Merlot overflow gallon jugs had popped off.  I don't know how long it had been off - maybe minutes, but maybe up to 12 hours.  I reset it.  The next day it was off again and I replaced the rubber stopper with another.  This morning it was off again, and I'm going to assume the jug is oxidized (and, well, I'll taste it to be sure). 

It's the only 2009 container that had a solid stopper rather than an airlock.  It's possible the neck on the jug id bad (I doubt it) and it's possible the wine is more active than it appears, which was the case with our 2006 Zinfandel.  It's also possible that if the wine was more active, it was just that jug, and not the full batch - we've seen that before, too, particularly with Bernardo's 2008 Cab. 

I'm guessing the wine is active, and probably the whole Merlot lot.  Which is fine - it's all still in bulk - except for whatever might still be remaining of what we bottled for the party.  I'm betting that gets a little frizzante in the bottle over the next few months. 

Of course, unlike in 2006, in 2009 we added bugs to force the completion of the malolactic fermentation, so my theory should be wrong.  (See October 3.)

Will check late summer.

Post-party comment on the wines

This is inventory, not tasting notes.

The Muscat Alexandria was a hit and I'd like to make easily twice as much of it again next year, maybe doing a little of it on the leas an experiment.  Nice to have something that feels complete in its first year.  We used all of it except for three bottles I put away.

Big Dave had us re-market the Savino Grimaldi Grenache as Merlot, and just as he predicted, it started pouring quickly.

The 2007 Barbera was the red backbone of what we offered, and all of what I bottled went.  I had a little bit.  If we have any more it'll just be onsies or twosies from the shelf, where there might also be a couple of bottles of 2007 Sangiovese.  So maybe we have a case or less left of the 2007 production.

During the party I also pulled up some of the 2006 Zin blend.  Don't think I tasted any.  We might have close to a case of it left. 

Maybe I'll update this post with a full inventory, so we'll have it handy for next year.

More party prep: 2009 Merlot labels

Hadn't realized that there were no Merlot labels made - what was I thinking?  The above is based from the sheet music for the Merry Widow - below.

2009 Muscat bottled

Bottled.  Tastes right for the grape, very clear without fining.  Two cases.  Labeled and ready for the party.  Mike & Pam had a taste, too, when they came over today to check on the grenache and syrah.

Liqueurs started for the June 5, 2010 party

Double batch of the lemon sage (Juju Pongo's Love Balm), this time using a Torrentes for the white wine portion.  Single batch of the pistachio, this time using whole cloves and cinnamon bark rather than ground of each.

Oaking the 2009 blend

Very late, we've added 3/5 of the total oak to the 4 carboys of Cheatle / Lewis / Sclafani blend.  French medium toast.  Will add the remaining needed 2/5 within a couple of days, unless I totally spaz out. 

No oak to the Muscat - if one of the partners wants to experiment with this we need to break down the carboy to a 3 gal and two singles.  Might be fun to try a little light oak there.

(Mike and Pam oaked their Grenach last week with medium French, and the Syrah with heavy French.  Pam's not at all happy with the Syrah or what she said was it's pukey aftertaste.  So Mike is nuking it. )

Bottled the last of the 2007 production

The last carboy from 2007 - Peter's Sangiovese free run, got bottled today, and we'll use it for the June party.  24 bottles plus a half bottle for the cook.

Close examination of the blue tape that was on the CB shows faint ink saying that it's Barbera,  Then there's Sharpie over that saying Sangiovese.  We'd better query the cook's half bottle pretty closely...

Tags

I've become really fond of the tags we've been creating the last few years for both the wines and liqueurs  we've been making.  I think I'll start posting them to a sidebar.

TA, spinning my wheels

And then I decided to test a bottle of Ca’ del Solo Muscat for acid - 8+, compared to our wine's 7.  Also further reading (Iverson, Crowe, Warrick) says some of them think the range should be a little hoogher or lower than Accuvin's guidelines, but almost everyone talks about must, not finished wine - fermentation slightly drops TA. 

Anyway, the commercial wine has higher TA by about 1 g/L.  Crowe has a straightforward formula for acid adjustment:

1 L = 0.2642 gal.
So, 1 g/L = 
3.8g tartaric acid/G
or
18g/5 gal carbouy.

of course, Crowe desn't think you should change the acidity of finihed wine, because it might affect the long-term stability of the wine.  Iverson thinks it's fine any time during bulk aging.  Warrick - I can't figure out what he thinks on the topic.

So.
Not likely to make an adjustment now (I think), but added to the list of procedures for next year - Test TA in the must.

2009 Muscat 2nd racking

Second racking this morning, + KSO2. 

Tasting - much relieved, color great, taste right where you'd hope, adjusting for it being 10 AM and still a little dog-mouthed.  At the end of the first racking we topped off with a 750 of Muscat that we set aside as overflow at pressing, but didn't taste that 750 before using it: the tail end of it was very tart, very fizzy, and I worried I'd squirreled the carboy.  Plus intermediate tastings weren't comforting.  But this morning's wine was all happy.  Lost less than a liter in the racking, and will cold-stabilize another of the 750 set-asides and use it to top up this afternoon - unless the partners would rather use part of a commercial bottle.  I'm happy either way.

So, excellent color, good acid (by measure and taste), taste where I was hoping it would be.  Not all that much nose - not nearly as much as the just fermented juice.  Clear enough so that we might skip bentonite?  Definitely imagining it all going in the summer party, chilled and saving lives.

2009 Muscat titratable acid: 7 g/L

Used the Accuvin titratable acid test this evening on the Muscat.  7 grams per liter as tartaric acid - which means that we are in the target range for whites - 7 to 9 g/L.