Can I ask why you had to dump the Zin?
Finally! 2024 Winemaking Season Begins
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Yesterday was Syrah. I'll grab the Pinot Noir on Tuesday (October 8). I'm confident my trip to White Salmon will be uneventful and spectacular at the same time. The Columbia River gorge is stunning and stretches for at least 80 miles. Checking my notes, I picked up the 2023 Pinot Noir on September 15 from the same vineyard.
Update: It's a HOT MESS...
My revised plan was to crush the Syrah this morning at 6am. Ultimately, this was a problem because I didn't remember that it's still dark at that time of the morning. First morning light is closer to 7:20am...
I had a 8am meeting that I had to reschedule and a 9am staff meeting, which I lead. I was working fast and got the Syrah crushed in about 17 minutes, so by 7:30am that was done. HOWEVER, there is clean up.
You don't want that sticky mess to dry, especially on your destemer/crusher, as it can be a chore to get clean if it does dry. I pulled out my pressure washer and didn't pay close attention to the location of the spray line in relation to the cylinder manifold of the gas powered engine. Within a few minutes there was a geyser behind me!
I ran over to Lowes to buy a new line and bought the wrong size. This morning was going all kinds of sideways! I transitioned my staff meeting to zoom and was able to keep that meeting. Technology is great...
After the meeting I made another trip to Lowes and bought the right sized line and finished cleaning everything from the crush in short order. I then transitioned to pressing the Tempranillo. I was able to get 100 gallons of wine. I decided not to keep free run separate from press wine.
Next up, I'm bottling 80 gallons of Mourvèdre after dinner. I just made a pizza...
A few pics...
My revised plan was to crush the Syrah this morning at 6am. Ultimately, this was a problem because I didn't remember that it's still dark at that time of the morning. First morning light is closer to 7:20am...
I had a 8am meeting that I had to reschedule and a 9am staff meeting, which I lead. I was working fast and got the Syrah crushed in about 17 minutes, so by 7:30am that was done. HOWEVER, there is clean up.
You don't want that sticky mess to dry, especially on your destemer/crusher, as it can be a chore to get clean if it does dry. I pulled out my pressure washer and didn't pay close attention to the location of the spray line in relation to the cylinder manifold of the gas powered engine. Within a few minutes there was a geyser behind me!
I ran over to Lowes to buy a new line and bought the wrong size. This morning was going all kinds of sideways! I transitioned my staff meeting to zoom and was able to keep that meeting. Technology is great...
After the meeting I made another trip to Lowes and bought the right sized line and finished cleaning everything from the crush in short order. I then transitioned to pressing the Tempranillo. I was able to get 100 gallons of wine. I decided not to keep free run separate from press wine.
Next up, I'm bottling 80 gallons of Mourvèdre after dinner. I just made a pizza...
A few pics...
Update:
I just finished bottling 29 cases of 2023 Mourvèdre. I started bottling at 6:30pm and finished at 8:30pm. I'll label and cap tomorrow. This wine is really good. I'm drinking a glass as I type this post.
I'll be driving south at 5am tomorrow and headed to White Salmon Vineyard. Peter Brehm is the owner and grower. It will be good to see Peter. Although I talked to Peter throughout the winter and summer, I haven't talked to Faye (wife) since last season. Both of them are exceptional people.
I'll be getting 1500 pounds of Pinot Noir. I'm planning on doing a 20% saignèe - meaning I'll drain 20% of the juice and leave the skins resulting in a more concentrated Pinot - which I love. I'll press immediately until I have approximately 25 gallons of juice which I'll keep separate as a Rosè. I'll add the skins and seeds to the fermentors - equally. The rest will be crushed as normal and fermented in two stainless steel tanks.
Yeasts on the Pinot will be Muse (for the red) and Fresco (for the Rosè).
Also, tested the must and added nutrient and yeast (Avante) to the Syrah. Brix is 24.6 with a pH of 3.42. The pH will rise throughout the fermentation and I'm hopeful it will finish in the 3.5 range.
