What's in your glass tonight?

[Boatboy24]

Meh. This is not the wine that online reviews say it is. I'll agree there's a hint of mocha and currants on the nose, and blackberries and currants on the palate, but only "just". I'm not looking for more. 13. 5%.
View attachment 111900

Probably a whole lot of mega purple too.

 

[sour_grapes]

Probably a whole lot of mega purple too.

You say that like it's a bad thing!

 

[winemanden]

Estate Muscat Dry Auslese 2023

This is 100% homegrown organic muscat from 20 parts Siegerrebe 10 parts Ortega and 10 parts Reichensteiner at SG 1.092 unchaptalized. Siegerrebe - Ortega were fermented with 71B. Reichensteiner was fermented with V-13. This is poured from a bottle in my cooler. A lot of it was blended into my son in law's medium toast American oaked Washington Sheridan Vineyard Chardonnay to make it more tropical. That blend is in carboys made with 3 different yeasts D47, V13 and 71B. They are all tasty and different. Better yet they are all separate. We may save the Chardonnay 2023 in our cooler in a carboy to add more 2024 Muscat to it. Sheridan Chardonnay smells like buttered popcorn but we are fussy having made fantastic Chardonnays from Carneros Sangiacomo Vineyard juice 2 years in a row. If you can buy Carneros or even Sonoma Chardonnay and love tropical fruit bomb wines, you are in for a treat.

Appearance: lemon yellow, colour is perfect (i.e. no oxidation at any stage of processing)

Smell - really good intense classic muscat nose (the Siegerrebe and Ortega both have Gewurtztraminer in their family tree)

Tannin - perfect, a little bit of tannin in the aftertaste which should allow it to age.

Acid - perfect for me.

Flavour - this is really rich and interesting, with a long finish. Classic Muscat! My son in law loves it. Ausleses are usually sweet but this is bone dry at 22.0 Brix at harvest. I'll have it on my birthday in November with clam vongole, lobster tails, crab or oysters or a combo thereof e.g. crab linguine or lobster mac and cheese. Anyone here ever made lobster mac and cheese or oyster chowder? Maybe even halibut or steelhead.

Afterthought - I had to cull damaged grapes out of the Ortega and Reichensteiner. This took hours and hours but I did it. The Siegerrebe were in beautiful condition and didn't need to be cleaned. All of the grapes were dry i.e. no rain at all for least a month. Sometimes the grape god Bacchus is with you and this was one of those years. I'll try to make it this year so we can make a stellar Chardonnay Muscat blend. The very slight tannin in the aftertaste may be due to damaged grape taint during culling. The wine is really tasty so I'm not concerned. It probably won't last more than a few years unless I get a similar or better one in 2024. Bud burst on Siegerrebe and Ortega is early-normal this year, so harvest should be in mid to late September to beat the October rains. The grapes on this wine were picked on September 9. Ortega was picked at SG 1.093, Siegerrebe at SG 1.092. I just ordered 20 yellow jacket wasp trap refills so I can try to catch as many queens as possible. Last year I probably caught 4000 wasps including the black and white ones. The wasp traps that I use that have *** pheromones only work on the yellow jackets. I also put out Kraft strawberry jam jars on top of my vineyard posts. Wasps adore Muscats i.e. my vineyard is Club Med for wasps. They damage grapes by gorging on them when they are ripe. The flavour on this wine is very similar to really good California Muscat which you can buy from Brehm. I only have 11 left because it is so popular and good right now. I will try to leave it alone until my birthday and/or 2024 harvest.

I HAVE A QUESTION FOR EVERYONE HERE.......HAVE YOU EVER MADE A WINE THAT WAS SO GOOD THAT YOU COULDN'T KEEP IT IN STORAGE BECAUSE EVERYONE WANTED TO DRINK IT OR YOU DID OR GAVE IT AWAY OR A COMBINATION THEREOF. IF SO WHAT WAS IT? AND WHAT DID YOU LEARN ABOUT WINEMAKING IN THE EXPERIENCE OF MAKING IT OR HAVING PEOPLE TASTE IT. In my case intention and effort in winemaking and grape growing are everything. You can certainly do winemaking "paint by numbers" but for me the challenge is to try to create REAL MAGIC whenever possible. The wine i am describing is the best Siegerrebe and/or Ortega that I have tasted in 11 years. I could not have made it as a commercial winemaker due to the need for culling which is a massive advantage of serious amateurs and sometimes unavailable to commercial winemakers .....you can be the Van Gogh of your winemaking! Van Gogh never stopped experimenting with brushes, knives and paints.

