07/17/2019
July 2019 Victor’s Newsletter
PLEASE NOTE: Effective July 1 we will be closed on Mondays until further notice. I hope doing so does not create too much inconvenience, but knowing in advance, hopefully you can plan accordingly. We will of course remain open the rest of the week at regular hours.
This from Winemaker Magazine: The Seven Habits of Successful Kit Winemakers. https://winemakermag.com/article/seven-habits-of-successful-kit-winemakers. Actually, most of what is provided in the link is also relevant to making wine from fresh fruit or concentrate. We will cover these as we go through the process in our upcoming (this Saturday) winemaking class. There is still room, so please call or come by to sign up.
Last week Lucia and I were in Willow Creek, California and stopped at a farmers market where we ended up talking to Grady Walker, owner and winemaker at Green Fire Winery. His wines are entirely natural in the sense he uses no chemicals to sterilize his grapes prior to fermentation, nor for stabilizing or to prevent oxidation. He relies entirely on the native yeasts that are on the grape skins and whatever else might be floating around at the time. Of course he still maintains absolute cleanliness in his practices and equipment.
We tried all his wines that he had on offer. While we liked some better than others that was only due to our particular tastes which run toward robust and dry. And while I don’t think of Pinot Noir and “robust” at the same time, his was good enough that we bought a bottle and a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon (each @ $25). There was no hint of oxidation or other off-flavors in any of them.
After we returned home, I ran into the following link on natural fermentation:
https://winemakermag.com/article/758-wild-yeast-the-pros-and-cons-of-spontaneous-fermentation.
Some of our customers prefer to not add sulfites or any other chemicals to their wine, so this might be helpful. Or you might want to experiment allowing your native yeast to have a go at your fruit. One thing he mentioned that I hadn’t thought of was that because the native yeast have, by definition, not been selected for higher alcohol tolerance, they will likely shut down early, possibly leaving some residual sugars, while not putting you at risk for future bottle explosions. Having said that, the wines we tried were sufficiently dry for our tastes, yet had sufficient alcohol content to be balanced and apparently stable. If you want to explore natural fermentation want to discuss before jumping in, let’s talk.
PRODUCTS, SUPPLIES, AND OTHER OFFERINGS.
Bulk Fresh Grapes: Paolo produces about 30 varieties. The most common we’ve brought in in the past have been Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Zinfandel, Malbec, and Gewurztraminer. However, they also produce among others, Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio, Riesling, Malvasia, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, Sangiovese, and Nebbiolo.
As in past years, you can order as little as enough for a 5 gallon batch (about 80 lb.) up to 1,000 pounds, or more. The only limit is that aggregated orders of a particular variety need to total close to 1,000 pounds. If you have any question about the process or want to know what other varieties they produce, give us a call at 883-0000 or [email protected].
So far I have orders totaling 1,300 lb. Cabernet Sauvignon, 1,290 lb. Zinfandel, 620 lb. Malbec, 240 lb. Riesling, and 550 lb. Sangiovese, and 300 Merlot. You can put in a request for one other than these, and perhaps choose one of them as a second choice. Or just call and we can talk about options.
We will have a crusher destemmer on site again and for those of you ordering grapes, you are welcome to use it on the front porch so you can head home with your stash, ready to start fermentation. Only request is that you clean or join in with others to clean the equipment when done.
New 2.5 gallon Corny Kegs. This is a great size for small kegerators.
Sour Cherries available: Approximately 50lb @ $3.00. Call Bernie Cano at 505-507-2754
Crusher-Destemmer and Bladder press. We will again have this equipment available for rent
Apple crusher - Electric. We have one available to rent or purchase
CLASS SCHEDULE
Wine Making Class. Saturday, July 20, 2:00 – 5:00 PM. Besides going through the basics of making wine from kits, we’ll also cover the steps in making wine from fresh orchard fruits and grapes, the basic measurements and chemistry. $10 per person. Please call in or come by to pay in advance to reserve a spot.
Holiday Hours:
Labor Day Sunday and Monday
It's always a pleasure to hear from you and have you visit the shop. Thanks for coming in.
Happy Fermenting, Jens
Seven habits Of Successful Kit Winemakers - WineMakerMag.com
If you want your kit wine to turn out great every time, and avoid the pitfalls that crop up time and again, here are the seven highly fermentative habits you need to follow. Habit 1: Read the Instructions Kit wine manufacturers don’t randomly change the process of winemaking for their kits. Howeve...
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