Oh, and I almost forgot. I added Oenos bacteria to the Tempranillo tonight.
Lots of moving parts... In case you're interested: 14,500 steps today and on my feet 16 hours. Feeling good...
Here's a pic of my glass of Mourvèdre...
I just finished bottling 29 cases of 2023 Mourvèdre. I started bottling at 6:30pm and finished at 8:30pm. I'll label and cap tomorrow. This wine is really good. I'm drinking a glass as I type this post.
I'll be driving south at 5am tomorrow and headed to White Salmon Vineyard. Peter Brehm is the owner and grower. It will be good to see Peter. Although I talked to Peter throughout the winter and summer, I haven't talked to Faye (wife) since last season. Both of them are exceptional people.
I'll be getting 1500 pounds of Pinot Noir. I'm planning on doing a 20% saignèe - meaning I'll drain 20% of the juice and leave the skins resulting in a more concentrated Pinot - which I love. I'll press immediately until I have approximately 25 gallons of juice which I'll keep separate as a Rosè. I'll add the skins and seeds to the fermentors - equally. The rest will be crushed as normal and fermented in two stainless steel tanks.
Yeasts on the Pinot will be Muse (for the red) and Fresco (for the Rosè).
Also, tested the must and added nutrient and yeast (Avante) to the Syrah. Brix is 24.6 with a pH of 3.42. The pH will rise throughout the fermentation and I'm hopeful it will finish in the 3.5 range.
Oh, and I almost forgot. I added Oenos bacteria to the Tempranillo tonight.
Lots of moving parts... In case you're interested: 14,500 steps today and on my feet 16 hours. Feeling good...
Here's a pic of my glass of Mourvèdre...
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Update: Left at 5am and got to the vineyard at 7:50am. I dropped my bins and found some breakfast…
A few pics:
A few pics:
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That's why we need to quit our day jobs!
I'm thinking of pulling the plug on my career. My motivation to continue working is on life support, and this year work is really interfering with my harvest plans. I'm trying to figure out what to do with the remaining 350 or so lbs of grapes still on the vine when I have to leave town for 2.5 weeks for work. Do I pick half today at a Brix a little lower than I would like then press right before I leave on Sunday night or leave it all on the vine, hope for good weather and that the riper vines don't turn into raisons?
I just talked myself into picking at least 60 lbs tonight...
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Update: Pinot Noir is crushed and in the fermentors. 25 gallons of Saignèe Rosè is separated. I had one of my employees with me who is interested in learning how to make wine. We had a great time getting to know each other away from the office and delving more into the personal side of our lives. I enjoyed that very much.
There seems to be challenges around every corner. I left on time and arrived a few minutes early. The vineyard wanted me to have the bins there at 8am so they could take them to the field and fill them up. I inquired about how long it would take to pick 1500 pounds and the vineyard manager told me about 3 hours as they had a crew of 5 pickers and planned on being very picky making sure I only got the best fruit. Pleased with that, I left the vineyard and looked for some breakfast.
I arrived back at the vineyard at 10:30am to check the progress seeing I was coming up on the estimated completion time. Only two of the pickers actually showed up and together they had only picked one bin. So, I went to my truck and took a nap...lol. I decided not to harass the process by continuously checking but at 1:30pm, three hours later, I couldn't help but go look at the progress. I could see they were nearing completion so I walked back to the crush pad where the scale is. Everything weighed out and paid for, I was on the road by 2pm with a three hour drive ahead of me.
I did get home at 5pm and my partner for the day and I got right to work. Most everything was set up from the day before so that went quickly. We processed the Saignèe first. Note that 80L of must, free run and press, produces approximately 28 gallons of juice. That's good information as I'll be doing this again in the future. After the press, we divided the cake and the left over juice and, put the respective parts into the fermenters.
The rest of the grapes were crushed in a 20 minutes time. The juice tastes amazing. I'll let it sit overnight and check numbers tomorrow.
