# 2017... Sheeeeeeesh!



## JohnT (Sep 16, 2017)

Well like most of you, I set up a checklist.

I'm doing very well against my checklist. I have all the food ready, and I also have all the tanks and fermenters scrub clean. All that's left to do is to worry about what I forgot. This is why I never get any sleep at the end September.

I'm very proud of how clean I've got everything. Just check out how clean this tank is!

I hope everything is progressing well for everybody else out there doing crush this year.


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## stickman (Sep 16, 2017)

Looks good to me. I don't do a check list, but then again I don't have a party or make as much wine as you do. I've got 1000 lbs of 2017 frozen must on order and I'm excited about that. I'm sure everything will go well for you.


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## Johny99 (Sep 16, 2017)

Just don't do what I did and put all the yeast food and such in the shopping cart and forget to hit "buy"

Thank the stars for FedEx. Arrived yesterday and we picked today.


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## balatonwine (Sep 17, 2017)

Lovely. Looks clean enough to make wine in. 

FWIIW, I scrub all the vats and tanks in the fall or spring when they come available after racking/bottling. Spring is the best; warmer weather allows for better drying. So equipment only needs a pre-harvest sanitize rinse. 

Don't do a list anymore. Have done this so many times over the years it is all now second nature, routine and SOP.

My wife, a real old world hostess, handles all care and feeding of any crew I can muster. One thing I do not have to worry about.


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## JohnT (Sep 17, 2017)

Bottling ended about a month ago. I like to get the tanks clean but there is still some staining and some wine diamonds stuck to the sides. I don't bother going nuts cleaning the tank after bottling because I only have to clean it again prior to crush.

A wise man once said that winemaking is a purely custodial action. I truly believe this after all the scrubbing and rinsing and scrubbing again that I've done over the last 24 hours.


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## JohnT (Sep 18, 2017)

*supplemental*

I hope the following does not sound like I am bragging, or this is not too detailed or wordy. 

When I was starting out hosting a crush, I would have given my eye-teeth to have a look at what others were doing for crush. In this spirit, I submit the following..

Here is what I have taken care of so far.

* finished preparing food.. 
- 3 trays of lasagna
- 2 trays of meatballs 
- 3 trays of sausage n peppers
- 2 trays of spatzles 
- 1 tray of goulash

Others are bringing food to crush as well. Everyone seems to bring a dish. Some of the highlighted items are: chicken paprikash, perogies, eggplant parm, and lecho (Hungarian veggie stew). Other are also bringing salads, dessert items, and breakfast items. WE WILL NOT GO HUNGRY! 

* As he does each year, my Cousin is bringing his home brew. He has 2 sixtals ready to go.
* all tanks and fermenters are clean, 
* the winery is now immaculate. 
* all barrels have been topped off. I do this while I still have room to move.

* I have completed the Winery Spreadsheet. This has the following worksheets ..

- final checklist. Funny how I have "make checklist" as an item on my checklist.
- share schedule (listing each person and how much wine they are making).
- Cost schedule - details price we pay for grapes, corks, yeast, nutrient, acid, mlb, oak, k-meta, etc.
- Grape and supply checklist.
- Sulfide Schedule (grid of tank size, ppm increase vs k-meta dose) 
- nutrient schedule ( grid of tank size, required doses, and day to add each dose. 
- Fermentation Schedule for each batch of wine- A calendar form recording initial brix, TA, and ph, for each batch. I use this to record brix and temp reading throughout fermentation. This form also has the dose and timing of k-meta, yeast, and nutrient. This form is like a bible to me.

* Reserved the truck and have ordered the dumpster.
* The house and yard are all straightened up and are in great shape.
* guest bedrooms are all made up and ready (people will be arriving as early as next Wednesday)
* I sent out reminders to everyone about crush.
* I placed my grape order with my supplier 


This week is rather light. I promised to help my local Lions club with their Octoberfest. This is their main source of income, so it is important to help them out. As a result, I need to work on the following each day after work..

* Service press
* Service crusher/destemmer and stand
* clean all hoses, fittings, and pump.

This should put me in really great shape. The following week is crush. I won't bore you with the details, but it is mostly getting things set up (e.g. tents, chairs, tables, etc).


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## Smok1 (Sep 18, 2017)

Wow, now thats a crush. Now im hungry.


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## stickman (Sep 20, 2017)

I'm getting dizzy.....


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## JohnT (Sep 21, 2017)

stickman said:


> I'm getting dizzy.....


