2018 Grape Season Underway

[jgmann67]

Prices posted at Keystone. But I’m having trouble with putting grapes and juice into a cart to figure out what I can afford.

 

[Ajmassa]

Prices posted at Keystone. But I’m having trouble with putting grapes and juice into a cart to figure out what I can afford.

Don’t use the cart. It’s a wormhole. Here’s the screenshots.

* a little misleading. The Paso Robles are the only ‘18 prices. The rest are from ‘17 but good indication of what to expect.

We’ll see if the gouging from wash rattlesnake is unique to just that winery soon enough. Keeping my eye on these when posted.

When I spoke with Collingswood grape co it seems like had the same supplier as keystone (or are their supplier). Red hills were said to be their best quality cab. Keystone also was listed on the F Colavita & Son website as a supplier too.

 

[jgmann67]

Don’t use the cart. It’s a wormhole. Here’s the screenshots.

* a little misleading. The Paso Robles are the only ‘18 prices. The rest are from ‘17 but good indication of what to expect.

We’ll see if the gouging from wash rattlesnake is unique to just that winery soon enough. Keeping my eye on these when posted.

When I spoke with Collingswood grape co it seems like had the same supplier as keystone (or are their supplier). Red hills were said to be their best quality cab.
View attachment 50528View attachment 50529

Central Valley grapes are 2018 prices and the order form seems to work. Did anyone find out where they source the Central Valley grapes, what quality??

 

[Ajmassa]

The Central Valley stuff. No idea on details for em tho

 

[jgmann67]

I emailed them.

Thinking about doing 3-4 lugs of zin in a 6 gal bucket of juice.

 

[ceeaton]

Gonna make a batch of the old family D*** Red recipe from grapes. Problem is all the main family who made this are all dead. And my old man did juice mostly. When he did do grapes he was basically winging it without a clue. And neither him or I can remember what the heck they did back in the day! So I really don’t have a frame of reference.
Muscat/Alicante blend. When they did juice they would ferment separately in the buckets. Will be 2 Muscat 1 Alicante. (Often some Thompson’s seedless were tossed in when they did large batches)

FYI, At some point Prococci Bros had a basic D*** recipe posted, it was 2 parts Muscat, 1 part Alicante and 1 part Thompson white. I wrote it down and had it in my desk down here in the dungeon. I've had it a few times from a family who made it in Trooper (he was Italian, she was Polish, go figure). I'd love to make that wine, just worried I'd drink it too fast. Guess that's why they make a big batch every year.

Edit: I found what I think was the recipe, it wasn't on the site but in a recent (2016) Philly Voice article:

DiStefano made his wine from three grape varieties: Muscat, a white grape with a big taste and a distinctive flavor; Thompson seedless, the bland white grape they sell in grocery stores; and Alicante Bouschet, a red grape known for its dark color.

DiStefano’s wine is a traditional blend affectionately known among Italian-Americans as “D*** Red.” Serve it with pasta and meat, DiStefano told Procacci, and, “You can’t go wrong.”

Procacci corked the wine and stuck it back in the bag.

“I’ll put this behind my desk,” he said.

After tasting last year’s vino, DiStefano placed his order for this year’s vintage. He bought 10 36-pound cases of Muscat grapes, five 36-pound cases of Thompson seedless, and five 36-pound boxes of Alicante.

Whole article: https://www.phillyvoice.com/wine-ralph/

 

[Ajmassa]

FYI, At some point Prococci Bros had a basic D*** recipe posted, it was 2 parts Muscat, 1 part Alicante and 1 part Thompson white. I wrote it down and had it in my desk down here in the dungeon. I've had it a few times from a family who made it in Trooper (he was Italian, she was Polish, go figure). I'd love to make that wine, just worried I'd drink it too fast. Guess that's why they make a big batch every year.

That’s my parents heritage as well. Go figure

Procacci has been suggesting this recipe for a whole lotta years. And theyve been around for like 75 years or something. My family has used em since the 50’s I think. They made wine in Italy. And kept going once in US.
I was told a cool story about a drought one year in the 40’s maybe. No grapes. Not acceptable. Worked out a deal with some traveling must/juice/wine? from Cali I think. No clue on specifics but a big truck would pull up to the house. All rowhomes so only option was to run a hose thru the areaway basement window and filled their barrels. There’s some really cool pics I saw from that day before. Wish I had them.

 

[jgmann67]

Got a response from Keystone about grapes and availability:

Our Bethlehem location will have our complete grape offerings from Central Valley, Paso Robles, and Lake County, CA in addition to Washington State available with pre-orders. Please visit our website for the full list and pricing.

Our Premium grapes are from Paso Robles, Lake County and Washington State where we use independent grape brokers to monitor the fruit maturity from multiple vineyards. They are picked at their peak and shipped immediately making these the highest quality grapes we sell but we often do not know when they are arriving until they're en route. We do not have the Premium grape pre-orders setup yet with the exception of Paso Robles. The later harvest for those regions means we typically don't start taking pre-orders till after Labor Day.