I love you all and wish you the best of luck with your wines in 2024. Never stop experimenting with your winemaking!

This will be my last posting until lates summer/fall.

I'm going in for brachytherapy (radioactive iodine seeds) for my prostate cancer - stage 2 in mid May.

In the meantime I'm travelling to Ontario to drop my best wines off to some serious soulmates.........last one and my favourite wine of all time Framboise 2023.

Namaste to all you wild things!

Klaus

PS. This is a seriously good website!

I wish you a speedy recovery, and many more vintages. Good luck and good health!

 

[Hazelemere]

Hazelmere Cyser 2022

Here are my comments:

Appearance - clear yellow, very slightly petillant

Smell - good, slightly yeasty, complex Champagne Cyser nose

Tannin - good

Acid - good

Flavour - interesting, poor man's champagne. I think it would be good with clam chowder or oysters. It should also be really good as a cooking wine in similar fashion to our Apple Cyser 2023 which is oaked. This cyser has no oak. I like them both. The effervescence was unplanned but not unpleasant. It also tastes like it could be very good with pate. I'll take a bottle to our family Easter dinner which I'm sure will have really good pate. Today was a really good day in the education of a an old winemaker i.e. 1) first oaked apple wine 2) first petillant cyser

retaste:

Here are my comments:

Appearance - clear yellow, slightly petillant

Smell - good, slightly yeasty, complex Champagne Cyser nose, interesting honey champagne smell

Tannin - good from the ground and pressed Russet apples (russets rock!)

Acid - good

Flavour - This would kill IMHO with fresh shucked oysters with lemon juice, horseradish and ketchup. This is the last bottle and I have to say that I really like it. A bit of sweetness in the aftertaste...that it is why it is fermenting in the bottle? My wife and I call these wines Fizzbombs and this IMHO is a really good off dry fizz bomb. Champagne for hobos on their birthday!

 

[jswordy]

My friends and relatives up there say that Labatt is how Canadians say "piss water." But I like to tip one every now and then.

 

[wineh]

My friends and relatives up there say that Labatt is how Canadians say "piss water." But I like to tip one every now and then.

View attachment 111922

I used to drink Blue back in the '90s. The only problem I had was waking up with grass stains on the knees of my jeans. Lol. Switching to light beer fixed that.

 

[Hazelemere]

I used to drink Blue back in the '90s. The only problem I had was waking up with grass stains on the knees of my jeans. Lol. Switching to light beer fixed that.

haha! Reminds me of Steve Martin being heckled in the audience when he said "I too can remember when I had my first beer"

 

[Hazelemere]

This my homegrown 2022 Carol's Muscat

Carol is my wife and the wine is a blend of Siegerrebe and Madeline Angevine

This is 60% un-chaptalized Siegerrebe (a pink muscat) at SG 1.084 in a dry cold drought and 40% Madeline Angevine (a non-muscat) at SG 1.075 chaptalized to SG 1.085 with cane sugar and fermented with Lalvin 71B yeast. The colour comes from the Siegerrebe grape skins and not from oxidation. If you live in the Pacific Northwest e.g. Puget Sound, Vancouver Island or the Fraser Valley (where I do then these are 2 grape varieties that you should grow. Madeleine Angevine dead ripe smells like nutmeg. Siegerrebe dead ripe smells like Gewurtraminer e.g. lychees.

Here are my comments on this wine:

very fragrant i.e. I'll use 71B yeast again which I used for the first time based on this site's recommendations.

acid level is perfect for a young wine and should drop as it ages as acid and alcohol react to form esters.

flavour is fine - I get lychees and nutmeg in the aftertaste.

This wine is tailor made for Chinese food containing ginger or seafood linguine containing prawns or scallops with mushrooms and garlic with onions or leek, yellow/orange/red peppers, celery or broccoli, lemon thyme, base, purple sage and oregano with roma tomatoes and parmesan, asiago, or romano cheese

I have 2 bottles that I can taste on or before Easter and I think that I will leave it alone until August 2023 at the lastest so I can adjust its sulphite level and give it time for any protein to drop that the bentonite treatment that I used missed. My gut says that if I leave it alone in my wine cooler until August 2023 I could get a really good white wine. So that is what I will do.

