What's in your glass tonight?

[geek]

To end the night with a good tone.

 

[jswordy]

Pre-destruction photo of our traditional Christmas dinner of Cornish game hens, green beans and sweet corn casserole, featuring Excelsior in the glass (Wine Enthusiast Top 100 of 2020).



Last night, I opened the first bottle of Southern Belle (Spanish Syrah and Monastrell aged in Pappy Van Winkle barrels) at a wonderful party with friends. Absolute silk and velvet. There is not a sharp, acidic or alcoholic tone in it. DNS!

 

[winemaker81]

We hosted Christmas Eve dinner for our children and my wife's parents. We served the Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon I made for our younger son's wedding reception last year.



These wines were started in September 2020 and were a big hit at the reception at 14 months old. The Cab is holding up really well, but the Chardonnay is in decline. It's still good but not as good as it was a year ago. My son commented that it did the intended job and he was ok with that, and I agree.

I'll make Winexpert whites again, but will plan on using them while relatively young. Note that the 2020 Sauvignon Blanc I made from CA juice is also in decline. Most whites don't last like a red, so I typically drink 'em young, anyway.

After dinner we enjoyed a Sauternes. While my wife didn't like it (she rarely likes a sweet wine), my sons and d-in-l liked it (d-in-l prefers wines that are off-dry).

 

[winemaker81]

We hosted Christmas Day dinner for our children, featuring the typical roast turkey.

We had leftover MacGregor Blanc de Blancs from yesterday (my son & I enjoyed a glass after hours of making ravioli), FWK Tavola Pinot Noir, and my younger son brought a Starrlight Meadery Traditional Semi-Sweet Mead, which went very well with the turkey.



Post-dinner, the sons & I sampled the bottles we exchanged.



Note that "samples" are about 1/3 of a shot, as we needed to stay sober.

 

[ibglowin]

The soldiers from last night's Christmas dinner reporting for duty this AM. While both wines were excellent, the Gorman Zac's Ladder (Red Mountain) was the clear table favorite and about 50% less than The L'Ecole Ferguson (Walla Walla Valley). Both were 2014 year models.

 

[Hazelemere]

2022 Tripleberry Cassis Port

6lbs frozen wild blackberries thawed in cane sugar for 48 hours
6lbs frozen organic homegrown raspberries thawed in cane sugar for 48 hours
1lb dried elderberries (This year they were Bulgarian, last year from Orgeon)
6 medium toast American oak cubes/Imperial gallon of wine
1 Imperial gallon of water for each 6 lbs raspberries or blackberries
3lbs cane sugar for each 1 Imperial gallon of water. Starting SG doesn't matter much because every time the wine goes to SG 1.010 I add more and stir it in to alcohol ~15% and then switch from cane sugar to dextrose which has a much better aftertaste than cane sugar.
pectic enzyme
yeast nutrient
Lalvine Bayanus EC1118 yeast
Added 1 Imperial gallon of water to each 6 lbs fruit.
Added 1 bottle of French Cassis liqueur to a 5 gallon carboy at ~17-18% alcohol

Fermented for 6 days active ferment then pressed through a hydraulic bladder press to get rid of seeds at about 5% alcohol (I could have used old panty hose)
Racked off of sludge every time I got about 1 inch.
Started adding dextrose to 17-18% alcohol and then added cassis and oak cubes to soak for ~90-120 days.

This glass is the leftovers from 1 Imperial gallon that I bottled today (5 1/2) bottles. I'll leave the rest alone to make sure that it has finished dropping sediment before I bottle the rest.

This is the second time I've made it. Here are my comments:

SG is 1.020

Smell - rich, complex, smoky and very fruity

Colour - purple red

Flavour - delicious fruit port (I'm not saying it because I made it) I'm saying it because it is true. This is as good as the best fruit ports I've ever made and this recipe is a no brainer keeper. Should be good with Xmas fruit pies, tarts including mincemeat, Xmas cake and shortbread. I'm tempted to try it with pears to make poached pears or pineapple on Haagen Dasz vanilla ice cream.

Next time I'll make its cousin 2023 Tripleberry Chambord Port which is different but potentially just as good.

The secret to making this is that the blackberries and raspberries have to be as ripe as possible with lowest acid, best smell and flavour. Adding dried elderberries and American oak makes a huge difference to depth of flavour and smell.

