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Was out training some grapevines in my new vineyard should have a nice yield of grapes out there next year
 
Wasn't sure where to post this, so here goes. As I mentioned, I hit a few local wineries yesterday. Two, I've been to before and enjoyed. The third was recommended by a co-worker (its called 8 Chains North). Unlike a lot of commercial wineries in this area, this one wasn't afraid to source fruit from out of state. As luck would have it, they were pouring their 2014 Chardonnay and 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon from Yakima Valley. They were both great, but I think the Cab needs a little more resting time. I took a bottle of it home to test my theory. ;) I'll probably go back there to sample some of their other stuff that wasn't on the menu yesterday. I've heard they produced a Spanish Tempranillo a few years ago that is fantastic, but running very low in supply.
 
ordering 10,000 labels for the wine bottles and taking Dan's advice and looking for a trip to Geneva Ohio to tour the wineries. But first, we have to paint the deck this weekend....
 
Heading to Crownsville, MD to the Kegs & Corks Fest with my wife and my youngest son (who just turned 21). This will be our 4th time there and his 1st time at a wine festival.......... we'll see how it goes.
 
Making an all grain batch of beer. Two in two weeks, think I'm getting sick or something. Wine has taken over since March.

Making a wheat beer base (about 1/2 pale ale malt, 1/2 torrefied wheat) and will add the 1/2 f-pack that came with my Orchard Breezin Raspberry Rapture kit I never used. Also adding some frozen blackberries after cooling but before pitching the yeast. (did soak blackberries in 165*F water in hopes of killing off any nasties that might have survived freezing).

Will be curious to see if it has enough berry flavor or if I have to add some raspberry extract before bottling. First attempt at a berry beer.
 
Well I haven't checked in for a while. I've been busy trying to finish some home projects before my return to work. I'm back to work as of last week for the first time since my brain surgery in March. It's good to be back (Not). :)
But I did get to bottle my Petite Syrah form last fall that spent a few months in the barrel and racked my Chilean Syrah from the spring my first MLF.
 
Realizing that my idle time is going to fast disappear, I racked the Forza kit and plan on doing the same for the Sangiovese kit after I get a carboy cleaned up. In between we had dinner and I have to waste 30 minutes until I pick up my daughter at field hockey practice. Meanwhile my wife is attending #3's back to school night (I did that for the oldest last night). And school starts tomorrow!

So I'm on morning "get them up/fed/lunches packed/to the bus stop" duty. Sigh...it was nice going into work early and getting home early. Back to the 9 to 5+ gig, which leaves less time for wine making during the week (but plenty for sampling, that's what I'm worried about, diminishing inventory).

Will get even more interesting next week when my wife goes back to school in the evenings.
 
Glad things went well and hope you back to your old self!

Well I haven't checked in for a while. I've been busy trying to finish some home projects before my return to work. I'm back to work as of last week for the first time since my brain surgery in March. It's good to be back (Not). :)
But I did get to bottle my Petite Syrah form last fall that spent a few months in the barrel and racked my Chilean Syrah from the spring my first MLF.
 
Finished cleaning the LAST of the bottles today! 22 cases all together. Most of them are easy peasy my own peel off laser label that comes right off with about a 3 hour soak in hot water with Oxyclean. Each year the bottle supply seems to go up in quality. So many new bottles were added this year that I think it might be time to go through the wine shed and "shed" some of those bottles I took in when I was desperate. Many with labels that would take 20 mins of scraping to remove etc.

Speaking of bottles it really does make a difference it seems with the cost of the bottle of wine and the ease of label removal. Direct correlation between ease of removal and the cost of the bottle of wine in other words.

I love the ones that just magically float to the top of the tub after about an hour of soaking or peel off with just the slightest pull without the use of a scraper at all.

Its the simple things in life that make you the happiest it seems! LOL
 
doing some bench testing on the Raspberry blush. Ordered 10,000 labels today, and maybe the printer and take up reel tomorrow. I seem to be spending money like a drunken sailor....
 
Just made the executive decision to take a half day vacation today. I have 3 day at the end of this month off, the last week of the year off and I still have 11 days to schedule. Good problem to have seeing how there are only 4 more months of the year..
 
Heading out to pick up a bucket of CA pinot grigio, wanted to get a white started, I got the itch!
 
finished making an apple pie, obligation to apple pick is now complete!!!!!!!!!! Now for some winemaking with the rest of the apples
 
Spent the morning getting wet in downtown St. Charles MO. There is a early craft show called Festival of the Little Hills, usually my wife and I are out of town this weekend, but this year, we took vacation a bit earlier, so we got to go. Weather forecast has been no rain, clear skies, great day. We get down there and it poured off and on all morning. Did get some neat stuff though. A great looking two-seater rocking glider with a table between the two people and some cute stones with grandkids names on them.

When we got home and dried off I was able to convince SWMBO that it was time to bottle a few carboys, prior to fall grapes getting here soon. So now I am sitting on our deck, contemplating life and what color to stain the glider, drinking the dregs of some black forest port, some chianti and my red mountain cab (which I understand is about the last of the ones anyone was able to purchase). It is all pretty tasty, or maybe I have had a bit much.
 

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