Our basic California grape varietals are sourced from all over the Central Valley and typically packed by Colavita & Sons but sometimes Sunniland or other fruit packagers depending on the harvest yields and what our brokers determine looks best. We recommend selecting the first shipment to insure you receive the freshest products. All Central Valley products are shipped FTL to our Montgomeryville store on refrigerated trucks.

The most efficient way to place an order and select the shipment (for Central Valley grapes) that works best for you is through the link above. We hope to see you this fall and let us know if you have any other questions in the meantime.

Cheers!
Meridyth

 

[Boatboy24]

OK, so a quarter ton would be between 450 and 550 pounds. Split 4 ways, that is a little more than a 6 gallon batch each. I'm thinking if we have 4 people and 4 varietals they could agree on, each could purchase a quarter ton, and we could split. Thoughts?

I usually try to do 4 varietals at 3 lugs each, which is 432lbs. By buying a quarter ton, it is a little more than usual, but the cost is significantly lower.

Initial thoughts are Cab Sauv, Zin, Syrah and Petite Sirah/Petite Verdot.

 

[pgentile]

OK, so a quarter ton would be between 450 and 550 pounds. Split 4 ways, that is a little more than a 6 gallon batch each. I'm thinking if we have 4 people and 4 varietals they could agree on, each could purchase a quarter ton, and we could split. Thoughts?

I usually try to do 4 varietals at 3 lugs each, which is 432lbs. By buying a quarter ton, it is a little more than usual, but the cost is significantly lower.

Initial thoughts are Cab Sauv, Zin, Syrah and Petite Sirah/Petite Verdot.

I would lean towards doing something like this. The big thing will be geography and who it makes sense for.

 

[jgmann67]

For me, it’s $$$. It’s a great idea. Wish I had a few hundred more in my pocket.

 

[Boatboy24]

I would lean towards doing something like this. The big thing will be geography and who it makes sense for.

If I were going that route, I think I'd have to buy from Pinto's or Keystone. Don't think anyone closer offers in those quantities.

 

[Boatboy24]

Update: Heard from Gino's and the only bulk they do is half ton. The field narrows...

 

[pgentile]

Update: Heard from Gino's and the only bulk they do is half ton. The field narrows...

1000 lbs of single variety?

 

[Boatboy24]

1000 lbs of single variety?

Yep, too much of one thing for me. So it'd have to be Keystone unless Procacci does 1/4 tons. I haven't seen their pricing though.

I'm also looking into a group purchase through Washington Winemakers - you can buy by the lug from them. Grapes are from Lodi, expected delivery of 9/22. I should have pricing this week. Pickup will be in Mitchellville, MD.

 

[mainshipfred]

Yep, too much of one thing for me. So it'd have to be Keystone unless Procacci does 1/4 tons. I haven't seen their pricing though.

I'm also looking into a group purchase through Washington Winemakers - you can buy by the lug from them. Grapes are from Lodi, expected delivery of 9/22. I should have pricing this week. Pickup will be in Mitchellville, MD.

When did you get this update? I haven't seen anything yet.

 

[pgentile]

Yep, too much of one thing for me. So it'd have to be Keystone unless Procacci does 1/4 tons. I haven't seen their pricing though.

I'm also looking into a group purchase through Washington Winemakers - you can buy by the lug from them. Grapes are from Lodi, expected delivery of 9/22. I should have pricing this week. Pickup will be in Mitchellville, MD.

Procacci won't post a price list, There should be someone in the warehouse there by 9/1, I'll go by there by then and get one, plus I'll ask about bulk.

Gino's said the Paso Robles will be in 9/10

 

[Boatboy24]

When did you get this update? I haven't seen anything yet.

I reached out to Jim this morning. I think I forwarded his reply to you.

 

[pgentile]

Yep, too much of one thing for me. So it'd have to be Keystone unless Procacci does 1/4 tons. I haven't seen their pricing though.

I'm also looking into a group purchase through Washington Winemakers - you can buy by the lug from them. Grapes are from Lodi, expected delivery of 9/22. I should have pricing this week. Pickup will be in Mitchellville, MD.

But thinking through this, going in on a bulk buy and getting a 1/4 ton, would make more sense for me in 2019. I don't have the capacity to handle the volume in one shot. I'll probably come close anyway to 1/4 ton total however it will happen over several weeks. I'd need to get more or larger fermenting vessels.

 

[mainshipfred]

But thinking through this, going in on a bulk buy and getting a 1/4 ton, would make more sense for me in 2019. I don't have the capacity to handle the volume in one shot. I'll probably come close anyway to 1/4 ton total however it will happen over several weeks. I'd need to get more or larger fermenting vessels.

I'm thinking the same thing as far as 2019. It's been a bit of looking but I think 2018 is probably handled.