Suisun Valley Petite Sirah

[Wade E]

Picked up my 108 lbs of Petite Sirah today and just finished crushing and cleaning up. I havent adjusted the PH and TA yet as Im letting the enzymes do some work first but I did check them just to see and they were PH 3.63 and TA .59 which should be easily adjusted.

 

[Runningwolf]

Wade pretty cool pics. Looks like you're having fun with the new toys and putting them to good use. I couldn't help noticing those nice plastic containers the grapes came in. Do you get to keep those? I have several like that and use them for bottling. Especially with your vino gravity filler you can put all of your empty bottles in the crate and just go from one bottle to the next and get all 30 done then go back and cork. At least thats works for me with that filler.

 

[robie]

Wow! There is something besides women that can be gorgeous! Those look great.

Keep us posted, as I enjoy PS.

 

[Wade E]

Yep, get to keep them but when using the auto filler along with the pump I can cork the fisrt bottle while the second is filling so need for them nor do I need anymore stuff down there as im limited as it is.

 

[grapeman]

Collapse them down Wade and they are only an inch and a half tall. Don't throw them out, they cost $10-12 each to buy plus shipping!

 

[Wade E]

Would you like them Rich, Id gladly send them out to you, I sure dont need them.

 

[Rock]

Wade nice grapes saw those yesterday. Good luck.

 

[Rock]

Wade are you sure these grapes are from Lanza vineyard?All my grapes from Lanza have Lanza lables only and they pack their own grapes.Not by delta packing.

 

[Wade E]

Not sure as I was just going by what Tess at Maltose told me. Either way Im fine with it as ZI know Suisan is one of the better places. What were yours last year and what yeast did you use on yours as Im hoping mine comes out 1/2 as good as yours did. Ill be getting a barrel soon.

 

[Rock]

That wine was 2008 Paso robles,pastur red yeast.Im sure your wine will come just as good.Good luck

 

[Wade E]

You were right as I went to Maltose today to get some Sodium Hydroxide and they are not Lanza. Suisun Valley is all they know about them. I have no idea where I got the idea they were Lanza, maybe its all Lee's emails about him coming last night to Marissa's in Trumbull. Maltoses Paso Robles hasnt even come in yet. They were a little more pricier so they have to be a little better. Final numbers on the grapes after recalibrating and with new solution and adjusting are 3.55 ph and .64 ta with a Brix of 25

 

[ellijaywinemaker]

Collapse them down Wade and they are only an inch and a half tall. Don't throw them out, they cost $10-12 each to buy plus shipping!

Have to say you are very lucky that is an awsome vinyard

 

[Wade E]

Checked the sg this morning and .991 was the reading so pressed and got 4.75 gallons of free run juice and another 1.5 gallons of lightly pressed juice. I added the .25 of pressed juice to the other and have another gallon jug and a 750ml bottle. I added Wyeast liquid MLF tp them just a little while ago and will add some pics in a few but left the camera dowstairs and my backs killing me now.

 

[Wade E]

I must say who ever designed these presses really needs to rethink their work! Why in Gods name isnt it at least tall enough to put a 5 gallon bucket underneath!!!!!!!!!!!! I put the press on my roll around fermenting table so that I could put a bucket under the press to catch the juice. If not making the press tall enough to do so they should at least sell something like they do for woodworking equipment to roll this around and make it tall enough to do so. Ill have to make something out of wood for just this.

 

[Runningwolf]

Looks good Wade. You certainly don't have much room for error if that press moves just a few inches one way or another before it falls off the table.

 

[KevininPa]

Looks awesome Wade. Beautiful dark color. Are you planning on using this as a single varietal or blending some into other stuff?

 

[Rock]

Looking good Wade i could almost taste it.Just innuculated 50 gallons of P.S yesterday as well.

 

[Wade E]

This stuff is about as dark as dark can get!!!! Dan, I was holding the press the entire time. Keeping it just the way it is, no blending here.

 

[mmadmikes1]

Tis the season to be jolly. gota love October. Tomorrow leaving for Cal for more grapes. Is there a procedure to crush and de-stem then freeze. I have never done this before and I am going to have way more grapes by end of week than I can handled

 

[JohnT]

Tis the season to be jolly. gota love October. Tomorrow leaving for Cal for more grapes. Is there a procedure to crush and de-stem then freeze. I have never done this before and I am going to have way more grapes by end of week than I can handled

I am a little confused here. You have more grapes than you can handle, but not too much to fit in a freezer???

My adivse is to skip the freezing, buy more containers (Carboys or Demijohns) and crush/destem without freezing.

johnT.