 
I put a lot of planning into this. It does take a bit of effort, but the rewards of fun, feast, and family far exceed the work.


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## stickman (Sep 21, 2017)

I totally agree, unfortunately I just don't have the people willing to participate.


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## Kraffty (Sep 21, 2017)

@johnt are your spreadsheets and checklists, schedules etc all on computer spreadsheets or on clipboards or in notebooks? I'd love to find some computer spreadsheets to keep track of this years wine. I remember seeing a post or two where someone showed their info laid out where you could plug in your numbers and it would show amounts of Chems needed. I'd bet it was NorCal or Ibglowin.
Mike


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## Smok1 (Sep 21, 2017)

Kraffty said:


> @johnt are your spreadsheets and checklists, schedules etc all on computer spreadsheets or on clipboards or in notebooks? I'd love to find some computer spreadsheets to keep track of this years wine. I remember seeing a post or two where someone showed their info laid out where you could plug in your numbers and it would show amounts of Chems needed. I'd bet it was NorCal or Ibglowin.
> Mike



Norcal has a spreadsheet, i just printed it off and am adjusting the gallons and everything respectivly


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## JohnT (Sep 22, 2017)

stickman said:


> I totally agree, unfortunately I just don't have the people willing to participate.


 
Is this also true when you dole out free wine?


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## stickman (Sep 22, 2017)

@JohnT I hand out only a few bottles to a select few that I know appreciate good red wine, otherwise I don't give much away anymore.


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## JohnT (Sep 25, 2017)

Managed to get just a few things on my checklist completed over the weekend. The big ticket item was to service the press. 

Getting antsy!


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## TXWineDuo (Sep 25, 2017)

JohnT,
for the past several years we've really enjoyed reading about your crush process and all of the fun you get to have with family and friends. Then you raised the bar up a couple of notches when we read on the other thread how you manage who gets into your club and how you had to take care of the unruly ones. I've had hopes that our wine tasting acquaintances that have sorta become close friends could join in on our crushes and 'the' family is getting older and to far away. Then Mrs. Duo reminded me what you said that some might not be a good fit at our crushes! 
So here is to all of the crushers out there no matter if you do it by yourself or with your spouse or even if you do get your family and friends in on it, CRUSH ON!!! and have fun!!

TXWineDuo


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## JohnT (Sep 25, 2017)

Nicely put Duo!


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## mainshipfred (Sep 25, 2017)

JohnT, I'm helping out on a crush at one of the wineries I belong to this Friday. It costs me $50.00 to help them. Some deal huh.


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## Boatboy24 (Sep 25, 2017)

mainshipfred said:


> JohnT, I'm helping out on a crush at one of the wineries I belong to this Friday. It costs me $50.00 to help them. Some deal huh.



The experience will be invaluable. And I like the way you net out the cost. 

Sign up to help out at Gadino Cellars - they don't charge anything.


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## JohnT (Sep 26, 2017)

mainshipfred said:


> JohnT, I'm helping out on a crush at one of the wineries I belong to this Friday. It costs me $50.00 to help them. Some deal huh.


 

SEND ME AN AD OF THIS!!!! 

I can show it to anyone in my group that complains!!!!!!!


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## Boatboy24 (Sep 26, 2017)

http://pearmundcellars.com/event/crush-monkey-fridays-september/?instance_id=549


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## mainshipfred (Sep 27, 2017)

Boatboy24 said:


> The experience will be invaluable. And I like the way you net out the cost.
> 
> Sign up to help out at Gadino Cellars - they don't charge anything.



How do you know of Gadino Cellars


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## mainshipfred (Sep 27, 2017)

Boatboy24 said:


> http://pearmundcellars.com/event/crush-monkey-fridays-september/?instance_id=549



It's $50.00 for wine club members.


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## Boatboy24 (Sep 27, 2017)

mainshipfred said:


> How do you know of Gadino Cellars



I worked with Bill Gadino briefly, before he 'retired' and focused on the wine.


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## Boatboy24 (Sep 27, 2017)

mainshipfred said:


> It's $50.00 for wine club members.



That's a bargain!


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## mainshipfred (Sep 27, 2017)

Boatboy24 said:


> I worked with Bill Gadino briefly, before he 'retired' and focused on the wine.



That's what we need to do, you in?


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## mainshipfred (Sep 27, 2017)

Boatboy24 said:


> That's a bargain!



