Short Primary Fermentation Italian American Tradition?

[Siwash]

Yeah, they do that in Naples... and surrounding..

 

[Flufnagel]

a village that he pronounced what sounded like (phonetically) Kami-yan. I am probably slaughtering the name, but Poppy's accent was fairly heavy.

Camigliano most likely?

https://goo.gl/maps/6pjhyJ1qb2LruE9KA
Press the speaker button on this page to hear it:
https://translate.google.com/?sl=it&tl=es&text=camigliano&op=translate

 

[Rocky]

Camigliano most likely?

https://goo.gl/maps/6pjhyJ1qb2LruE9KA
Press the speaker button on this page to hear it:
https://translate.google.com/?sl=it&tl=es&text=camigliano&op=translate

Thank you, thank you, thank you! I am sure you are correct because knowing how my relatives spoke, they probably dropped the final 'o' and were saying 'Camiglian.' I am truly grateful.

 

[Flufnagel]

Thank you, thank you, thank you! I am sure you are correct because knowing how my relatives spoke, they probably dropped the final 'o' and were saying 'Camiglian.' I am truly grateful.

Post pics when you visit!

 

[winemaker81]

Thank you, thank you, thank you! I am sure you are correct because knowing how my relatives spoke, they probably dropped the final 'o' and were saying 'Camiglian.' I am truly grateful.

I have stated numerous times that I learn something new weekly on this forum -- it's not all grape/wine related!

Years ago a person of Italian heritage told me that NO ONE in Italy cuts the vowels off the end of word. I didn't argue with him, as it was pointless (pig/mud/wrestling), but it's pleasing to know where Rocco immigrated from.

 

[distancerunner]

My grandparents immigrated from Calabria, Napoli, and Abruzzi (which is now Abruzzo).

I was twenty years old before I found out there is an "o" at the end of prosciutto.

Still call it pro-zhoot.

 

[Rocky]

My grandparents immigrated from Calabria, Napoli, and Abruzzi (which is now Abruzzo).

I was twenty years old before I found out there is an "o" at the end of prosciutto.

Still call it pro-zhoot.

Thanks, DR. I laughed out loud with that one!

I was surprised years ago when I went to the deli and asked for a pound of "gabba gool" and when I looked into the meat case and saw capicola I thought the store had misspelled the word.

My bride's family are from all over Italy; Calabria (where she gets her capa d'osteo ), Abruzzi and way up north near Austria, Trentino Alto Adige. Her grandmother on her father's side spoke both Italian and German.

 

[tullamore]

ahhh the lovely italian spinoff words
my mother is from cosenza-Calabira - my father from Palermo Sicily
i'm the youngest of five - all born in Italy - i was born in Canada
brother in laws, sister in laws - different parts of italy - all different dialects
different ways of cooking, etc...
but this is true
all that came to Canada started to use the Itallian slang - espres, gabba gool, etc... english/Itali
my uncles, aunts, cousins that live in Itay use the correct dialect
which is beautiful -half the time i have idea what they are saying - and vice versus

 

[Rocky]

Post pics when you visit!

We don't stay in the South, rather we stay in Tuscany, near the city of Pienza. It is conveniently located between Montalcino (Brunello) and Montepulciano (Vino Nobile) and we love the area. The place we rent is in the small village of Castelmuzio. Our apartment was on the second floor of the middle (stucco) and the left (stone) buildings. We had a kitchen, living room, two bedrooms and large bath and we had access to the rooftop in the center with the pink flowers. As close to heaven as I'll ever get!


Here is another view of the front. The door on the left was our entry and access to the stairwell to the second floor. (These are shots from the internet, not taken by us. And, no, those are not our bikes.)

 

[sour_grapes]

I was surprised years ago when I went to the deli and asked for a pound of "gabba gool"

In my neck of the woods (growing up), we all said "gabba gool."

 

[Dustwheel]

I grew up with both sides Italian - my mother born in Napoli and dad in Reggio Calabria. He made wine similar to the method that the OP stated. Only a few days. Up here in Toronto, with a massive Italian immigrant community, they used to sell fresh Cali grapes at many of the local grocery stores.

My dad used to call most commercial wine as "black wine". Southern Italians like lighter colored wines. Even back in italy as I've been many times. It's strong (alcohol) but fruit forward and light colored. They always said the dark wines would be too heavy for the warmer climate they experienced and brought this mentality to North America.

