Any hint of an acetone (nail polish remover) smell? That is often the first indication that a native ferment is kicking off...Update on my ferment - all is going well except the 10 gallons of native ferment - no activity at all…
Any hint of an acetone (nail polish remover) smell? That is often the first indication that a native ferment is kicking off...Update on my ferment - all is going well except the 10 gallons of native ferment - no activity at all…
Interesting question. I think so - definitely a strong smell like that. It actually freaked me out and I thought this batch was headed in the wrong direction. If so, it's no big deal as this is an experiment...Any hint of an acetone (nail polish remover) smell? That is often the first indication that a native ferment is kicking off...
Our first native ferment at the winery was an accident it kicked off fast and intensely and scared my business partner who has not made natural wine before. He was panicking but it turned out fantastic and we have a special bottling of that wine.Update: I noticed fermentation in the Native today. Good news...
Great looking fruit!Update: Mourvèdre
Left a little earlier than I was expecting and arrived at the vineyard at 8:15am. I was back on the road at 8:30am and returned home at noon. It takes longer to set up and clean up than the actual crushing of the grapes, which only take about 20 minutes. I'd say the numbers on this are near perfect.
Del's (vineyard owner) numbers:
Brix: 25.2
pH: 3.43
Mine, post crush:
Brix: 25.3
pH: 3.47
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The Marsanne/Rousanne sounds great. Love the Southern France runs. You should do a small tri-blend and throw in Viognier. I always appreciate your stories. They are always entertaining and educational.My winemaking is finally beginning this weekend. I'm working with four vineyards this year for fresh grapes. It's all but certain that grapes from more than one vineyard will be ripe enough to pick on the same day. That's exactly what is happening this year right from the gate. To add to the madness, I'm going to be at Washington-Grizzly Stadium on Saturday, September 21st as the Montana Grizzlies host Western Carolina from Cullowhee, NC for a football game. The only way I can swing it is pulling a trailer to Montana carrying three macro bins and grabbing the grapes on Sunday on my way home.
Grapes this trip, all from Red Mountain AVA but two vineyards:
55g drum of fresh chardonnay (grapes will be picked and pressed on Saturday, then placed in refrigeration)
1/2 ton of Tempranillo (grapes will be picked Sunday)
1/2 ton of Viognier (grapes will be picked Sunday)
1/2 ton Marsanne/Rousanne blend (grapes will be picked Sunday)
I'll post pictures and document the fermentation on all these wines.
@buzi I did this last year and the M/R blend has some Viognier in it this year too... Here's last year's label 3.5 x 4. Glad you like the stories...The Marsanne/Rousanne sounds great. Love the Southern France runs. You should do a small tri-blend and throw in Viognier. I always appreciate your stories. They are always entertaining and educational.
That's one Varietal I am excited to try to mae wine with. Those look great!Update: Mourvèdre
Left a little earlier than I was expecting and arrived at the vineyard at 8:15am. I was back on the road at 8:30am and returned home at noon. It takes longer to set up and clean up than the actual crushing of the grapes, which only took about 20 minutes. I'd say the numbers on this are near perfect.
Del's (vineyard owner) numbers:
Brix: 25.2
pH: 3.43
Mine, post crush:
Brix: 25.3
pH: 3.47
View attachment 116358View attachment 116359View attachment 116360View attachment 116361View attachment 116362
Things are REALLY ugly out your way. I'm happy you're safe!My crazy story is Hurricane Helene going through and destroying our community in the middle of fermentation. No power, no water, no septic, no internet, no roads, no bridges. It’s not the most important thing considering, but with the help of neighbors, we were able to crush and press 600 pounds of California grapes - often in the dark.
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