Aside for being fun and a good learning experience, I'm doing it for a selfish reason. I want to make sure they remember my request for grapes. I'm bringing two 32 gallons brutes with me just in case. I almost don't care what grapes they will have harvested I just want local grapes.


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## Boatboy24 (Sep 27, 2017)

mainshipfred said:


> Aside for being fun and a good learning experience, I'm doing it for a selfish reason. I want to make sure they remember my request for grapes. I'm bringing two 32 gallons brutes with me just in case. I almost don't care what grapes they will have harvested I just want local grapes.



I like the way you think.


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## JohnT (Sep 29, 2017)

Got a truck load of grapes and life is good!

Tomorrow we crush.


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## Kraffty (Sep 29, 2017)

ME TOO! Explorer full, 825lbs, cab, zin, merlot and malbec. 460 miles round trip, left at 4:30am and back home at 1:30. Ready to rock and roll,
All lodi. Numbers really high on Malbec, zin and merlot, like 27 -28 kind of high. Cabernet is at 23.5 on the few grapes i tested. Will have to figure that out once I crush and re-measure.
I'm going to sleep about as good as a kid on christmas eve tonight.
Mike


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## JohnT (Sep 29, 2017)

Getting loaded!


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## JohnT (Sep 29, 2017)

Then getting LOADED


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## Boatboy24 (Sep 29, 2017)

John and Mike:

You guys pick up your grapes, then let 'em sit at room/outdoor temp overnight?


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## JohnT (Sep 29, 2017)

I let them sit in a sealed box truck outside. It is now 53 degrees.


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## Boatboy24 (Sep 30, 2017)

I imagine things are getting pretty busy at John's place about now...


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## Kraffty (Sep 30, 2017)

I crank my AC down to low 60s in the winery over night. Grapes are still cool in the morning. Mike


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## balatonwine (Sep 30, 2017)

johnt said:


> getting loaded!





johnt said:


> then getting loaded




lol!


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## JohnT (Sep 30, 2017)

He die hards are now playing charades


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## JohnT (Sep 30, 2017)

Words can not describe just how exauhsted I am.


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## sour_grapes (Sep 30, 2017)

JohnT said:


> Words can not describe just how exauhsted I am.





JohnT said:


> die hards are now playing charades




Well, DUH! Words are useless -- that is why they are playing charades!


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## JohnT (Oct 3, 2017)

*Crush Day Eve*

Another crush day has come and gone. I say this every year, but the experience just keeps getting better and better!

What made this crush extra special is that we had a new member of the family attending her first crush, little Lexi who is of the ripe old age of four weeks. The mother, my favorite niece, lives in Florida. She decided to make the trip for crush. Since the whole family is gathered together anyway, she also decided to have Lexi baptized. 

Another thing that made this crush special was my new apprentices, my Niece and Nephew-in-Law. I have hopes that they one day will take over the winemaking for the family. The older I get, the more I realize that I cannot keep doing this forever. It was nice handing off some of the responsibility and to see them enjoy more involvement.

Crush really began on Friday. This was the day where we rented the truck and picked up the grapes. This is a part of the crush that some folks like being a part of, so we had 6 people heading down to the supplier, two in the truck and 4 in a “chase car”. 

We got to the suppliers at 10am and I immediately knew that something was wrong when I was greeted with an “I’m sorry”. Turns out that my yeast order was due to be delivered (they were having it FEDEXed), but hadn’t arrived yet. There was a day when something like this would send me into orbit, but I stayed calm. After all, I could always pick up the yeast on Sunday. 

This year, I decided to rent a smaller truck. Instead of the usual 22 footer, I opted for the smaller and far less expensive 16 footer. Although we still had plenty of room, and the truck did handle much better on the road, loading the grapes was quite an ordeal. Thank God that the truck had a lift gate that could handle an entire pallet of grapes! Despite the savings, I think that I might go back to the larger truck next year.

Once loaded, I paid the bill. Each year, I always say to them that they should offer me a shot of some hard stuff before ringing up the final total. This would help soften the blow. Although it was always a joke, this year he did actually offer me a shot. After I stopped laughing, I gratefully accepted. 

Once I was all paid up, we all took a walk across the street to the Italian Market where we loaded up on bread, cheeses, various types of sopressata, olives (some stuffed with blue cheese and some stuffed with sun dried tomatoes), and cherry peppers stuffed with provolone and parma ham. On our way back to the truck, I got flagged down by the supplier. She came running out yelling that the yeast had arrived. Yoooohoooo!  

