Yeast starter.

10/19/14 Filtered the Zinfandel and Syrah today. The Zinfandel is a little thin in texture but a nice wine. The Syrah is really good.  Nice texture and hints of chocolate and raspberry. I'll continue the oak addition for another 6 months or so.

07/02/14 Today I racked the wine and continued with the American Oak.

06/30/14 MLF completed.  Time to rack the wine off the sediment (called lees) that settle to the bottom. Next step is to filter and bottle.

05/12/14 Transferred wine from fermenting vessels to carboys.  American oak added. MLF should complete in 5 -6 weeks.  After MLF the wine will be stabilized. During this time the wine will begin to clear. 

05/06/14 Fermentation is complete. I have now converted grape juice into wine. Today, I started what is called a Malolactic fermentation (MLF), which is the process of converting the tart tasting malic acid into a softer tasting lactic acid. MLF creates a rounder, fuller mouthfeel, and complex wine.  Here's an analogy, wine without MLF is like vanilla ice cream (one dimensional). Wine that has undergone MFL is like the vanilla ice cream turned into an ice cream sundae where you now taste chocolate, nuts, whipped cream, and the cherry (multi-dimensional).

05/02/14 Fermentation continues, we are about a third complete  I can now smell the yeast converting the sugar to alcohol.  It's amazing to taste the juice as it converts to wine, such a transformation of flavor and I love the aroma.

04/29/14 Fermentation under way.  Added yeast starter last night.  Juice temperature increased to 62.5 degrees last night.

4/27/14 Picked up juice this afternoon but I need to let is sit overnight to come up to a temperature where I can start the fermentation.  The juice temperature needs to be between 60 - 70 degrees.  I prefer to start my fermentation on the lower end for a slower and longer fermentation.

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Progress Notes

This Spring I decided to slow down a bit and only make 2 red wines using juice from Chili.  

2014 Spring Vintage

1st Racking

Zinfandel on right

Syrah on left

Zinfandel, hands down my favorite red wine, perhaps because it's the wine I grew up with. Zin — as lovers of Zinfandel call it — makes rich, dark wines that are high in alcohol and medium to high in tannin. They can have a blackberry or raspberry aroma and flavor, a spicy or tarry character, or even a jammy flavor. Zins can be serious wines with a tannin structure that’s built for aging. 

Cases made: 2.5

​Vino fatto con la famiglia e gli amici.

Roccograndi wine

Fermentation starting, next day.

Syrah, down under in Australia they call this wine Shiraz. Fast becoming a favorite of mine, Syrah is one of the world's most diverse and successful grape varieties, Syrah wines can display myriad dark-fruit flavors and can be quite floral in its youth, developing more peppery and herbaceous notes as it ages. Leather and smokey scents are not uncommon, while the fruit in these wines tends towards the very dark flavors of blackcurrant and licorice.

Cases made: 2.5