Finally, I have to say that this web site is a blessing and just learning about 71B yeast for whites was worth becoming a member.

retaste:

This is my homegrown 2022 Carol's Muscat from Siegerrebe and Madeleine Angevine. Carol is my wife and the wine is a blend of Siegerrebe and Madeleine Angevine. Siegerrebe was un-chaptalized at SG 1.084 and Madeleine Angevine was chaptalized with cane sugar from SG 1.074 to SG 1.085. Madeleine Angevine at SG 1.074 usually is high in acid, not sky high, but high. 71B is apparently perfect for high acid low brix/SG Madeleine Angevine.

Here are my comments on this wine:

appearance - deep lemon yellow

smell - very fragrant - really good smell i.e. lychees (Siegerrebe) meets a bit of nutmeg (Madeleine Angevine). I'll use 71B yeast again which I used for the first time based on this site's recommendations for all of my Madeleine Angevine. I'll replace EC-1118 with 71B for all white grape and fruit wines that aren't fortified to drop acid. 71B also gives really fragrant wines. I may try D47 on Siegerrebe and/or Ortega (both homegrown) to see what it can do e.g. 1/2 71B and 1/2 D47 i.e. a battle of the bands or a union.

acid - perfect

flavour - this is delicious with an excellent aftertaste. I have one left and will open it with my extended family at Xmas, Easter, Thanksgiving or someone's birthday. If you can grow Siegerrebe and Madeleine Angevine you should go for it. The acid on Madeleine Angevine improves the intensity of the muscat smell of Siegerrebe.

This wine is tailor made for seafood, even fish and chips. I think it would be really good with grilled trout, halibut or salmon.

 

[Hazelemere]

Black Iris Foch Syrah 2023

Appearance - clear, inky purple, very slightly petillant (no idea why but it dies down in the glass)

Smell - really good smell from the blackberries, wild cherries and dried elderberries blended into homegrown Foch fermented on 71B plus natural malolactic with a train wreck Sheridan Syrah (3 years old now) that smelled like burnt rubber (from mercaptans via non-nutrient RC212 ferment (big mistake) which has transformed into non-sweet caramel smell).

Tannin - good

Acid - good

Flavour - a tiny bit too sweet for me (that is why it is slightly petillant in a spring loaded beer bottle) but otherwise it is fine. It has lots of flavour. I can't make it again but I can always blend my 71B Foch with wild cherries, blackberries and elderberries.

 

[Hazelemere]

Apple Edelzwicker 2021-2022

This is homegrown organic apple juice from ground and pressed apples (russet, king, cox) mixed with homegrown organic grape skins and 1st run juice sediment with pectic enzyme and re-pressed (includes Siegerrebe, Ortega, Reichensteiner and Madeleine Angevine). Here are my comments on this wine:

Appearance - clear, lemon yellow

Smell - good, rich, intense, fragrant

Tannin - good

Acid - good

Flavour - this is rich and tasty with a good finish. I'll absolutely make it again as an everyday house white wine. This is a perfect way to use apples and 2nd run white wine from grapes with no water added, no sugar added to the 2nd run (Edelzwicker) and sugar added to the apple juice with pectic enzyme and bentonite treated mid ferment on all of the pressed juice from apple pulp, grape skins and grape juice sediment..

Apple Edelzwicker 2021-2022

This is homegrown organic apple juice from ground and pressed apples (russet, king, cox) mixed with homegrown organic grape skins and 1st run juice sediment with pectic enzyme and re-pressed (includes Siegerrebe, Ortega, Reichensteiner and Madeleine Angevine). Here are my comments on this wine:

Appearance - clear, lemon yellow

Smell - good, rich, intense, fragrant

Tannin - good

Acid - good

Flavour - this is rich and tasty with a good finish. I'll absolutely make it again as an everyday house white wine. This is a perfect way to use apples and 2nd run white wine from grapes with no water added, no sugar added to the 2nd run (Edelzwicker) and sugar added to the apple juice with pectic enzyme and bentonite treated mid ferment on all of the pressed juice from apple pulp, grape skins and grape juice sediment..

