2024 winemaking kicked off for me this weekend. Early Sat morning, I picked up 1,000 lbs of grapes that I had ordered a few weeks prior from a local supplier. On the way home, the pallet shifted a little in my truck and I almost lost some precious cargo. My father-n-law generously helped unload grapes and get equipment sanitized before he had to leave to attend a neighbor's wedding.
Main Varietals:
Merlot - 8 lugs (288 lbs)
Malbec - 6 lugs (216 lbs)
Zinfandel - 6 lugs (216 lbs)
Blenders:
Cabernet Sauvignon - 2 lugs (72 lbs)
Petite Sirah - 2 lugs (72 lbs)
Cabernet Franc - 2 lugs (72 lbs)
Alicante Bouschet - 2 lugs (72 lbs)
By 10:00am everything was ready when 'my Crew' arrived (ie the rest of the family). We sorted and crushed everything in about 5 hours, with a nice lunch break in between where we drank some of last years vintage together for the first time. After crush, everyone left and I was finished cleaning by about 9pm. At this point in the day, I was pretty tired, so I took initial measurements on the must, made acid adjustments, added enzyme, and went to bed.
Initial Measurements:
Merlot (~17.2 gal) - 25.6 brix | 3.96 ph | 3.00 g/L TA (before adjustment)
Malbec (~12.9 gal) - 24.8 brix | 3.45 ph | 4.66 g/L TA (before adjustment)
Zinfandel (~12.9 gal) - 25.3 brix | 4.27 ph | 3.57 g/L TA (before adjustment)
Initial Must Adjustments:
Merlot (~17.2 gal) - 10 tsp Tartaric Acid | 4 cups Oak Cubes | 23 mL Color Pro
Malbec (~12.9 gal) - (No Acid Adjustment) | 2 cups Oak Cubes | 17 mL Color Pro
Zinfandel (~12.9 gal) - 8 tsp Tartaric Acid | 2 cups Oak Cubes | 17 mL Color Pro
Next morning, the Merlot had a 3.69ph & the Zin had a 3.59ph. I pitched some bentonite, yeast nutrient, BM 4x4 yeast for the Main Varietals. For the Blenders, I made similar adjustments including adding sugar to the Petite Sirah to get it around 24 brix (came in at 21.5 brix), since I will eventually be blending with the Zin and don't want it to dilute the alcohol. The Alicante I left at 22 brix, since I don't have a specific plan for this one. The color of the Alicante is amazing, see last pic. The Blenders are all using RC212 yeast.
Will try to post more pics as I go, if anyone is interested.
Main Varietals:
Merlot - 8 lugs (288 lbs)
Malbec - 6 lugs (216 lbs)
Zinfandel - 6 lugs (216 lbs)
Blenders:
Cabernet Sauvignon - 2 lugs (72 lbs)
Petite Sirah - 2 lugs (72 lbs)
Cabernet Franc - 2 lugs (72 lbs)
Alicante Bouschet - 2 lugs (72 lbs)
By 10:00am everything was ready when 'my Crew' arrived (ie the rest of the family). We sorted and crushed everything in about 5 hours, with a nice lunch break in between where we drank some of last years vintage together for the first time. After crush, everyone left and I was finished cleaning by about 9pm. At this point in the day, I was pretty tired, so I took initial measurements on the must, made acid adjustments, added enzyme, and went to bed.
Initial Measurements:
Merlot (~17.2 gal) - 25.6 brix | 3.96 ph | 3.00 g/L TA (before adjustment)
Malbec (~12.9 gal) - 24.8 brix | 3.45 ph | 4.66 g/L TA (before adjustment)
Zinfandel (~12.9 gal) - 25.3 brix | 4.27 ph | 3.57 g/L TA (before adjustment)
Initial Must Adjustments:
Merlot (~17.2 gal) - 10 tsp Tartaric Acid | 4 cups Oak Cubes | 23 mL Color Pro
Malbec (~12.9 gal) - (No Acid Adjustment) | 2 cups Oak Cubes | 17 mL Color Pro
Zinfandel (~12.9 gal) - 8 tsp Tartaric Acid | 2 cups Oak Cubes | 17 mL Color Pro
Next morning, the Merlot had a 3.69ph & the Zin had a 3.59ph. I pitched some bentonite, yeast nutrient, BM 4x4 yeast for the Main Varietals. For the Blenders, I made similar adjustments including adding sugar to the Petite Sirah to get it around 24 brix (came in at 21.5 brix), since I will eventually be blending with the Zin and don't want it to dilute the alcohol. The Alicante I left at 22 brix, since I don't have a specific plan for this one. The color of the Alicante is amazing, see last pic. The Blenders are all using RC212 yeast.
Will try to post more pics as I go, if anyone is interested.
