user 38734
Senior Member
- Joined
- Mar 10, 2018
- Messages
- 135
- Reaction score
- 323
Greetings from the Central Coast of California!
I’ve been making wine for only 10 years, but I’ve watched my family make wine my whole life – in the SF Bay Area, Italy, and Slovenia.
Typically, we only process around 1,000 lbs. of grapes per year; some we pick, some we buy already harvested – usually three or four varietals.
We only make reds, no whites (others in my family make them). We almost always blend, and occasionally make Rose’ (no time on the skins).
Unlike 2019, this year was good for grape growers here – good yields and good prices. This year I will process 250 lbs each of Grenache and PN (which we picked from a commercial vineyard), and Merlot and CS (which I bought harvested from Still Waters Vineyards in Paso Robles.)
The only numbers I ever measure are Brix and Ph, and all were great this year – only the CS needed an adjustment from 3.9 to 3.7.
The tools we use are a manual crusher destemmer, a 4 gal. stainless press, primary ferment in Brutes, then MLF and bulk age in 5 gal. carboys. Super basic.
We use a very soft press and get low yields, like 16 to 19 lbs. per gallon, depending on if I buy (fruit only) or pick (whole clusters).
Because of my family experience, compared to US home wine makers I under SO2 (only before bottling), under rack (three, maybe 4 times in 12 months) and over age (nothing opened before two years). I almost always use commercial yeast (some times native), but don’t use any nutrients, and I don’t clarify or filter.
There’s a couple of wineries here that’ll usually sell me cases of bottles for $3 or $4 per. Call around, you never know.
Mark the bottles with a white Sharpie, good to go. Drink with family and friends with what’s in the garden, homemade bread and cheese, what you caught fishing that morning, what’s hang-curing or in the freezer from the last hunt – that’s living.
Here are a couple pics from Slovenia last year, and the last week making wine in
SLO county.
Thank you to the wine makers here, much better than I, for being so generous with your time and knowledge.
I’ve been making wine for only 10 years, but I’ve watched my family make wine my whole life – in the SF Bay Area, Italy, and Slovenia.
Typically, we only process around 1,000 lbs. of grapes per year; some we pick, some we buy already harvested – usually three or four varietals.
We only make reds, no whites (others in my family make them). We almost always blend, and occasionally make Rose’ (no time on the skins).
Unlike 2019, this year was good for grape growers here – good yields and good prices. This year I will process 250 lbs each of Grenache and PN (which we picked from a commercial vineyard), and Merlot and CS (which I bought harvested from Still Waters Vineyards in Paso Robles.)
The only numbers I ever measure are Brix and Ph, and all were great this year – only the CS needed an adjustment from 3.9 to 3.7.
The tools we use are a manual crusher destemmer, a 4 gal. stainless press, primary ferment in Brutes, then MLF and bulk age in 5 gal. carboys. Super basic.
We use a very soft press and get low yields, like 16 to 19 lbs. per gallon, depending on if I buy (fruit only) or pick (whole clusters).
Because of my family experience, compared to US home wine makers I under SO2 (only before bottling), under rack (three, maybe 4 times in 12 months) and over age (nothing opened before two years). I almost always use commercial yeast (some times native), but don’t use any nutrients, and I don’t clarify or filter.
There’s a couple of wineries here that’ll usually sell me cases of bottles for $3 or $4 per. Call around, you never know.
Mark the bottles with a white Sharpie, good to go. Drink with family and friends with what’s in the garden, homemade bread and cheese, what you caught fishing that morning, what’s hang-curing or in the freezer from the last hunt – that’s living.
Here are a couple pics from Slovenia last year, and the last week making wine in
SLO county.Thank you to the wine makers here, much better than I, for being so generous with your time and knowledge.
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