Harford Vineyard - Estimated Grape Arrivals

[ceeaton]

I saw a Hartford email today. Some more grapes in, but not all of them. Lot's of "extra" buckets. Thinking about it but I have a lot of wine to bottle...

 

[mainshipfred]

I've been thinking about it myself. I still have 3 empty carboys. Only problem is I want to make sure I have enough for the South American harvest. But then again by that time I'll have bottled at least 4 others. Decision made, 2 more buckets.

 

[mainshipfred]

Turns out I found another 6 gallon carboy and forgot about the two 3 gallons I bought. However I just received a call from my winery the grapes for my 10 gallons are on hold and being harvested Sunday for pick up on Monday. I may still get a bucket of Merlot if there is any left for blending with the Norton. Really exscited about my first all grape batch and coinsidentally my favorite wine.

 

[heatherd]

I am still waiting on the Washington Pinot Noir grapes. The 10/17/17 email says they are not in yet.

 

[mainshipfred]

I got a White Zin and a Zin with a lug of Old Vine Zin grapes from Harford. I didn't pay much attention to it when I returned and being excited to start I proceeded with making the wine. Once the White Zin got to 1.003 I added half the Sorbate and the K-meta and put it in the chest freezer at 40 degrees and continued fermenting the Zin to dry. A few days ago something didn't look right. Yesterday I pulled samples from each. The glass on the left is supposed to be the White Zin and the right the Zin. I sent the pic to Harford yesterday and haven't yet heard back. I think something either labeling or packaging got mixed up. What do you think I should expect from them?

 

[Boatboy24]

@mainshipfred: you still have the buckets?

 

[mainshipfred]

@mainshipfred: you still have the buckets?

I do, and they are still labeled.

 

[ibglowin]

Looks like regular zin in both buckets to me.

 

[Boatboy24]

I do, and they are still labeled.

I assume one says white zin and the other just zin.

As Mike said, both look like Zin to me.

 

[mainshipfred]

I assume one says white zin and the other just zin.

As Mike said, both look like Zin to me.

They are labeled as one of each. Not that it makes much difference but I just checked the Ph of both and they are about the same, 3.34 and 3.36. The real kick in the butt is my wife doesn't prefer dry reds and I was making the White Zin for her because it's one of her favorites.

 

[ceeaton]

Nope, that's the way they are. Makes a tasty blush dry or a lightly sweetened wine, my wife's friends favorite when we give it away. I try to finish it at 1.002 to 1.005 by back sweetening after the kmeta/sorbate addition. The color is deceiving, the body will be much different between the two. In reality, the color is much lighter this year than in last Fall's batch. All I can say is that I like it better than a commercial white zin hands down (same with my wife). Makes a nice fruity wine (lot's of berry flavors).

 

[mainshipfred]

So did you get a White Zin this year and if so are you saying it is more of a blush then what I have? BTW, Theresa just called and said she has 2 more buckets of White Zin and is going to give me one. I thought they would take care of it.

 

[mainshipfred]

Even thought you stopped it when you did, did you still feel you had to backsweeten it. Mine is pretty sweet as it is.

 

[sour_grapes]

All I can say is that I like it better than a commercial white zin hands down (same with my wife).

You like your white zin better than you like your wife?

 

[mainshipfred]

You like your white zin better than you like your wife?

Too funny, you could read it like that. Hope she has a sense of humor or doesn't read the forum or maybe she already knows.

 

[ceeaton]

So did you get a White Zin this year and if so are you saying it is more of a blush then what I have? BTW, Theresa just called and said she has 2 more buckets of White Zin and is going to give me one. I thought they would take care of it.

I got it both last year and this year and this years batch looks like yours. It may not look like white zin but it does taste pretty darn good. I'll be disappointed if I get a lighter colored one next year.

Even thought you stopped it when you did, did you still feel you had to backsweeten it. Mine is pretty sweet as it is.

I didn't stop it, I let it go dry. After the initial Kmeta and letting it clear on it's own, I add Kmeta and Sorbate, let sit for 2 to 10 weeks, then start adding a simple sugar mixture (sterilized water heated with added table sugar), let sit a few days, take a sample and cool it down and see if the boss (my wife) likes it. When she says "could use a teeny bit more", I stop, it will seem to get sweeter as it ages in my experience.

You like your white zin better than you like your wife?

No, but she might like it better than she likes me, but puts up with me if I keep making her wine she likes (and that is usually too sweet for my tastes, though she's slowly coming to the "dry side").

Too funny, you could read it like that. Hope she has a sense of humor or doesn't read the forum or maybe she already knows.

She does have a sense of humor, she married me!

 

[ceeaton]

Fred,

Meant to post these last night, but I went to my brothers place and got home a bit later than I usually do. In the second shot you can tell that it is lighter than yours is, or than mine was last year. I could see them messing up the label, and that may have been what happened last year, though we still like that wine.

The following post shows last years in the bottle:

http://www.winemakingtalk.com/forum/showpost.php?p=633370&postcount=107

Hope that helps you make that decision on another bucket.