What's in your glass tonight?

[Hazelemere]

Framboise 2024

15 lbs organic frozen raspberries including Meeker and Lamberhurst
6 lbs cane sugar
3 US gallons of water
raised SG to 1.085 with cane sugar after the raspberries thawed and the after the water as added.
71B yeast
pressed at SG 1.000 to remove seeds
added 2 750 mL bottles of Chambord liqueur (French black raspberry)
added dextrose (corn sugar) to SG 1.006
raised total potassium metabisulphite from 2/8 tsp to 3/8 tsp total i.e. ~25 to 30 ppm free sulphite
addded sorbate and put into my cooler to bottle around Easter 2025

Comments (pre sorbate and 1/8th tsp sulphite addition at SG 1.006):

Appearance: clear after 4 weeks. Ferment is done.

Smell - very fragrant, very slight stink off yeast sediment

Tannin - good

Acid - slightly high but ok for now. It will drop over time e.g. 6 months+. If it doesn't I can always sweeten it a bit more e.g. SG 1.009.

Flavour - this should be very good in 1 to 2 years. I'll leave it my cooler for 6 months before I taste it again. I should get 26.5 regular bottles. 71B seems to be a go to yeast for raspberries.

I'm racking this now with 1/8 tsp potassium metabisulphite and extra dextrose to raise the SG from 1.006 to 1.009.

Appearance - clear deep rose/light red

Smell - very fragrant and intense

Tannin - good

Acid - good at this sweetness level of SG 1.009

Flavour - this is delicious raspberry wine. The Chambord addition makes a huge difference along with 71B yeast ferment that allows less back sweetening to balance it. I will make this again and again. It is very young but I'd rate it as excellent. I have 25 bottles and will try to let them age. If you have access to high quality raspberries (I have 3 homegrown organic varieties that I freeze in late season. I never use early season raspberries because they are tangier and less sweet than late season. We use early season to make juice). If I could only make one wine each year and only one this would be it along with the wild cherry. This year's Regent made into a rose is really tasty again fermented on 71B yeast. Use RC212 with nutrient on low acid fruit like blackberries or cherries and 71B yeast on any high acid fruit like raspberries. Use D47 and/or V13 yeast on apples and pears. Use EC1118 on sherries and ports.

 

[Hazelemere]

Chardonnay Fleur d'Oranger 2023-24

This is my last Sheridan Vineyard Chardonnay 2023 71B ferment blend in a glass with Fresco Australian Orange Muscat. We added citric acid to the Chardonnay because 71B yeast made it a bit flat. I'll bottle 4 Orange Muscats on their own. I'll test the sulphite in a 50/50 blended 30 bottle carboy and put it back into my cooler.

Tasting comments from a blend in a glass:

Appearance - clear, deep, lemon yellow

Smell - good creamy, muscat nose

Tannin - good

Acid - good for my palate. My wife may find it a bit tangy right now.

Flavour - this is tasty and fragrant with a good finish. It should improve as it ages and citric acid esters develop with malic acid and tartaric acid esters and the acid drops a bit. I'd rate it as very good right now. I'll try to age it at least 3 years after I bottle it around Easter 2025.

 

[Hazelemere]

retaste:

Australian Orange Muscat 2024 from fresh juice SG 1.083 with D47 yeast

Appearance - clear, pale lemon yellow from cooler carboy

Smell - very fragrant lingering nose of oranges, papaya, lemon + orange zest

Tannin - good

Acid - good maybe very slightly high but should allow this wine to age.

Flavour - this is bone dry, tasty and interesting. Most of it will be blended into Washington Sheridan Chardonnay to improve it by giving it a more complex nose and flavour but some of it should be bottled as is. This is much better than it was last time. Delicate, complex and very fragrant

retaste ahead of blending with Chardonnay and bottling 4 bottles as is. Tasting notes on 4 bottles as is:

Appearance - clear, very light lemon yellow

Smell - good, fragrant muscat nose, trace of sulphite

Tannin - good

Acid - good for me my wife will probably find it to be a bit tangy

Flavour - this is tasty, bone dry orange muscat. I'll try to keep mitts out of it to get a more intense nose at slightly less acid. I'd rate it as good-very good with the potential to become very good.

 

[Hazelemere]

Primo 2021-23

This is destemmed, uncrushed Dineen Cabernet Sauvignon with Dineen Petit Verdot with Mettler Amarone style Petite Sirah.

Tasting now:

Appearance – purple ink

Smell – really good, fragrant nose – intense mocha chocolate, plums, sour licorice after that I’m lost

Tannin – good

Acid – good

Flavour – delicious rich, complex red not because I made it. It just is. The aftertaste is really good. This should be a keeper for the ages

RC212 yeast kills if you feed it nutrient that contains B vitamins which is what we used on this wine.

PS We never, ever, ever crush red wine grapes unless we are making a rose. Try destemming any reds on a small batch so you can smell and taste the difference between crushed and uncrushed. I haven't met anyone who destems and ferments uncrushed red wine grapes except Bize LeRoy, massive difference to the quality of red wines IMHO.