I don't add any sulphite until the ferment stops to keep the yeast alive and strong. I use about 60-70 ppm sulphite in total.


Merry Xmas everyone

PS I never add acid or tannin and use Bayanus yeast because it can take 18% alcohol which is what I want.

I just bottled the rest of this ~16 bottles.
i.e. 1lb dried elderberries per carboy.
What makes this IMHO is the dried elderberries pressed out after 6 day active ferment together with 90-120 day medium toast American oak. This is delicious IMHO. Dried elderberries are expensive at $20/lb but create beautiful blackberry containing fruit ports. The raspberries have the acid and special smell that the Port needs. The cassis gives a wonderful flavour and smell from black currants.

 

[SeniorHobby]

I'm with the margarita crowd tonight! @ the_rayway and vernsgal, been there, cheers!!

 

[jswordy]

Life is short, drink the good wine. My last bottle of Pedestal Merlot. I hope we meet again.

 

[geek]

Sauvignon Blanc kit made a couple years ago.

 

[Hazelemere]

The sorcerer's apprentices Lorne and Susan since 1994 came over yesterday and bottled 7 cases of their 2021 wines. All very tasty (their opinion not mine). They are serious winemakers and connoisseurs. I've known them both for over 40 years. They gave me 3 heirloom wines 2 of which I made and 1 of which I made that I will describe here as well as I can because all of you can make it if you want and you get the recipe in total plus plus full tasting notes right here!!!

Tripleberry Infusion Port 2011

"This is caramel city. If I made this style again which I do to age like this I’d drop the sweetness (SG on bottling) because the caramel flavour on long aging ( this wine ~60-65 Fahrenheit for years) is intense and doesn’t need extra sweetness. This is classic old fruit port, smooth not oxidized except for the intense caramel (which comes from ultra-slow sugar oxidation) which is a bonus. This is the best old fruit port that I’ve tasted. I’ll start dropping the sweetness on my fruit ports to go for this caramel magic as they age. This is fruit silk. Good smell. No undesirable oxidation. Caramel is perfect oxidation. Perfect condition. Thank you for this." (email to my soulmates)

Here are my winemaking notes all from 2011 (my wife is a Virgo and thins that I take shitty notes):

September 30 - 24 lbs frozen wild blackberries, 10 lbs homegrown organic frozen raspberries, 15 lbs cane sugar on frozen fruit for 48 hours.

October 2 (48 hours) 5 Imperial gallons of water, 2 tsp yeast nutrient, 2 tsp pectic enzyme. SG 1.102. Bayanus EC 1118 yeast added.

October 4 - stirred SG 1.080, Oct 7 1.050

October 9 - pressed through a hydraulic bladder press at SG 1.030 into glass carboys off seeds and pulp. Added medium toast American oak.

November 17 - SG 1.021 , getting better.

November 18 - added blackberry to SG 1.021.

I blend and blend and blend. In this case I added raspberry to boost the acids.

I make at least 2 fruit ports that I can blend or not. Dead ripe organic raspberries kill in port wine. Wild or organic blackberries also kill. Dried elderberries totally kill. You can hit these ports with high end rum, brandy, cassis or chambord and be famous in your neighbo
rhood.

Namaste

Wild things

Klaus








O

 

[jswordy]

Continuing with the theme, "Life is short, drink the good wine," tonight it will be this. I think @ibglowin will agree it does not suck. A bit early to crack it open here in the Central Time Zone, but getting closer. Oooo, I cannot wait! My last bottle of this. Happy New Year!

 

[jswordy]

Ending the first day of '23 right. Mmm...

 

[ibglowin]

92pts WS. What can I say but DNS! Starting off 2023 right.

 

[vinny]

I'm a little late, this was last night.

I don't remember the last time I was up so late. Tons of fun had by all.

 

[SLM]

 

[geek]

 

[Boatboy24]

View attachment 97038

I'll see you, but I'm not raising.

 

[winemaker81]

Irish Espresso -- 2 cups espresso (espresso-sized cups), 1 shot Tullamore Dew, and whipped cream

 

[vinny]

Irish Espresso -- 2 cups espresso (espresso-sized cups), 1 shot Tullamore Dew, and whipped cream

View attachment 97046

That already looks like another! Maybe a smaller cup would help.

 

[winemaker81]

That already looks like another! Maybe a smaller cup would help.

a smaller cup wouldn't have room for the whipped cream!!!