Now, a few pics:
There seems to be challenges around every corner. I left on time and arrived a few minutes early. The vineyard wanted me to have the bins there at 8am so they could take them to the field and fill them up. I inquired about how long it would take to pick 1500 pounds and the vineyard manager told me about 3 hours as they had a crew of 5 pickers and planned on being very picky making sure I only got the best fruit. Pleased with that, I left the vineyard and looked for some breakfast.
I arrived back at the vineyard at 10:30am to check the progress seeing I was coming up on the estimated completion time. Only two of the pickers actually showed up and together they had only picked one bin. So, I went to my truck and took a nap...lol. I decided not to harass the process by continuously checking but at 1:30pm, three hours later, I couldn't help but go look at the progress. I could see they were nearing completion so I walked back to the crush pad where the scale is. Everything weighed out and paid for, I was on the road by 2pm with a three hour drive ahead of me.
I did get home at 5pm and my partner for the day and I got right to work. Most everything was set up from the day before so that went quickly. We processed the Saignèe first. Note that 80L of must, free run and press, produces approximately 28 gallons of juice. That's good information as I'll be doing this again in the future. After the press, we divided the cake and the left over juice and, put the respective parts into the fermenters.
The rest of the grapes were crushed in a 20 minutes time. The juice tastes amazing. I'll let it sit overnight and check numbers tomorrow.
Now, a few pics:
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Here's a few pics from the vineyard picking:
On the plus side, everything worked out!
Thanks for posting your travails! Threads like this are very encouraging, and it's useful to see wine made on various scales.
You bet, Bryan. I'm nearing the end, which is good. And, I'm running low on space right now. I'm going to bottle the 2023 Tempranillo tomorrow and that will help... Take care.
Update:
Just finished bottling and labeling 28 cases of 2023 Red Mountain Tempranillo. Hitting the road tomorrow at 4am and going to meet my business partner in Spokane. A few hours later I’ll continue on to Missoula.
Here’s a couple pics of the finished bottles…
Just finished bottling and labeling 28 cases of 2023 Red Mountain Tempranillo. Hitting the road tomorrow at 4am and going to meet my business partner in Spokane. A few hours later I’ll continue on to Missoula.
Here’s a couple pics of the finished bottles…
Looking good!
I am nowhere near the level of winemaking that you are doing. I just started my riesling ( 19 brix 3,1 ph ) , picked yesterday and spending the next day waiting on the lalizyme c-Max to slear it out some. Yield from this year is a whopping 4 gallons. lol....not quite the amount you deal in.
Next week will be picking the sangiovese and nebbiolo. Life is good!
I am nowhere near the level of winemaking that you are doing. I just started my riesling ( 19 brix 3,1 ph ) , picked yesterday and spending the next day waiting on the lalizyme c-Max to slear it out some. Yield from this year is a whopping 4 gallons. lol....not quite the amount you deal in.
Next week will be picking the sangiovese and nebbiolo. Life is good!
Part of what keeps the forum interesting for me is the wide breadth of winemaking styles and scopes. I think in terms of "lugs" (36 lbs), while others think in terms of "pounds" (or kg), and yet others think in terms of "tons".
Very Nice. Thanks for sharing!
Update: I left Missoula t 2:30 am so I could get home early. I pressed the Mourvèdre shortly after I arrived home around 9:30am. I got 60 gallons of free run and 20 gallons of press wine. Brix was 1.5ish (see pic) and I need the fermenters for grapes that I'm picking up on Monday, October 14. I'll be picking up Carménère from Red Mountain in the Yakima Valley. Last year I picked up the grapes on October 14 - the exact day as this year. The grapes will be picked in the morning. I have several meetings on Monday that I cannot change so I won't leave until 2pm. That's going to get me there at 5:30p, not accounting for any traffic surprises. I won't be at the vineyard long before heading back as I expect only a 15 minute turnaround. I'm expecting to get home around 9pm but won't crush in the dark. I have a full day at the office on Tuesday so I won't be able to crush until I get home from work. Of course this is not ideal but it's just the way it is. This is the life for us hobbyist winemakers...
