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....
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....
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:
VQ15534-07AWSS - 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 & Assmanshausen526-07RMS - 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 & Assmanshausen309 - 06CGMB - 2006 Columbia Gorge Malbec, Hood River OR
Cote des Blancs100-05BOT - 2005 Botrytised Chardonnay/Chenin Blanc - Yakima Valley WA
58w3328-06CGGW - 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.
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.
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.
