New jersey winemakers talk

[Billpizzaiolo]

Calling all Garden State Winemakers to share local winemaking & grape growing issues and hints. I've been making wine for many years, learned from in-laws and grandfather. I have used fresh squeezed grape and whole grapes from Corrado's with varying results. My last few years have yielded much better results than before. I have used glass carboys and plastic vessels. I like them both for different reasons.
Perhaps we can keep the local conversation going as well as join in the other forums.
Bill

 

[Billpizzaiolo]

Go Garden State Go

Last year (2014) my wife gave me a gift, Summer Session at https://www.sce.cornell.edu/ps/cuvee/index.php It was great. I learned a great deal about blending and my team made one of the best blends. We also learned a lot from the local Finger Lakes Growers. It was a fantastic course. Fourteen tastings before lunch most days and then we had to identify the flavors and tastes of the wines. We also had sessions in their new lab. The school is connected to Castel Banfi in Italy.

I got the red wine making down pat. Have to learn more about the whites. NYS has so many good whites mostly German in origin, Rieslings, etc. My wife's favorites come from Veneto Region in Italy not those dolce types but the stoney, dry, brut types like Pinot Grigio, etc. I want to make some for her. I think the trick is minimum skin time, zero air contact, and good lab work to maintain the chemistry profile. Easy to say but hard to do. Sooner or later I will get there.
My grandfather made rough grappa and loved Barbera wines my wife's grandfather made Alicante/Zinfandel blend and aquada and sold lots of it in NYC around E 110th St. That is why i now make a blend of Barbera and Zinfandel (old vine) from California grape mostly.

 

[JohnT]

Are you going to enter the Corrado's winemaking competition?

 

[joeswine]

Going to send my ports if I get the time

 

[joeswine]

New wine talks

This could be the start of a great thread ,who else is in new jersey making and in competition.

 

[Morris]

Winemaking

So far not too many of us responding. Looking forward to a discussion about the wines and opportunity to meet in the future. Also, any good videos on Youtube?

regards

 

[Runningwolf]

Last year (2014) my wife gave me a gift, Summer Session at https://www.sce.cornell.edu/ps/cuvee/index.php It was great. I learned a great deal about blending and my team made one of the best blends. We also learned a lot from the local Finger Lakes Growers. It was a fantastic course. Fourteen tastings before lunch most days and then we had to identify the flavors and tastes of the wines. We also had sessions in their new lab. The school is connected to Castel Banfi in Italy.

We were just talking about this course today at work. It is a very well respected workshop. Unfortunately Cornell lost a great man over the holidays that ran the lab. I talked to Ben
many times about wines I sent to him for testing.

 

[grapeman]

Mr. Gavitt will be missed by many winemakers around NY State, the bordering states, country and world.

 

[JohnT]

Heads up

FYI,

Corrado's is having a sale. Two 6 gallon juice buckets for $100.00. This is for white wine only.

Seems like a great price.

 

[Morris]

Grapes

As there is a wide price selection of grapes, from which vineyard do you choose?

 

[Billpizzaiolo]

FYI,

Corrado's is having a sale. Two 6 gallon juice buckets for $100.00. This is for white wine only.

Seems like a great price.

Do they say what kind of white grapes or is it a mix of everything they had left over?

 

[Billpizzaiolo]

So far not too many of us responding. Looking forward to a discussion about the wines and opportunity to meet in the future. Also, any good videos on Youtube?

regards

I liked yours why don't you post a link so everyone can see your presentation?

 

[Billpizzaiolo]

Are you going to enter the Corrado's winemaking competition?

I did a few years ago. The dinner they have when they announce is a fantastic food and wine orgy. Like a really great Italian wedding. I am not sure if we are going this year.

 

[Billpizzaiolo]

Did you guys see this: What's your booze nationality? http://bbc.in/1uWK4dP

 

[JohnT]

Do they say what kind of white grapes or is it a mix of everything they had left over?

It is not a mix of different grapes (if that is what you mean). I know that they have sav blanc, chardonnay, and other varietals to choose from. might be worth checking out.

 

[Billpizzaiolo]

It is not a mix of different grapes (if that is what you mean). I know that they have sav blanc, chardonnay, and other varietals to choose from. might be worth checking out.

I just called Corrado's. I will be going up there to check out the Chenin Blanc and plan to use Lalvin BA-11 or K1-V1116 to make a dry white for my DW. I have a couple of those 7gal. plastic teardrop shaped vessels that isolate the heavy lees to eliminate racking and air contact from the must. It will be an experiment using some inexpensive grape juice.

 

[Morris]

Bill, as you requesteed... https://youtu.be/PekxsQrv6qo

Ciao Morris

https://youtu.be/PekxsQrv6qo

 

[Billpizzaiolo]

Bill, as you requesteed... https://youtu.be/PekxsQrv6qo

Ciao Morris

https://youtu.be/PekxsQrv6qo

Thanks for sharing this video. I am sure that others on the Forum will enjoy it too. Lots of good scenes and interesting locations.

 

[Billpizzaiolo]

I just called Corrado's. I will be going up there to check out the Chenin Blanc and plan to use Lalvin BA-11 or K1-V1116 to make a dry white for my DW. I have a couple of those 7gal. plastic teardrop shaped vessels that isolate the heavy lees to eliminate racking and air contact from the must. It will be an experiment using some inexpensive grape juice.

I got the 12 gallons of Chenin Blanc and two packets of K1-V1116 all put up and ready to go. One is 23 Brix and the other 22 Brix. It is interesting that the two jugs are one Brix apart. I put wine preservative gas in the headspace and it is bubbling away at 60 degrees F.

 

[Billpizzaiolo]

This is one of the setups for wine tasting we used at CUVEE.


And this is what one of the classrooms looked like: