What's in your glass tonight?

[Charles DeVier]

Just a retired mid-Missouri farm boy here. I grow Concord grapes amoung other things. Tonight, I'm having a bottle of that Concord wine started September 2022. It could age a while longer, but it is very "drinkable" (is that even a word?). I read about Concords being too acidic, too foxy and not enough quality. Ok, but I like it more than any bottle I ever purchased off the shelf.
This wine is a bit too dry for my taste and my wife agrees with that. So I put a little squirt of liquid Stevia in the glass and fill with wine. It is just the right sweetness.
Yes, I could back-sweeten before bottleing, but I do not add any sulphites or other additives. The wine sets in our barn at about 45 degrees F all winter and I will bottle some time next summer after all bubbling has stopped.
Today, in the barn, I have 5 gallons of Concord, 5 gallons of apple and 5 gallons of pear wine, all started last fall.

 

[Hazelemere]

This is Carol's Muscat Dry Auslese 2023 from a carboy in my cooler made from 27% Ortega, 55% Siegerrebe and 18% Reichensteiner homegrown organic at SG 1.093, 1.092 and 1.092 respectively with un-chaptalized juice, bentonite treated mid-ferment with 71B yeast and nutrient. Here are my comments on this wine:

Appearance - clear lemon yellow

Smell - very fragrant muscat similar to Gewurtztraminer

Tannin - fine

Acid - I thought it might be flat from malic acid conversion by 71B yeast but it isn't. Carol my wife says don't mess with it.

Flavour - this is delicious, the best one I've tasted in 10 years. I'll get 40 bottles. If it does go slightly flat I'll bottle 25 of those for Carol and 15 for myself spiked with a tiny bit of citric acid. I'm tempted to leave it until the end of the summer before tasting it again and then bottling it after I adjust the sulphite level and acid. I'll post an image as soon as I have one. The grapes were picked dry, hand destemmed and sorted, undamaged by wasps, mildew or botritis. Just for fun I mixed it 50/50 in a glass with California Chardonnay 2022 from Brehm frozen juice. That is also good with more acid, an interesting Chardonnay-Muscat nose and a good aftertaste. In future if I could I'd make all three 1) Carol's unacidified version 2) my acidified version 3) my version with Chardonnay e.g. Washington Sheridan vineyard Chardonnay in boxes.

retaste. I wanted to rack a glass out of a 25 bottle carboy and looked for a wine that would compliment it. I found my wife's Chenin Blanc Gewurtztraminer 2021 that reeked of Chinese lychees i.e. classic Gewurtztraminer. So I made a blend in a glass of her wine 2/3 and our homegrown Carol's Muscat 1/3. Here are my comments on this blend. (PS the Chenin Blanc Gewurtztraminer is all Brehm frozen juice 1) California Chenin Blanc - perfectly balanced 2) California Gewurtztraminer - too acidic 3) Washington, Columbia River Jarrett Vineyard Gewurtztraminer - flat as a board but super fragrant):

Appearance - good clear light yellow

Smell - really fragrant, intense pleasant Muscat nose

Tannin - perfect

Acid - good

Flavour - this is delicious. Absolutely first class and an amazing surprise. I may buy Brehm frozen Jarret Vineyard Gewurtztraminer so I can blend it with Carol's Muscat (Siegerrebe and Ortega) to make Carol's Pacific Muscat 2024. This has an amazing long aftertaste.

Bottom line - never shy away of trying blends in a glass. Sometimes they are a bust but sometimes they work. This one did in spades.

 

[jswordy]

Just a retired mid-Missouri farm boy here. I grow Concord grapes amoung other things. Tonight, I'm having a bottle of that Concord wine started September 2022. It could age a while longer, but it is very "drinkable" (is that even a word?). I read about Concords being too acidic, too foxy and not enough quality. Ok, but I like it more than any bottle I ever purchased off the shelf.
This wine is a bit too dry for my taste and my wife agrees with that. So I put a little squirt of liquid Stevia in the glass and fill with wine. It is just the right sweetness.
Yes, I could back-sweeten before bottleing, but I do not add any sulphites or other additives. The wine sets in our barn at about 45 degrees F all winter and I will bottle some time next summer after all bubbling has stopped.
Today, in the barn, I have 5 gallons of Concord, 5 gallons of apple and 5 gallons of pear wine, all started last fall.

Mmm, that sounds really delightful! People always gave me a hard time about the muscadine wines that I love to make and drink. Muscadine grapes are too foxy, they taste oily, good wine isn't supposed to be sweet, yadda, yadda. It's just not "real" wine, they said, it's hillbilly wine. They've never had mine, from a recipe that is nearly 100 years old now. So, here's how I shut them up. I sent my wines off to the Los Angeles Cellarmasters Wine Competition and brought home two silvers. I still have the flattering judges' comments, too.

