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.