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I've got a bottle of Old Rip Van Winkle 10 year I'm looking to sell and was wondering if anyone had any recommendations of a broker or other avenue that they've used in the past.

Hopefully no one takes this as an attempt to step on their toes... for whatever reason this appears to be a touchy topic. I’m currently taking a wine production course as part of the UC Davis Certificate program and we had a fairly lengthy review on alcoholic fermentation about a month ago...so...

Sur lies aging reds have some benefits, but can also have some negatives and requires a bit more babysitting. The positives are mostly due to mannoproteins being release from yeast autolysis. They can aid in reducing astringency, improving color stability (in some cases), and enhanced...

Sound advice from @NorCal and @CDrew. A few other items to consider how was your bacteria shipped and at what temperature? What SO2 did you add at crush, and one that most don’t consider is the SO2 production of your yeast strain. All may contribute incremental impacts that when combined can...

On a side note this is the first year I’ve attempted multiple fermentation temperatures (not must temps, only ambient) and I’ve been amazed at the impact temperature has on fermentation kinetics. Some unexpected Pinot Noir came available within a days notice and I had to use Avante (it was all...

@NorCal what ambient temp is your cold room during fermentation? This is my first year fermenting in a similar set up in the garage “micro winery” vs the dining room. I’ve got a half ton of Cab Franc fermenting with Avante. Ambient temps have been in the 68-70F range through fermentation with...

Here’s a blog post from Roy Piper with some good info about smoke taint, although it seems there aren’t many ways to mitigate once it’s there. Hopefully you have a bit of luck and the wines turn out ok.

I found the post, it was on wineberserkers website post #490 on the link below: https://www.wineberserkers.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=157104&start=450 He also has a cool blog on his website with some cool videos that actually show his process, not just the standard marketing promo stuff...

Agree with @Kitchen it all comes down to stylistic goals and what the wine is. Fast = high temps which increases extraction of Phenolics and Anthocyanin at the expense of volatilizing/losing some aroma compounds. Right now I’ve got a Cab franc getting started that I plan to get to the mid 80’s...

I read a post sometime ago on another website by Roy Piper (high end Napa Cab producer) where he said he picks in the 26 Brix range, waters back then does a saignee to increase concentration. Pretty interesting approach. As a side note he sells his wines for $150 a bottle and has a great...

Pressing early is common, it’s referred to as “pressing sweet” and is an intentional style decision used to limit tannin extraction, maintain more fruit flavor/aroma, and produces a wine that’s meant to drink earlier. There should be minimal color variation noticed immediately. Anthocyanin...

Interested to hear your progress, thanks for posting!

Very true, the hardest part of wine making...not drinking your wine until it’s ready!!

I don’t know that I’d be comfortable slacking on yeast nutrition with out YAN numbers, the last thing you want is volatile sulfur compounds in your wine. But, if you’ve got good grapes the results could be an amazing wine with added complexity, just a gamble and another risk/reward decision to...

There’s an Inside Winemaking podcast where Jim Duane talks about inoculating with half of the recommended dose because he has intrinsic feelings that yeast companies (and all companies for that matter) are trying to sell more yeast. He makes incredible wines and hasn’t had any issues doing so...

Came across a very interesting article on various winemaking techniques and the impact on phenolic extraction. A Review of the Effect of Winemaking Techniques on Phenolic Extraction in Red Wines I haven’t made it through the entire paper yet, but figured some would find it relevant to this...

Yes sir can’t wait, I’m jealous of all of you that have gotten yours already!! It’s the 90L Speidel I used it last year and on some Pinot a few weeks ago, couldn’t be happier, it’s very efficient and easy to clean I love it

It’s amazing craftsmanship, I spent months going back and forth trying to decide which cooper to use and finally settled on seguin moreau, can’t wait to fill it!!

I just finished up my cold room/micro garage winery this weekend. The volume I'm making now is finally too much to continue using the dining room!! And my first barrel showed up this am. I can't wait for harvest this year, grapes should be ready within the next 2 weeks!!

Anyone else not stir and have positive results? Always curious to hear others approach/results.