Now, a few pics...
Now, a few pics...
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Maheesh
Senior Member
What psi do you run your bladder to?
I usually go to 3 bar, which is 43ish PSI. Very little of the wine actually gets to this pressure, however.
Update: Let me introduce you to Del, owner and proprietor of Est De Long Vineyard. I've supplied a picture of Del and me. Today is somewhat of a sad day for me. Del is retiring after operating the vineyard for 45 years and has sold his home and vineyard to a retiring engineer from Boeing. The Boeing retiree is in his early 50's and has ZERO experience managing a vineyard.
The variety here is Carménère - mistaken for Chilean Merlot for many decades. Although similar to Merlot it is a very different variety and makes excellent medium bodied wine. Here is a description from Wine Folly:
Carménère (“car-men-nair”) is a medium-bodied red wine that originated in Bordeaux, France, and now grows almost only in Chile. The wine is treasured for its supple red-and-black berry flavors (in a similar style to Merlot) and herbaceous green peppercorn notes.
Originally, Carménère was thought to be Merlot when it was first transplanted into Chile. This case of mistaken identity is perhaps what saved Carménère from extinction when Phylloxera devastated the vineyards of Bordeaux in the late 1800’s.
Since I was to be Del's last pick and winemaker for his last season, he gave me an extra bin of grapes for free. It's late, around 9:45pm and, I've just arrived home. I'll crush these grapes tomorrow.
The variety here is Carménère - mistaken for Chilean Merlot for many decades. Although similar to Merlot it is a very different variety and makes excellent medium bodied wine. Here is a description from Wine Folly:
Carménère (“car-men-nair”) is a medium-bodied red wine that originated in Bordeaux, France, and now grows almost only in Chile. The wine is treasured for its supple red-and-black berry flavors (in a similar style to Merlot) and herbaceous green peppercorn notes.
Originally, Carménère was thought to be Merlot when it was first transplanted into Chile. This case of mistaken identity is perhaps what saved Carménère from extinction when Phylloxera devastated the vineyards of Bordeaux in the late 1800’s.
Since I was to be Del's last pick and winemaker for his last season, he gave me an extra bin of grapes for free. It's late, around 9:45pm and, I've just arrived home. I'll crush these grapes tomorrow.
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Update: Crush will commence this afternoon. I'll get home from work at approximately 2pm. Mrs. Crushday will man the pitchfork!
Here a pic of my truck parked at my office... It's a little rainy today and I have the grapes covered with waterproof covers.
Here a pic of my truck parked at my office... It's a little rainy today and I have the grapes covered with waterproof covers.
Update: Got everything crushed and cleaned up. Got 250 gallons of must. I’ll check numbers tomorrow…
Friday, October 18 I will pick up Malbec from Prosser, Washington. Brix is at 24.4 and pH is 3.46 - just about perfect.
Monday, October 21 I will pick up Malbec from White Salmon, Washington. Brix is 24 and pH is 3.43. This is a cooler climate and the Malbec is great. You might be asking right now, "why are you getting Malbec from two different vineyards?" The answer is, a couple years ago I wasn't sure the WS Malbec was going to ripen and I secured another source. By the end of the season the White Salmon Malbec was ripe and I had two Malbecs. I've just kept the relationship and they are very different wines - both excellent.
THEN I'LL BE DONE!!!
Friday, October 18 I will pick up Malbec from Prosser, Washington. Brix is at 24.4 and pH is 3.46 - just about perfect.
Monday, October 21 I will pick up Malbec from White Salmon, Washington. Brix is 24 and pH is 3.43. This is a cooler climate and the Malbec is great. You might be asking right now, "why are you getting Malbec from two different vineyards?" The answer is, a couple years ago I wasn't sure the WS Malbec was going to ripen and I secured another source. By the end of the season the White Salmon Malbec was ripe and I had two Malbecs. I've just kept the relationship and they are very different wines - both excellent.
THEN I'LL BE DONE!!!
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