Winterberries, Bearberries and Other Strange Beasts

Posted by Jack Keller's WineBlog in HealthJan 28th, 2009 | Comments Off I still get a fair number of requests for wine recipes using winterberries, crowberries, bearberries, pokeberries, beautyberries, etc., and I was even sent a photo of some "unidentified berries" that clearly were attached to poison ivy. If you know the berry well enough to identify it by name when you see it and you know my site well enough to have found my email address, then you know enough to use the search engine on my site or Google on the web to see if a wine recipe exists or if the berry is even edible. If I haven't published a recipe for it by now, there is probably a reason. Read more....

Reducing Acidity

Posted by Jack Keller's WineBlog in HealthJan 28th, 2009 | Comments Off I get the occasional email about an overly acidic must -- usually involving wild grapes, pineapple, certain plums, or certain citric fruit. Rarely, someone adds an acid and overdoes it. In either case, acid reduction is usually necessary. If excessively high TA or excessively low pH is measured in a fruit juice, one can simply dilute the juice with water until corrected. That is the main reason we dilute certain musts, although economy also is high on the list of reasons. But if you have a good reason for not wanting to dilute your must, then you have to do it another way. In most situations, that means adding potassium bicarbonate to the must. Read more....

2008 frozen grapes arrive

Posted by Ben in 2008, General, Other, yeastsJan 17th, 2009 | No Comments
The frozen Brehm grapes for 2008 vintage have arrived, purchased from the terrific folks at Winemaker Products. Here they are, waiting patiently on the deck, in nice chilly 7 degree Fahrenheit weather. No hurry to get them underway.

It gives me a chance to consider yeasts and process. Here's my plan around the yeasts:

This year, like in 2007, I'm starting multiple yeasts in some buckets, but on separate sides of the bucket. They will mix at some point. And eventually one yeast will dominate. But some complexity seems to be achieved, based on my past experiements.

Here's the yeast schedule, with the associated grape and Brehm code:

VQ15
534-07AWSS - 2007 Alexander West Side Syrah, Sonoma CA
731-08SGS - 2008 Stage Gulch Syrah, Petaluma Sonoma CA
526-07RMS - 2007 Rodger's Vineyard, Mendocino CA
705-08SLCS - 2008 State Lane Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa CA

Bordeaux (BDX)
731-08SGS - 2008 Stage Gulch Syrah, Petaluma Sonoma CA
705-08SLCS - 2008 State Lane Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa CA

Assmanshausen (AMH)
540-07UMPN - 2007 Underwood Mountain Pinot Noir, WA
534-07AWSS - 2007 Alexander West Side Syrah, Sonoma CA
731-08SGS - 2008 Stage Gulch Syrah, Petaluma Sonoma CA
526-07RMS - 2007 Rodger's Vineyard, Mendocino CA

VQ-15 & BDX & Assmanshausen
526-07RMS - 2007 Rodger's Vineyard Syrah, Mendocino CA
707-08CHCS - 2008 Chalk Hill Cabernet Sauvignon, Sonoma CA
720-08SRM - 2008 Suscol Ranch Merlot, Napa CA
739-08LLZ - 2008 Limerick Lane Zinfandel, Sonoma CA

VQ-15 & Assmanshausen
309 - 06CGMB - 2006 Columbia Gorge Malbec, Hood River OR

Cote des Blancs
100-05BOT - 2005 Botrytised Chardonnay/Chenin Blanc - Yakima Valley WA

58w3
328-06CGGW - 2006 Columbia Gorge Gewurztraminer, Underwood WA



This year, I'll incorporate Lallzyme EX enzymes into the red wine must before yeast innoculation, to drive higher color and polyphenols extract levels (except Malbec, which did not have Lallzyme EX added).

In addition to yeast, for the reds I'll incorporate about one ounce per pail of powdered American oak, and one ounce each of French and American medium toast oak chips. Fermaid-K yeast food will be added at rate of 1 teaspoon per pail about 6-12 hours after yeast innoculation, and 1 teaspoon when brix drops to 17 degrees (per the refractometer - actually about 12 degrees true brix).

