What R you doing today?

[crushday]

Sounds like its too late since you are using last years wine but I made a Zinfandel Port a few years ago from fresh grapes. If you step feed the must as its fermenting you can get the ABV up until the yeast craps out. The higher you get it the less brandy you need. Brandy can thin out the mouthfeel IMHO. Its still good but as you say different. I back sweetened with some of that Alexander's Zinfandel juice in the can.

Mike, that’s a great idea. I ordered a small batch of Zin that won’t be picked until October. I like your idea and even using the Alexanders… What was your oak solution?

 

[ibglowin]

I put the wine in one of my neutral 23L Vadai's for like 6MO and added French Oak stave to it. Once out of the barrel I moved back to carboy and then added a bit more oak over time as the oak fell back. I bottled at 2 years.

 

[crushday]

I put the wine in one of my neutral 23L Vadai's for like 6MO and added French Oak stave to it. Once out of the barrel I moved back to carboy and then added a bit more oak over time as the oak fell back. I bottled at 2 years.

View attachment 77193

This is just one more occasion that I wish we could ship/trade each other wine. Dang…

I love those Balto bottles. I’d like to get some for a ”Reserve” I’ll bottle soon to help visually set it a part. Can’t find any without needing to buy a quantity that far exceeds my needs.

Nice label too!

 

[bstnh1]

Continuing to dress some bottles of wine - 2020 Port. Drinkable now but going to get WAY better in time! 375ml bottles. Just noticed that I’m terrible at putting the labels on straight! Lol…

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I find that if I sit on a chair, stool, etc. with the bottles on a counter or table at eye level, it makes getting the labels straight a lot easier.

 

[ibglowin]

Well technically many of us ship "steak marinade" all over the US without any issues so.......

Once it cools down!

That Balto bottle was a one off that I recycled from Sparkman..... Too good not to re-use!

https://sparkmancellars.orderport.net/product-details/0628/2016-Hallelujah-Port

This is just one more occasion that I wish we could ship/trade each other wine. Dang…

I love those Balto bottles. I’d like to get some for a ”Reserve” I’ll bottle soon to help visually set it a part. Can’t find any without needing to buy a quantity that far exceeds my needs.

Nice label too!

 

[bstnh1]

This is just one more occasion that I wish we could ship/trade each other wine. Dang…

I love those Balto bottles. I’d like to get some for a ”Reserve” I’ll bottle soon to help visually set it a part. Can’t find any without needing to buy a quantity that far exceeds my needs.

Nice label too!

This place looks like you can order just once case if you want.
Balto-0572-FL

 

[winemaker81]

For increased body, add glycerin. Other than that, all sounds good to me.

 

[cmason1957]

With the shape of that label I think getting them straight would be extremely difficult.

Or you could be like me and not so perfection centered. It's kinda, mostly, well almost straight. Be glad it isn't upside down and shut up, you paid nothing for that wine. But that's just me.

 

[winemaker81]

Here's an option:

https://www.durafastlabel.com/disco...m_term=4576785881230747&utm_content=Catch All

 

[Boatboy24]

Sounds like its too late since you are using last years wine but I made a Zinfandel Port a few years ago from fresh grapes. If you step feed the must as its fermenting you can get the ABV up until the yeast craps out. The higher you get it the less brandy you need. Brandy can thin out the mouthfeel IMHO. Its still good but as you say different. I back sweetened with some of that Alexander's Zinfandel juice in the can.

I'll give Mike a "+1" on this. The last Port I did was a blueberry port from fresh blueberries. I step fed until it crapped out and fortified with with brandy. Back sweetened with a combination of Merlot and Blueberry concentrates. It's still drinking great after 8+ years. Definitely think concentrate is the way to go with sweetening, as it won't water down the fruit/grape flavors.

 

[Noontime]

I put together a new label for bottles to be gifted this year. For years I've played with incorporating the idea of drinking alcohol from a paper bag into a wine label, lowbrow and humorous vs a snobby wine take. It clicked a while back that most grocery bags are made from "brown kraft" paper so I threw a play on our name into the mix. Lastly, as a way to have a master bag, I made a "receipt" to slip into the bag that I can customize for my different wines. A little labor intensive to do so it's just for gift bottles. Bags and Rubber stamp ordered online. Receipt printed at home, cut in inserted as needed.
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This is absolutely fantastic. Love it, and as others said... so well executed. Well done!

 

[Noontime]

Continuing to dress some bottles of wine - 2020 Port. Drinkable now but going to get WAY better in time! 375ml bottles. Just noticed that I’m terrible at putting the labels on straight! Lol…

View attachment 77183

Beautiful labels, they look fantastic. The shape makes it difficult to even use a jig of some kind to keep them straight, but perhaps you could use the liner to help. If you're able to cut a true rectangle around each label (so the corners are 90 deg and everything is truly square in relation to the label), you can line up the edge of the liner to the seam of the bottle. Just release half the label and fold it under so half the label is exposed, line the liner up with the seam, attach the exposed side to the bottle, then pull the rest of the liner out from underneath.

 

[bstnh1]

I put together a new label for bottles to be gifted this year. For years I've played with incorporating the idea of drinking alcohol from a paper bag into a wine label, lowbrow and humorous vs a snobby wine take. It clicked a while back that most grocery bags are made from "brown kraft" paper so I threw a play on our name into the mix. Lastly, as a way to have a master bag, I made a "receipt" to slip into the bag that I can customize for my different wines. A little labor intensive to do so it's just for gift bottles. Bags and Rubber stamp ordered online. Receipt printed at home, cut in inserted as needed.
View attachment 77097

Yep! That's very ..ummmmmm ...crafty!

 

[mainshipfred]

Received my RO/DI system today. Hook up looks pretty simple. Even though I bought it for myself my son has salt water aquariums so he'll get more use out of it than me.

https://www.amazon.com/Express-Wate...9Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=

 

[crushday]

Started a chromatography test last night - it completed today. These are wines for single variety and blending with this years’ vintage.

I have a Merlot, Cab Sauv, Syrah (Shiraz*) and Carignan. Getting Cab Franc and Petite Sirah in a couple of weeks and a small amount of Zin and Petit Verdot. *Shiraz and Syrah is the same thing. The Shiraz is from Knights Valley in California so I’m not sure why it’s labeled as such…



lol…and, in case you’re questioning my ability to use a straight edge ruler, the line is straight. The overall image is evidence of my inability to hold the results against the window (left hand) and take the the image (phone in right hand) - all without getting my fingers in the mix…

 

[crushday]

I barrelled the Knights Valley Syrah today. Really going be to an awesome wine.

Here’s one of the topping bottles that I know I’ll need for the next 18 months.

 

[Jim Welch]

Smoking salmon fillets is something I’ve been wanting to do and finally did it, yesterday actually but got busy afterwards and forgot to post these.

 

[mainshipfred]

Going to try my luck with a Low Country boil. Had a rough time finding the Zatarian spices. Bought 3 boil in a bag seasonings, 2 small bottles of oil and going to throw in some old bay. Also going to season with lemons, oranges and garlic. Surely hope it turns out because I'm probably making too much.

 

[cmason1957]

This is the view my wife and I have this week. When we are not on the boat fishing. Very windy today, gusts 25-35 mph, so we are sitting and reading this afternoon.
We are at Long Lake, near Vergas, MN for a week of chill and relax.

 

[ibglowin]

Finally the rain Gods smiled down upon us.........

View attachment D58D97E9-96FC-46FD-9EA3-CE5FF109A46D.mov