The rest of the day went rather smoothly. We arrived back at the ranch around noon, backed the truck into position and then spread out all of our goodies from the Italian market. I pulled a couple of corks and we sipped and ate in the beautiful sunshine. After lunch, the crew helped setting up everything. WOW! This is a job I usually do myself and, with all the help, this year it only took about 2 hours. We had everything all set up and it was only 3pm! I asked them “what should we do now?”. I was answered with glaring laughter. In short order, we were back on the deck to pull more corks.

About 5pm, they all had departed. Just 20 minutes later, other folks stopped by to see if I needed any help. With nothing left to be done, I ended pulling even more corks. My wife went out and picked up several pizzas and we had another great time. By 11pm, I was in bed and actually got some sleep.


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## JohnT (Oct 3, 2017)

*Crush Day!*

I woke up Saturday at 5am. I have to admit that I did need to shake off some cob-webs after last night’s sipping.A cup of coffee did the trick.

I then set up the party size coffee urn, set out the breakfast pastries, and simply enjoyed the peace and quiet. By 7am, folks started arriving.We had folks from all over!Georgia, New Orleans, Florida, Virginia, and Baltimore to name a few and they were all very eager to help.In total I would guess that we had 50 or 60 people attend this year, each taking turns doing various jobs.The entire process went like this…

My nephew-in-law took charge of the order and amount of each type of grape to be crushed. I had provided him a list detailing the grape, number of lugs, and destination (which primary fermenter).He did a great job and had the truck running like clockwork.

Then a crew of sorters would pick through each crate and remove leaves, stems, and any other debris, then dump their lugs into the crusher/destemmer. At any time we would have 6 or 8 sorters working away.The Nephew-in-law saw to it that no one person had to spend more than 1 hour sorting grapes at a time.Breaks were often and frequent.

As usual, my cousin brought 2 sixtles of beer. This time he made a fantastic American IPA.It was creamy and crisp and (thankfully) low octane.This beer was a welcome sight when the crew took a break.


This year we purchased a new crusher/destemmer. Our old c/d was purchased in 1995 and has crushed WAY more grapes that I think it was ever designed for.During Chilean crush, the motor kept popping the circuit breaker and it was a real chore to get the grapes crushed.It was definitely time for a new one.

When we started up the new c/d we were all amazed at how smooth and quiet it was. It was like going from a 1972 pickup truck to a BMW.It was outstanding how it functioned!We like to place the c/d at the back of the truck.Last year, the noise from the old c/d would bounce around in the truck and give the sorters headaches.This year, the c/d was whisper-quiet and the sorters were much happier.

Once crushed, the grapes were humped into the winery. This year we had a good crew of young, twenty-something guys for this job.Normally, we would crush 3 lugs (108 lbs) into a brute.The brute is then carried to the winery and is dumped into a primary fermentation vat.I find that 108 pounds at a time is manageable, but the “Young Bucks” disagreed.They were humping 5 or 6 lugs at a time!It hurt my back just watching them.

All said and done, we were finished crushing by 1pm, just in time for lunch. 

As I have written before, we had a nice spread….

Lasagna
Sausage N Pepers, 
Meatballs 
Goulash with spatzels 
Chicken Paprikash
Eggplant parm
Jumbalaya 
3 or 4 different salads, 
Various desserts (including warm bread pudding with burbon sauce and a killer apple strudel) 

After lunch, we all got to work cleaning up. Many hands made light work and we were all cleaned up within an hour.

Then the real fun began. We all gathered under the tent and I pulled out several bottles of a nice old vintage, a 1998 sangiovesse. After all glasses were filled, I made a tearful toast to my father who had passed in early July.After the toast, it was time for some laughs. 

Each year, welcome a new member into the “Purple Foot Club”. This was a tradition started a while back where we collect those last few grapes that roll around at the bottom of each sorted lug.We then select a person to crush them the old fashioned way…Yup, a good old foot stop.

This year’s member was my brother’s MIL. She was a great sport and was all smiles.I remember yelling “Hey brother, if she offers you a glass of wine, just say “NO”!We were in stitches! Then we brought out a small tiny bucket of the grapes so that little Lexi could also stomp some.It was very meaningful to watch great grandmother and great granddaughter both stomp grapes, but when Lexi ‘s tiny baby feet hit those cold grapes, we all found out that she had a very healthy set of lungs! 