All the Cote des Blancs pails (white dessert grapes) will be moved to cellar temperature once fermentation is underway. All other pails (red grapes) will ferment at (warm) room temperatures, and will be pressed as fermentation ends. Based on the test with fresh grapes earlier this (2008) season, I find that extended maceration seems to blunt both aromas and flavors to an extent that I do not favor.

Finally, for the reds, malolactic bacteria will be innoculated after the pressing and settling, at room temperature. There they will be left for an additional few weeks, so the bacteria can begin establishing before I remove pails to the cooler basement for aging.

***+ Chez Ray Lodi Old Vine Zinfandel (w/stems), 2006

Posted by Ben in 2006, General, Other, zinfandelJan 15th, 2009 | No Comments

Original Review, June, 2008: These are tasting notes from the Chez Ray Lodi Old Vine Zinfandel (w/stems), 2006, which was first mentioned in an earlier post. Consider this a work in progress, as this is a very early time to sample 2006 reds. This vintage, however, was made with a cool fermentation; this made for a light, early-drinking wine.

What characterized this particular batch of Chez Ray was that it was fermented fully on its stems, adding a brambly overtone to the early wine. So let's see what it has turned in to...

In the glass, medium magenta with light purple tones at the edges. On the nose, good, deep fruit with sturdy oak overlay. Just a bit smoky.

On the palate, the wine touches across the palate, with balanced fruit, touch of charcoal oak, light sweet acids. Finish is generally fast, and overall impression is simple but structured and pleasant. Three stars out of five on the Spirit of Wine scale, with a plus for pleasant friendliness.

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After a full day's decanting: even better, rounder, nice smoky undertones.
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Updated Review, January, 2009: Consistent color and aroma notes. Aroma is outstanding. Sweet touch on the palate, with same mild charcoal overlay. Consistent rating. Fine to continue aging another year or two.

Getting Ready for Some Bottling

Posted by Ben in General, OtherJan 10th, 2009 | No Comments Check out bottle trees at Amazon.

The botrytised chenin blanc and chardonnay will start going into bottles tomorrow. They need to be cleaned and sanitized before the bottling begins. That's where a bottle tree comes in especially handy.


On a kitchen counter, when filled, the bottle trees tend to take over. Looks a bit like a Chihouly sculpture.

Review and Rating: ***+ Chez Ray Sangiovese, 2004, Lodi, CA

Posted by Ben in General, OtherJan 9th, 2009 | No Comments Original Review, May, 2008: The Chez Ray Sangiovese, 2004, was made from Lodi grapes, fermented warm, with a combination of French and American oak. In the glass, it shows as a dark blood red in color.

The nose hits as a deep, funky vegetable-fruit combo.

The sip outshines the nose, however. There is a strong oaky start on the the palate, but this quickly resolves to a furry, intense cherry fruit. The "fur" is a tough tannic backbone still in place, signifying that this can sit for a few more years in bottle. Medium-length finish. Three stars out of five with a plus for intensity and promise for a longer-lived future.

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Updated Review, January, 2009: Color and nose have lightened just a bit. The palate comes to the middle with a clean, round red cherry. I don't notice the tannic backbone any longer, suggesting the Sangiovese may be coming of age. Also the intensity has faded. Now, an even, bright, mid-weight red. In effect, a pinot-noir alternative. I'd drop it back a touch to three stars without the plus at this point

How To Make Wine: Different Ways To Degas Your Wine

Posted by Scott Young in General, Other, Tips, Videos, Wine Making Equipment, degas your wine, degassing, home made wine, homemade wine, make wine, wine degassing, wine making, winemakingJan 7th, 2009 | No Comments

One of the most important aspects of wine making is degassing once the fermentation is completed and this blog post will show you a variety of videos which demonstrate different ways of accomplishing this.

This is the part in any wine kit instructions where they say to “stir vigorously” (with a spoon or drill attachment) for a minimum of 2 minutes so that you can flatten your wine out.  If you’ve ever tasted homemade wine that hasn’t been properly degassed you can tell as it has a bit of a “fizzy” taste to it and it just doesn’t taste very good.

Video 1: The Basics of Wine Degassing

The other issue you’ll have if you don’t degass your wine properly is that your cork could pop out of the bottle or, worse case, your bottle could potentially explode due to the build up in pressure in the bottle.