Make what you like and make it well. Cheers!

 

[Hazelemere]

Mmm, that sounds really delightful! People always gave me a hard time about the muscadine wines that I love to make and drink. Muscadine grapes are too foxy, they taste oily, good wine isn't supposed to be sweet, yadda, yadda. It's just not "real" wine, they said, it's hillbilly wine. They've never had mine, from a recipe that is nearly 100 years old now. So, here's how I shut them up. I sent my wines off to the Los Angeles Cellarmasters Wine Competition and brought home two silvers. I still have the flattering judges' comments, too.

Make what you like and make it well. Cheers!

View attachment 109501

Make what you like and make it well. Cheers! Touche!

 

[ibglowin]

You don't see this varietal grown in the US or esp WA State for that matter. Was nice and bright with plenty of zing!

 

[Hazelemere]

Austrian Veltliner can be fantastic.

 

[winemaker81]

Just a retired mid-Missouri farm boy here. I grow Concord grapes amoung other things. Tonight, I'm having a bottle of that Concord wine started September 2022. It could age a while longer, but it is very "drinkable" (is that even a word?). I read about Concords being too acidic, too foxy and not enough quality. Ok, but I like it more than any bottle I ever purchased off the shelf.

Drinkable is very much a word. Try searching the forum for it -- you'll get many pages of results!

Regarding wine critics, I give them more credence than movie critics, but I vet them on an individual basis. Anyone who makes blanket statements probably won't get a second look from me.

If *you* are happy with the wine? End of discussion.

Mmm, that sounds really delightful! People always gave me a hard time about the muscadine wines that I love to make and drink. Muscadine grapes are too foxy, they taste oily, good wine isn't supposed to be sweet, yadda, yadda. It's just not "real" wine, they said, it's hillbilly wine. They've never had mine, from a recipe that is nearly 100 years old now. So, here's how I shut them up. I sent my wines off to the Los Angeles Cellarmasters Wine Competition and brought home two silvers. I still have the flattering judges' comments, too.

Anyone who doesn't like your wine doesn't have to drink it!

 

[sour_grapes]

Make what you like and make it well. Cheers! Touche!

And if you don't like it, drink it quick!

 

[sour_grapes]

You don't see this varietal grown in the US or esp WA State for that matter. Was nice and bright with plenty of zing!

View attachment 109503

Finger Lakes, baby! You can get all you want. (And I want a lot.)

 

[Boatboy24]

You don't see this varietal grown in the US or esp WA State for that matter. Was nice and bright with plenty of zing!

View attachment 109503

Haven't had a Gruner in a minute. Time to change that.

 

[jswordy]

You don't see this varietal grown in the US or esp WA State for that matter. Was nice and bright with plenty of zing!

View attachment 109503

Had to Google it. Lime, lemon and grapefruit?

 

[ibglowin]

Had to Google it. Lime, lemon and grapefruit?

Along with stone fruits and marked by "racy minerality", "mouthwatering acidity". Most of it comes from Austria and it quite often comes in Liter bottles instead of 750ml. You can find it easily (if you look around) for ~$15 a bottle as well.

 

[jswordy]

Drinkable is very much a word. Try searching the forum for it -- you'll get many pages of results!

Regarding wine critics, I give them more credence than movie critics, but I vet them on an individual basis. Anyone who makes blanket statements probably won't get a second look from me.

If *you* are happy with the wine? End of discussion.


Anyone who doesn't like your wine doesn't have to drink it!

I've literally shown critics of muscadine a pic of my medals on my phone. It's a little OT for here, but please indulge me. I highly encourage anyone who really wants to know whether their winemaking is up to par, or whether they have developed "cellar palette," to enter a few contests. @Hazelemere, you are a prime candidate. Whether the wine places or not, the judges' notes are often INVALUABLE!

My muscadine and scuppernong placed in the Missouri Valley, Los Angeles, Florida, and three times in different Tennessee competitions. My muscadine and a blend I called Panama Red placed at Kansas City, and Panama Red won the inaugural (and as far as I know, only) Winemaking Talk competition.

For me, the LA silvers were the pinnacle, since the judges had never tasted a muscadine wine before and it is European wine grape growing country. My muscadine is not foxy, is not oily and yet has that special flavor. Muscadine grapes also have the highest amount of antioxidants of any variety, so it's healthy! One of my longtime muscadine growers passed and another vineyard went out of business, so I hope I can find some grapes this year because I am out! Cheers!

 

[jswordy]

Along with stone fruits and marked by "racy minerality", "mouthwatering acidity". Most of it comes from Austria and it quite often comes in Liter bottles instead of 750ml. You can find it easily (if you look around) for ~$15 a bottle as well.

