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.