What R you doing today?

[Boatboy24]

Kids are off today and with the shutdown still rolling on, we've been asked to take a few days of PTO this quarter. I'm happy to oblige. My oldest ended up over at a friend's for the night and will be gone most of today. So my youngest and I are hitting a movie this morning and going out to lunch. Good times!

 

[Chuck E]

Well it was very interesting and longer than I expected. We spent 3 ½ hours tasting and talking about wine making. In a nut shell he was very complimentary about my basic wine making and science skills. What he said I should consider improving is the artistic side. Mostly making post fermentation adjustment earlier in the process. However he would always reinforce it’s a style thing and his may be different from mine both in taste and procedure but there are basics I should follow.

He suggested adjusting the acid and S02 immediately after MLF and always adjust acid before adding tannins. I can’t remember why but he related it to construction in you can’t build a wall before the foundation because it can’t be supported.

P.S. there was no spitting, in fact just the opposite. Addition samples of several of the wines were poured. Afterward we opened a bottle of the Norton blend and sat and chatted. Next will be a private barrel tasting of his 2017 and 2018’s.

Sounds like you had a great experience.

Did he give you a protocol for doing the TA / tannins adjustments?

 

[mainshipfred]

Sounds like you had a great experience.

Did he give you a protocol for doing the TA / tannins adjustments?

Don't even bring up TA with him, I know this from the past and it has been a heated debate on the forum, he only deals with ph. His ph protocol is pour 4 glasses with one being the base add differing amounts of tartaric to each one and taste and make additional adjustments if needed. Once you find one you think you like measure the ph, calculate the amount needed for your bulk volume and add half that amount. As far as tannins it is half the recomended package dosage.

 

[mainshipfred]

Kids are off today and with the shutdown still rolling on, we've been asked to take a few days of PTO this quarter. I'm happy to oblige. My oldest ended up over at a friend's for the night and will be gone most of today. So my youngest and I are hitting a movie this morning and going out to lunch. Good times!

Lucky!

 

[Boatboy24]

Don't even bring up TA with him, I know this from the past and it has been a heated debate on the forum, he only deals with ph. His ph protocol is pour 4 glasses with one being the base add differing amounts of tartaric to each one and taste and make additional adjustments if needed. Once you find one you think you like measure the ph, calculate the amount needed for your bulk volume and add half that amount.

THat's the 'art' part. Find what you like and measure that. Then aim for that when adjusting. Don't target a particular number just because you read that. I'm guilty of doing it, but I've had red wines that I really like pushing 3.9, and others at 3.7, that I find 'come alive' at 3.4 or 3.5.

 

[cmason1957]

I have gone to the worry about pH only school of thought as well. It seems to get me to the taste I want. I don't spit for specific numbers, what tastes good and what tastes good to my wife.

 

[Jal5]

Racked my Chilean juice Sangiovese today. Tastes pretty good for a wine that started bulk aging last May. Will probably bottle at 12 months.

 

[ceeaton]

Kids are off today and with the shutdown still rolling on, we've been asked to take a few days of PTO this quarter. I'm happy to oblige. My oldest ended up over at a friend's for the night and will be gone most of today. So my youngest and I are hitting a movie this morning and going out to lunch. Good times!

It's good that you are independently wealthy and can weather rough times like this, or was that a go fund me page I saw with your name on it?

 

[Boatboy24]

It's good that you are independently wealthy and can weather rough times like this, or was that a go fund me page I saw with your name on it?

Well, I was 'retired' for a bit, as you know.

 

[ceeaton]

Just got off the phone with my best friend from college. Been six years since we last spoke (I actually thought he was pissed at me, left messages and never got a call back). It made my day, week, month and year (I know, it's only January). Have cell numbers now, plan on a mini reunion this Spring. Don't know if I'll be able to fall a sleep for a while tonight, so might as well go grab another beer or three...

 

[olusteebus]

Spent time cleaning bottles getting ready to bottle a merlot. Then realized I had no corks. It just seems like, if you pay $190 for a kit, they would supply the corks. I guess not!

 

[ceeaton]

Unfortunately I had to shovel when I got home. Earlier today, after about an inch of snow, it abruptly stopped. I looked at the radar and said "yeah, I'm good". Started snowing pretty hard on the way home, enough to make the roads a mess. Back edge of the snow is approaching quickly, then it gets cold (but not as cold as I'm seeing in the midwest).