After a while, and after a number of photos, my SIL brought out the guitar and the singing started. More food was brought out for dinner and people sipped and ate at their leisure.

The party kept going well after sundown until it got too cold. We then moved inside.By the end of the evening, the last few diehards were playing charades until, finally, we all turned in.Slept like a baby!

Made this year: 
Merlot – 90% merlot, 10% cab franc
Cabernet – 90 % cabernet, 10 % cab franc
barrel Reserve – 80% cab franc, 10 % merlot, 10% cabernet
super-cab (greek) 
Small Batch (1-54LDJ) of Passo Robles Cabernet
Small batch (1-54LDJ) of Spanish Tempranillo 


The next day, Sunday, we all went to church for Lexi’s baptism. We then gathered at my brother’s house for crush-day leftovers that we had brought with us. 

Here are some pics--- 

1- Those that remained after dinner.
2- Crushing off the back of the truck
3- one of the fermentation vats
4 - Little Lexi and Mom.


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## stickman (Oct 3, 2017)

That's quite a crew!


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## JohnT (Oct 5, 2017)

GOSH WHAT A BEAUTIFUL SOUND!!!!! 

We are at the peak of fermentation. I just love the sound of the large vats fermenting. It is like listening to Paul Bunyan's morning bowl of Rice Crispies!


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## Ajmassa (Oct 5, 2017)

JohnT said:


> GOSH WHAT A BEAUTIFUL SOUND!!!!!
> 
> We are at the peak of fermentation. I just love the sound of the large vats fermenting. It is like listening to Paul Bunyan's morning bowl of Rice Crispies!





It really is quite satisfying. Even more so for me is the smell that permeates out of the basement. You don't notice after being in the house for a bit. But walking in after being out for a while? My favorite. And also triggers childhood memories of my great grandfathers basement- which to me smelled of fermentation all year long.


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## JohnT (Oct 5, 2017)

Ajmassa5983 said:


> It really is quite satisfying. Even more so for me is the smell that permeates out of the basement. You don't notice after being in the house for a bit. But walking in after being out for a while? My favorite. And also triggers childhood memories of my great grandfathers basement- which to me smelled of fermentation all year long.


 

I think that the folks at GLADE should offer "fermenting grape" as one of their air fresher scents!!!!


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## Kraffty (Oct 5, 2017)

I love reading your crush story every year, hope one day for mine to grow like that (a much smaller scale though). How many years have you been at it? How many lbs. total this year?
Mike


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## JohnT (Oct 5, 2017)

I have been at it for 27 years.


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## Alan tate (Nov 7, 2017)

JohnT said:


> Bottling ended about a month ago. I like to get the tanks clean but there is still some staining and some wine diamonds stuck to the sides. I don't bother going nuts cleaning the tank after bottling because I only have to clean it again prior to crush.
> 
> A wise man once said that winemaking is a purely custodial action. I truly believe this after all the scrubbing and rinsing and scrubbing again that I've done over the last 24 hours.


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## Alan tate (Nov 7, 2017)

I know what you mean when i worked in the wine industry in england i had to crawl inti a 30,000 gal tank to clean once cleaned and rinsed then the steam went to it.after 30mins it was sterile and ready for wine


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## JohnT (Nov 10, 2017)

*epilogue - not wanting to resurrect this post. just have a few last words*

The wine has been crushed, pressed, racked, and is sleepily aging on XOV oak staves (for the main wine in the VCSS tanks) and in the barrel (two 60 gallon barrels). Next racking will be in the spring (once the weather warms up enough).

MLF is complete (using ch16) and, finally, the winery is once again *stupid* clean, with not even a single surviving fruit fly. I know it is clean when I bring Mrs johnT into the winery and she can not smell even a hint of wine.

I have to admit that I have a major problem. After all of this, after all of the work, I am ready to start it all again tomorrow! You can imagine Mrs johnT's reaction to my say that.. Most of it would be bleeped out, lol. 

Thanks everyone for indulging me. I know that I have been very wordy and may have (at times) seemed like I was bragging. I come off that way some times when I am experiencing joy and happiness.

I am truly lucky to have you folks to share my passion with. Thanks for reading/listening.
May God bless you all..

P.S. May we all be sipping this year's vintage twenty years from now!


johnT.


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## JohnT (Nov 20, 2017)

Now that MLF is complete, Yesterday I did a final measure of the PH and adjusted the SO2 accordingly. I did some QC (tasted the wine) and they all are coming along nicely. The merlot is going to be my real winner.


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