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We just started making wine in 2008. Since then we have made eight different wines, six at home and one at a Virginia winery and another at a Maryland teaching winery. The reason we started making wine was the realization that since we were writing about wine, we should make it. This reasoning was probably the result of our careers in education and life-long learning attitude. So its no wonder that as we prepared for a new companion website on food that emphasizes cheese, wine vinegar and olive and grape seed oils that we should try to make some of those items.
We were told while visiting a Maryland creamery that Mozzarella cheese was the easiest to make. We followed the directions precisely and I recalled the feeling I had when following the kit wine directions on the first wine I made. Well, the Mozzarella did not turn out as we expected. It was the consistency of peanut butter. We did make Ricotta from the left over whey that did turn out as expected, so our first attempt was partially successful. Since that first cheese making attempt, I’ve had several winemakers tell me they were not successful when they tried to make Mozzarella. Misery enjoys company.
A week ago we started a batch of wine vinegar. The directions are much easier. Take a good red wine, add mother of red wine vinegar and place in a container with cheesecloth covering the opening. Finding the vinegar container was the most challenging part, although the Internet has plenty of sites to choose from. The next challenge was what wine to use. I went with my 2010 Petite Sirah because the alcohol was only 12.5 % and my thinking was that I would have to add less water to dilute the acid of the final vinegar. We’ll see if that was a good choice in a few months.
The website: Food.WineTrailTraveler.com focuses on cheese, wine vinegar and olive and grape seed oils. It has articles about these foods as well as articles about destinations such as creameries and olive oil producers. There is a recipe section that uses cheese, vinegar or oil in the ingredients. New recipes are added monthly. There is a list of events that focus on cheese, vinegar or oils. A forum section is for the community that would like to post or read comments.
Check out the newest member of the family of WineTrailTraveler websites at: http://food.winetrailtraveler.com.
Cheers,
Terry
It’s the first of the year and for the past several years I’ve made some winemaking resolutions. Last year I was three for four only failing on the resolution to harvest grapes grown at my house. Everything that could go wrong did go wrong including birds and rain prior to, during and after harvest time. So this year I know better than to make a resolution where I have very little to control.
2012 Winemaking Resolutions
- Use the filter Kathy gave me for a Christmas present.
- Make a raspberry melomel.
- Monitor the weather in California and determine if I should make another barrel of Cabernet Sauvignon. I realize that I would have to commit to making a barrel of Cab prior to harvest, however the decision could be delayed until enough information is derived to make a prediction if 2012 will be a great year or just a good year.
- Make another very high end kit white wine. I swore off kit wines a few years ago. Then at the urging of a wine blogger, I decided to try a high end white. It turned out quite good. I’d like to try another high end white wine kit and see if I get similar results.
Based on prior year resolutions, four is a nice number to deal with. Of course I’ll try additional winemaking experiments, however the four resolutions mentioned above are all realistic.
Cheers,
Terry
On this last day of the year, it is time to reflect on how I did with my 2011 New Year’s Resolutions. In early January of 2011 I had four resolutions. Here are the resolutions and comments.
1. