Recent content by GSMChris

Interesting - I guess we all have different experiences- for me it’s just simple math. Small batch, large batch - just arithmetic

You might want to revisit the manuals - for virtually every task, Scott’s provides a one page protocol on how to do that task. BPL provides an example of yeast hydration with go-ferm flash a couple of posts above. That’s page 42. Page 43 is the same task but with the older go-ferm and go ferm...

I’m with Obbnw - I don’t have a label yet either. For now, I use capsules to identify the wines… Part of the issue was that I wanted a name that could be trademarked in the event that someday I went pro. While going pro is becoming less and less likely, I did manage to find and secure two...

The Scotts winemaking handbook is a fantastic resource. When teaching new winemaker groups, I hand out copies to the participants and then follow it carefully so they have something to fall back on when they are making their own batches the following year.

Welcome to WMT!

Welcome to WMT!

I’m of the opinion that every vine is probably going to be a decision - at least it was for me. The local experts told me that you cut back to where the vine is the size of a number two pencil - or, since you probably don’t want to carry a pencil around, the size of the last joint of your...

Many of the commercial vineyards around me have been pruning since early January. In talking with one of the owners, he said “I want to prune using my full time team - not contract workers. Given the amount of work to do, I need 8 weeks to get it done. If I had a choice, I’d prune in late...

Next up is pruning the vineyard. I’ve got friends coming to help and we will be pruning February 22 and 23rd assuming that the weather cooperates.

Yikes - what’s all that white stuff!!!! I agree with Vinesnbines - collect those sticks as you go along. I use a large garbage can with a liner. Leave the liner behind every two rows and then collect them all at the end. This year I am going to chip the sticks and add to a compost pile for...

Welcome to WMT!

I’m in 9a and had cold temperature damage last year on my grenache grapes. 5b seems pretty extreme unless you are willing to take extreme measures.

We did Cottages and Kitchens this time. Definitely well worth the $35 admissions fee - it was a peek at a time and way of life that has disappeared. I should point out that this tour includes the wine cellar with hundreds of bottles remaining from the Hearst collection. I’m sure all are spoiled...

Last week was my wife’s birthday and she decided that she wanted to visit Hearst Castle while the weather was good and the tourists absent (an excellent combination in our minds). For those of you who aren’t familiar with it, William Randolph Hearst spent 28 years and hundred of Millions of...

We have a weird rain pattern here. Essentially it is zero rain from May-October. A little - maybe 4 inches total from October - December. Then 10-20 inches total January-April. So some irrigation is needed even in normal years but generally from April/May - August. After that, they get cut off...