Went to my favorite garden center today and found out, but accident, that every Tuesday is "senior discount day". Got an unexpected 20% off some seed starting supplies. It's nice to be old, some days (I sure don't feel like a senior).

 

[George Stauffer Jr]

Got more to handle today than I have time. So why am I typing? Procrastination. Had a threat of a freeze here in Lower Alabama so yesterday I had to pick 2 bushels of satsumas so they wouldn't be ruined. Now I'm trying to come up with a Berry/Satsuma wine recipe. I have a 6 gallon batch of Dragons Blood I racked to a Carboy yesterday and had planned on starting another one today. On top of that I have 5 gallons of Irish Red beer in a carboy working. Think I need to do an empty bottle inventory.

 

[ceeaton]

Got more to handle today than I have time. So why am I typing? Procrastination. Had a threat of a freeze here in Lower Alabama so yesterday I had to pick 2 bushels of satsumas so they wouldn't be ruined. Now I'm trying to come up with a Berry/Satsuma wine recipe. I have a 6 gallon batch of Dragons Blood I racked to a Carboy yesterday and had planned on starting another one today. On top of that I have 5 gallons of Irish Red beer in a carboy working. Think I need to do an empty bottle inventory.

I think a large member @Johnd had a stab at Satsuma wine, not too sure he liked it so much, but maybe he could give you some tip as to what not to do. I think adding the berries might be a good start of what to do.

https://www.winemakingtalk.com/threads/satsuma-wine.54952/page-2#post-691619

 

[George Stauffer Jr]

Thanks, I need all the help I can get. My first attempt at satsuma wine some 12 years ago went down the drain. I made another batch 2 years ago and the flavors not bad but it came out way to sweet. I thought I had the SG perfect but evidently I didn't. I've wondered if anybody has even open all their bottles, put them back in a fermenter or carboy and added yeast. A do-over. Sounds crazy but if that doesn't work it's going down the drain also.

 

[Johnd]

I think a large member @Johnd had a stab at Satsuma wine, not too sure he liked it so much, but maybe he could give you some tip as to what not to do. I think adding the berries might be a good start of what to do.

https://www.winemakingtalk.com/threads/satsuma-wine.54952/page-2#post-691619

Indeed, the only batch I’ve ever dumped. 6 gallons, crystal clear, good numbers, tasted poorly. The orange flavors were fine, just couldn’t shake the bitterness from the skins. I don’t mean the peel, they were peeled, but that skin was just something I couldn’t overcome. Had I pressed the fruit after peeling it and fermented the juice (like a white wine) the result may have been vastly improved.

 

[George Stauffer Jr]

I also peeled my first batch then crushed the pieces,that's probably where I went wrong. My 2nd batch I cut them in half and squeezed them into satsuma juice. That one was not bitter, just way to sweet. Gonna try one more time but this time I'm making a 5 gallon batch and adding blackberries and blueberries (because I've got'em). Hoping they'll temper the flavor. I'm gonna make sure I check ALL my readings twice this time. What do think of that combo?

 

[cmason1957]

Having a no fun decision. My Golden Retriever was diagnosed with lymphoma back in July. We decided not to treat, just keep him drugged when we had to. Today it became apparent that it was time to help him crossed the rainbow Bridge. His Kyl notes had grown to the size of softballs in his neck and he was miserable, but even this morning, he wanted to bring in the newspaper for me, always his job. He was a great dig and I was glad to have him for almost 10 years.

 

[ibglowin]

So very sorry for your loss. As another owner of Golden Retriever's I feel your pain. We lost our first Golden to cancer at only 7 years. Then we doubled down and now have 2 Golden's that are both in the Morris Animal Foundation Golden Retriever Lifetime Study. 3000 Golden's that will be followed from life until they die in hopes of figuring out why cancer has decimated this wonderful breed of dog.

Hugs to you and your wife. At least you got 10 years. Whatever you get its never enough I know full well.

 

[cmason1957]

Thanks for the kind words. Goldens are among the best dogs when you have kids. This was my third one. Only time he ever came close to snapping at a child was when the grandson was stepping over him and fell on him. He hoped and almost snarled, then for this horrible guilty look on his face and ran away. No I wasn't mad at him. He will be sorely missed. But it will be a long time before we get another dog. Thanks for helping to figure out why these gentle giants get cancer at such a high rate.