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Not sure all what you are doing, but start by controlling your H2S. How cold are you fermenting and how long is it taking? My whites go 5-7 days, peak temps in the 70s F. I’ve heard of folks, particularly in Michigan fermenting colder and for months, but I’ve not tried to temperature control...

Don’t know what grapes or where you are so it is difficult, but going out on a limb, as it is August, I’d try to let them hang until your pH is 3.1 or more, and they taste ripe. You can go as low as 2.9 but that means a lot of acid. Ripe is hard to describe but sample a few, some obviously...

Sound like leafhoppers perhaps. Do you have any leaf damage?

I like your number targets. I’d fudge sugar to keep acidity. On my Viognier, I’ve barrel fermented the last two years and loved it. Very different than oak aged. I can’t justify a new barrel for that this year so I’m going to try fermenting half on spirals and half in stainless. Just a...

A bunch of friends came over Sunday and attacked the vineyard like locusts. I got the mowing done, then we weed wacked the rows, tucked shoots, tightened wires and green harvested. I don’t think it has ever looked this good mid summer. No sign of color except for the Gwertraminer. Nets in the...

I agree with @CK55 on the deficiency. I also tuck by hand, not 4 acres though. If I don’t get them all tucked, I don’t cut them back. My question is if they are sprawling, so? Are you afraid they won’t ripen? While not pretty and out of vogue these days, California sprawl is a viable training...

Good luck in your quest. Quite a bad scenario you describe.

Welcome. Great to have you with a different experience. Can’t wait to hear about what you make.

Ok, you asked. I like the crest, particularly 5he tree though I can’t say why. However, the colors are a bit jarring to me. Maybe tone them down a bit! Just my $.02 of course. And I’m just finishing a bottle of 2014 red blend on the deck, so my judgement could just be a bit clouded.

Splash rack and time will help. But now, tell us more about that still! Ps buy a scale and do you kmeta that way. Grams are grams. :f

Can’t see why not. I’ve seen old caves in Hungary where there is water leaking down the walls and mold everywhere. Temperatures sound good. I’d just make sure I wipe up real good with kmeta solution anytime I opened something.

Wow, not even near verasion here. I’m thinking of netting in a couple of weeks. Tucking shoots and plucking leaves tomorrow.

Nice legs @Johny99 your top is spectacular also ;-) f Some guys always check the legs first

Finished a coffee table today. Only thing I could think of doing with this slab of maple. I couldn’t bear to cut it apart. Fun part was filling the splits and knots to keep the whole piece.

I just crush, let it soak, settle on the skins with Kmeta, a few hours to overnight depending on the grape and style. press into a closed carboy or tank. Inoculate and let it go, keeping it on the cool side. Other than goferm or similar, no other additions.

Just to clarify, natural cork can have a bacteria that can react with chlorine to create TCA. As I recall the old practice of steaming the cork promoted the bacteria. I believe I read someplace that you can also get the bacteria and TCA without natural corks.

I’m thinking you have moisture under the shrink capsule to get mold, but that doesn’t explain the dry crumbly cork. A dry cork is likely to leak which could account for moisture and mold under a capsule. I’m thinking the corks were old and already dried out. Small packs are broken down from...

Happy Birthday!

Relax. Fresh white grapes brown very quickly. In the process they lock up much of the stuff needed for browning later, so it isn’t a bad thing. I don’t remember all the chemistry, but several references say it’s true. Go ahead and pitch, keep it cool, I keep in in an air conditioned room at...

Bench, or kitchen table, trial is the way to go. I use Petit Verdot and Petite Sirah in small amounts, but otherwise it depends on the wines you are blending. Malbec and Syrah would be other candidates if you have them.