View attachment 109511

Thanks, I just got curious about the taste. I'm exclusively a red drinker, though, unless I am being polite when offered a white.

 

[ibglowin]

Thanks, I just got curious about the taste. I'm exclusively a red drinker, though, unless I am being polite when offered a white.

Me too but I find that whites just plain go better with some foods and thats what it's all about for me.
The pairing with food!

 

[jswordy]

Me too but I find that whites just plain go better with some foods and thats what it's all about for me.
The pairing with food!

I find that everything goes well with Cheez-Its.

 

[winemaker81]

One of my longtime muscadine growers passed and another vineyard went out of business, so I hope I can find some grapes this year because I am out!

South and east of Raleigh NC is Muscadine country -- other than hybrids coming out of places like the U of Florida, nothing else grows. I see advertisements for Muscadine and Scuppernong each year, and last summer/fall I saw a few signs for "wine quality" grapes. Unfortunately, this is too far of a drive for you.

There are a lot of Muscadine-based wineries and they all appear to do well, so there's a market for it.

 

[jswordy]

South and east of Raleigh NC is Muscadine country -- other than hybrids coming out of places like the U of Florida, nothing else grows. I see advertisements for Muscadine and Scuppernong each year, and last summer/fall I saw a few signs for "wine quality" grapes. Unfortunately, this is too far of a drive for you.

There are a lot of Muscadine-based wineries and they all appear to do well, so there's a market for it.

Thanks. They grow over a wide area of the South. Lots of them are grown right in my area, I just have to connect with another set of growers. I used to make 20 gallons at a time, and people are kinda POed that I am out now. I have had people literally shove money at me, and I have to decline because that would be illegal. Nah, here you go, just have fun with it. And yes, small muscadine wineries are everywhere. It's a Southern thang. People in the SE who want to try a muscadine or scuppernong can look for NC's Duplin brand in Walmart, under $9 a bottle. Their wines are not bad for a mass producer and fairly representative, though a smaller winery will have a more concentrated and intense product.

 

[Boatboy24]

@ibglowin

 

[Hazelemere]

retaste. I wanted to rack a glass out of a 25 bottle carboy and looked for a wine that would compliment it. I found my wife's Chenin Blanc Gewurtztraminer 2021 that reeked of Chinese lychees i.e. classic Gewurtztraminer. So I made a blend in a glass of her wine 2/3 and our homegrown Carol's Muscat 1/3. Here are my comments on this blend. (PS the Chenin Blanc Gewurtztraminer is all Brehm frozen juice 1) California Chenin Blanc - perfectly balanced 2) California Gewurtztraminer - too acidic 3) Washington, Columbia River Jarrett Vineyard Gewurtztraminer - flat as a board but super fragrant):

Appearance - good clear light yellow

Smell - really fragrant, intense pleasant Muscat nose

Tannin - perfect

Acid - good

Flavour - this is delicious. Absolutely first class and an amazing surprise. I may buy Brehm frozen Jarret Vineyard Gewurtztraminer so I can blend it with Carol's Muscat (Siegerrebe and Ortega) to make Carol's Pacific Muscat 2024. This has an amazing long aftertaste.

Bottom line - never shy away of trying blends in a glass. Sometimes they are a bust but sometimes they work. This one did in spades.

retaste of Chenin Blanc Gewurtztraminer 2021 on its own (this may be the last glass)

This is made entirely from Brehm frozen juice that I bought in pails from Bosa Grapes in Burnaby BC from 1) California Gewurtztraminer 2) Jarret Vineyard (Washington Columbia River) Gewurtztraminer and 3) California Chenin Blanc. Really good Chenin Blanc (e.g. high end Vouvray or South African) smells like Honeydew Melon and straw. Really good Gewurtztraminer smells like canned lychees. The Jarret was flat but really tasty and fragrant. The California Gewurtztraminer didn't have the smell of the Jarret but had the acid that the Jarret lacked. Here are my comments on this wine:

Appearance - clear pale lemon yellow i.e. perfect colour indicating no oxidation

Smell - excellent .....lychees meet honeydew, key lime and straw

Tannin - perfect

Flavour - this is a beautiful wine. I wish I had more but don't. The good news is that you can make it or something close to it from frozen grape juice that you can still buy RIGHT NOW. If you really want to go for it mix 1 pail frozen California Gewurtztraminer with 1 pail frozen Jarret Vineyard (Columbia River) Gewurtztraminer with 1 pail frozen California Chenin Blanc. What is good about frozen juice is that you can buy it almost anytime and in a lot of different places. Here is the link to Brehm frozen juices. Good luck with it: