Hello from Sonoma County

[hptasins]

Hi,
I just discovered this forum today while searching for some info on making rosé. I was a winemaking intern in 2018 and 2019 at a small winery in Sonoma County (mostly Pinot Noir, a bit of Chard), and started making wine at home in 2020. I have a tiny vineyard - 8 PN vines - and make very small batches of wine at home with my own grapes and some donated grapes.

 

[Rice_Guy]

Welcome to Winemaking Talk. If you have worked in a commercial setting we have things to learn from you.

 

[winemaker81]

Welcome to WMT!

 

[cmason1957]

Welcome to WMT!!

 

[sour_grapes]

Welcome aboard!

 

[hptasins]

Welcome to Winemaking Talk. If you have worked in a commercial setting we have things to learn from you.

The main thing I learned was clean, clean, and then clean again.

Also, size matters. Fermentation (and almost everything else) behaves differently in a 3T tank vs. a 5gal bucket.

 

[BarrelMonkey]

welcome (from just to your northwest in Mendocino county...)

 

[mainshipfred]

The main thing I learned was clean, clean, and then clean again.

Also, size matters. Fermentation (and almost everything else) behaves differently in a 3T tank vs. a 5gal bucket.

I've always wondered about batch size.

 

[fermenter]

Welcome from Ks. I have a whooping 8 vines. Norton and Garnacha. Great therapy from the other stresses of life.

 

[hptasins]

I've always wondered about batch size.

My small batches (1-3gal) seem to ferment dry and go through ML very fast - primary is often done in 4 days, and ML in less than a week. And not enough mass to really warm things up. Color on PN seems ok despite that, but body is thin. But low extraction seems to have worked out ok for the Tempranillo I made last year.

Nothing like arriving at the crush pad to see a 3T fermenter that overflowed because fermentation got a little too vigorous.

 

[ChuckD]

Also, size matters.

I knew it!

 

[Jovimaple]

Welcome to WMT!

 

[anthocyanin]

Hi,
I just discovered this forum today while searching for some info on making rosé. I was a winemaking intern in 2018 and 2019 at a small winery in Sonoma County (mostly Pinot Noir, a bit of Chard), and started making wine at home in 2020. I have a tiny vineyard - 8 PN vines - and make very small batches of wine at home with my own grapes and some donated grapes.

What's your yield from your 8 vines? I have 10 but this was only their 2nd full year (and I don't really know what I'm doing with pruning) and they put out a very small crop this year - enough for like 500 mL of pinot rosé. Probably destined to become topping off wine for the 1 gal saignee I did with my purchased PN grapes this year.

 

[David Violante]

Welcome to WMT! Good to have you here~

 

[hptasins]

What's your yield from your 8 vines? I have 10 but this was only their 2nd full year (and I don't really know what I'm doing with pruning) and they put out a very small crop this year - enough for like 500 mL of pinot rosé. Probably destined to become topping off wine for the 1 gal saignee I did with my purchased PN grapes this year.

The raccoons left me about 28lbs last year. I probably would have had at least double that. Looks about the same this year and so far I haven't lost too much. I'll probably pick middle of next week so will have numbers then.

I'm likely overcropping, and don't drop any fruit. I know I should, but it's hard to convince myself to do it given there's so little to begin with.

 

[Bizzidy]

Hi,
I just discovered this forum today while searching for some info on making rosé. I was a winemaking intern in 2018 and 2019 at a small winery in Sonoma County (mostly Pinot Noir, a bit of Chard), and started making wine at home in 2020. I have a tiny vineyard - 8 PN vines - and make very small batches of wine at home with my own grapes and some donated grapes.

How cool! Did you do any schooling in winemaking? I’d love to hear about your internship. I’ve made rose twice now. First attempt not do good. Second attempt in fridge now.
Cheers and welcome.

 

[hptasins]

How cool! Did you do any schooling in winemaking? I’d love to hear about your internship. I’ve made rose twice now. First attempt not do good. Second attempt in fridge now.
Cheers and welcome.

I took winemaking classes at Santa Rosa Junior College. Started with just one little tasting class, and ended up taking almost every class they offered.
A lot of wineries recruit harvest interns from SRJC, so I got a great opportunity to do an internship was with a small winery near Sebastopol that focuses on Pinot Noir. I worked there for both 2018 and 2019 harvests. Lots of work but a great experience.

 

[GSMChris]

Welcome to WMT!

Sonoma county is a fabulous place to live - my wife and I came very close to moving there prior to the fire which drove prices up. We ended up buying near Paso Robles instead but still think fondly of that area.