Also my dad NEVER bought yeast. Always wild/indigenous yeast. The only thing he did was to add K-meta after fermentation was complete. His friends wouldn't even do that. They said it should be "natural"

In terms of quality, some years it was okay other years it tasted like...nonno's homemade (ie not so good!!)

They often bought lugs of Grenache a and Alicante or caringan. Those seems to be the grapes of choice.
Sterilization and sanitation? Good ol hot water!

Good memories - as now he's looking down on me from above as I make my wines...

Thanks Siwash, can't tell you how much I enjoyed your post! That is exactly how I feel about the wine that I make. Funny, Grenache and Mixed Black (Alicante/Carignan) 65%/35% is my blend. It produces a ruby colored wine. My family immigrated from Basilicata and my grandfather was quite a well-known character actor by the name of Jay Novello. Anyway, he was the quintessential Italian in the old radio and TV shows. Thank you for your post. It made my day. Salute and God bless!

 

[justsgm]

My father's side was from Avelino where Tony Soprano was from. I started helping my grandfather make wine 50 years ago. His blend was mixed black, Alicante, Carignan or Zin and always 1 box of white Muscat. I still make a barrel of that every year. We call it the Old School Italian blend. My grandfather never used yeast, meta or measured anything. His wine was wildly inconsistent. Great one year and terrible the next. I always say, anyone can make great wine once. I always measure brix, ph, use cultured yeast and SO2. Consistency is the key.

 

[wineview]

Thanks, DR. I laughed out loud with that one!

I was surprised years ago when I went to the deli and asked for a pound of "gabba gool" and when I looked into the meat case and saw capicola I thought the store had misspelled the word.

My bride's family are from all over Italy; Calabria (where she gets her capa d'osteo ), Abruzzi and way up north near Austria, Trentino Alto Adige. Her grandmother on her father's side spoke both Italian and German.

Gabba gool? Spend time in Brooklyn?

 

[Nebbiolo020]

Situation normal!


@Trevisan's story stirred a memory. In the mid-80's I got know the owner of a LHBS (in which I later became partner) and through him I met a lot of guys of Italian extraction (Utica & Rome, NY). They purchased grapes by train from CA, and since I lived just a few blocks from the LHBS, I ended up helping with unloading, and got to know some of the guys.

Everyone had their own recipe -- 1 guy made straight Zin, everyone else made a blend, e.g., X boxes Zin, Y boxes Muscat, etc. Some destemmed, others did not. The Zin guy fermented on stems for 1 week, pressed and let settle for 3 weeks, racked again and aged for 3 months, then bottled. His wines were raw and tannic, and for the longest time I assumed that was the character of Zinfandel. [I didn't try a commercial Zin for at least 10 years after that.]

Another guy fermented on stems but pressed after 4 days, then followed the 1-3-3 spacing. I didn't see him again until the follow spring, and his wine was far better. Not knowing much at the time, I assumed it was because his blend included other grapes (probably 75% Zin).

@Dustwheel, my guess is the 4 day ferment before pressing was to reduce tannin. This will produce a lighter wine that is palatable sooner, which is among the reasons the second guy in my story produced a much more palatable wine. [It helped that we were not drinking it in January.]

BTW -- there's only 1 primary fermentation. Pressing in the middle of that reduces the extraction from the pomace, but it's all just one ferment. If the wine tastes dry when done, then there's no sugar left. Secondary fermentation refers to malolactic fermentation.

I love Zinfandel it’s my favorite grape to work with, I like a short maceration with enzymes at a cool temp and then I start the fermentation, I find this rounds out the wine and makes it smoother less aggressive and less jammy. Everyone who has tried my Zinfandel has been asking for a case of it so I’m doing a huge batch this year because i ran out of the 150 bottles I made last year.

Looking at close to 200 gallons of Zinfandel this year.

 

[Nebbiolo020]

My father's side was from Avelino where Tony Soprano was from. I started helping my grandfather make wine 50 years ago. His blend was mixed black, Alicante, Carignan or Zin and always 1 box of white Muscat. I still make a barrel of that every year. We call it the Old School Italian blend. My grandfather never used yeast, meta or measured anything. His wine was wildly inconsistent. Great one year and terrible the next. I always say, anyone can make great wine once. I always measure brix, ph, use cultured yeast and SO2. Consistency is the key.

My family members/ancestors were from the Liguria region of Italy.