In An Ingenius Way To Degas Your Wine I showed how you could use a wine vacuum pump (i.e. what you could use to suck out the air in a half-drunk bottle of wine) to degas your wine.

Video 2: Using A Wine Vacuum Pump To Degas Your Wine

I use this method with every batch of wine I’ve made since I discovered it, and the results have been fantastic! The biggest thing you’ll notice is that your wine comes out nice and silky smooth.

The brand of wine vacuum I used in the above video is “Snail”. You can find it by going here (it’s about 2/3rds of the way down the page).

 

Here are a few other videos that I found on YouTube that demonstrate different ways you can degas your wine. Hopefully one or more of them peaks your interest!

Video 3: Degassing Your Wine Using Your Washing Machine

Video 4: Degassing Your Wine Using A FoodSaver

Other methods I’ve heard used to degas your wine include:

1. The “Manual Method” where you grab your carboy and shake it with your hands (although this sounds really messy if the airlock pops off).
2. The “Sparging Method” where you place an air stone with a tube attached to it on the bottom of your carboy and pump nitrogen through it. The nitogren is an inert gas and will force the carbon dioxide out of your wine. This is a bit more involved (and expensive) and is one I’ve never tried myself.

It ultimately doesn’t matter which method you use so long as you do it!

If you have a different method you use please let me know by leaving a comment below!

To your wine making success,

- Scott “The Wine Making Guy”

How To Make Wine: The Essential Ingredients Explained

Posted by Scott Young in Ask The Wine Making Guy, General, Other, Tips, Videos, Wine Kits, acid blend, bentonite, campden tablets, home made wine, homemade wine, isinglass, make wine, pectic enzyme, postassium metabisulphite, potassium sorbate, wine, wine making, winemaking, yeast nutrientJan 4th, 2009 | No Comments

I’ve received numerous requests from people asking to explain what the main ingredients/chemicals used in wine making are and why they’re used.

Here’s a quick video I shot today that will give you some good insight into why we use things like:

• Bentonite
• Potassium Metabisulphite
• Potassium Sorbate
• Isinglass
• Yeast Nutrient
• Pectic Enzyme
• Acid Blend
• Campden Tablets
• Sanitol

So if you’ve always wanted to know what each was used for check out the video below!

- Scott “The Wine Making Guy”

** Chez Ray Cabernet Franc, 2004, Lodi, CA

Posted by Ben in General, OtherJan 4th, 2009 | No Comments Review: The Chez Ray Cabernet Franc, 2004, was made from Lodi grapes, fermented warm, with a combination of French and American oak.

In the glass, the cab franc is a light ruby, slightly brick red/pink. Think pinot noir with a couple of years.

Aromas have a strong cork/woody element, which I recognize from a particular brand of agglomerated cork I used for some bottles in these vintages. Once you sniff past that, you get to a bright, light fruit.

On the palate, a bright, even middle of red cherry trickles down the sides of your mouth carried in light acids. The woody/cork taint hangs its tattered cloth over the otherwise light, sweet, acidic blend. Two stars out of five on the Spirit of Wine scale. Might be a plus in there with a different cork. Can't see it hitting three stars though - the stuffing just doesn't seem to be there in the underlying fruit.

**** Chez Ray Syrah Meritage, 2003 – Lodi, CA

Posted by Ben in General, OtherJan 3rd, 2009 | No Comments
Review: This is a mix of syrah, cabernet sauvignon, merlot and cabernet franc grapes from Valley Oaks Vineyards in Lodi, CA. Fermentation was warm in Pasteur Red yeast, pressing upon dryness. Earlier I tried a version of this called simply "Chez Ray Meritage", with a similar grape mixture - although the straight Meritage had a zinfandel instead of the cabernet franc. Syrah is the lead grape in this mix.

Color is similar to Chezy Ray Meritage 2003, with medium red touched by a hint of purple. Aromas are balanced, no plum overtones - seem mostly cabernet-esque. Palate opens with a full, round, lightly sweet middle, followed on by oakiness from the French oak chips used in aging. Balanced, accessible, pleasant. Very friendly. I would stay with this for an evening, so I'll go with four stars on the Spirit of Wine scale. No need for further aging - excellent drinking window now.