 

[Hazelemere]

Apple Edelzwicker 2021-2022

This is homegrown organic apple juice from ground and pressed apples (russet, king, cox) mixed with homegrown organic grape skins and 1st run juice sediment with pectic enzyme and re-pressed (includes Siegerrebe, Ortega, Reichensteiner and Madeleine Angevine). Here are my comments on this wine:

Appearance - clear, lemon yellow

Smell - good, rich, intense, fragrant

Tannin - good

Acid - good

Flavour - this is rich and tasty with a good finish. I'll absolutely make it again as an everyday house white wine. This is a perfect way to use apples and 2nd run white wine from grapes with no water added, no sugar added to the 2nd run (Edelzwicker) and sugar added to the apple juice with pectic enzyme and bentonite treated mid ferment on all of the pressed juice from apple pulp, grape skins and grape juice sediment..

a retaste:

Apple Edelzwicker 2021-2022

This is homegrown organic apple juice from ground and pressed apples (russet, king, cox) mixed with homegrown organic grape skins and 1st run juice sediment with pectic enzyme and re-pressed (includes Siegerrebe, Ortega, Reichensteiner and Madeleine Angevine). Here are my comments on this wine:

Appearance - clear yellow

Smell - good, rich, intense, fragrant, smell is first class. The smell lingers.

Tannin - good

Acid - perfect

Flavour - this is first class...my palate. rich, tasty and balanced with a really good finish. Making it again is a no-brainer. I'll absolutely make it again as an everyday house white wine. This is a perfect way to use apples and 2nd run white wine from grapes with no water added, no sugar added to the 2nd run (Edelzwicker) and sugar added to the apple juice with pectic enzyme and bentonite treated mid ferment on all of the pressed juice from apple pulp, grape skins and grape juice sediment..

 

[wineh]

A bit over-oaked, nicely extracted. Mainly currants on the palate with a bit of plums. Not the wine it used to be when they put a cork in it. 14.5%

 

[Boatboy24]

It's taco night. So...

 

[winemaker81]

In early March my son & I bottled our Vidal made from juice (Vidal-Juice). Yesterday my niece, her husband, and I bottled part of the Vidal fermented on the skins (Vidal-Orange).



These two wines are amazingly different. I'm somewhat surprised that the Vidal-Orange is preferred.

 

[Boatboy24]

In early March my son & I bottled our Vidal made from juice (Vidal-Juice). Yesterday my niece, her husband, and I bottled part of the Vidal fermented on the skins (Vidal-Orange).

View attachment 112137

These two wines are amazingly different. I'm somewhat surprised that the Vidal-Orange is preferred.

So cool that you can produce such different products from the same source.

 

[winemaker81]

So cool that you can produce such different products from the same source.

So true!

We bottled the Vidal-Juice with 2 oz glycerin per 4 liters, which muted the acid. We used 3 oz per 4 liters with the Vidal-Orange, but it was still sharp. 6 weeks in the fridge at 39 F didn't drop any acid, so it was either a (bi)carbonate or sugar -- we used 1/4 cup sugar per 4 liters, which worked magic. The wine was at 0.995 and the glycerin bumped it to 1.004, and the sugar to 1.010, so the sugar only bumped the SG 6 degrees (or points or whatever the correct name is). Sugar is briefly tasted but the acid mutes it so it tastes off-dry.

Having Agave nectar handy, we added a squirt to a glass of Vidal-Juice, and that was magic as well. We have 5 bottles each, so we're not unbottling to backsweeten, just doing it by the glass.

 

[ibglowin]

 

[jswordy]

After working on the kitchen remodeling project, I've uncorked and am spending the afternoon with an eight-year-old bottle of blueberry. (No!!! Wait!!! You can't possibly keep them that long!!!) Tastes wonderful, no off flavors, smooth with a beautiful nose. There are two more left in the cellar.



However, another aging experiment did not work out so well when I uncorked it a couple days ago. Rather than developing, the shiraz has turned to a dense, port-like drink. I am not a port fan. Interesting how the same brand in cabernet, aged the same way, bought at the same time, turned out well but this didn't.

 

[wineh]

Cocoa and cherries (plus wife says coffee) on the nose, vanilla chocolate and cherries on the palate. Not well extracted. Inexpensive. 14%

 

[winemaker81]

My sons recently visited Yellowstone Park, and my elder son bought a bottle of whiskey for me. All the grain (barley, wheat, corn, rye) was grown in Montana, which is the location of the distillery. It has a unique aroma and flavor, and is a great present.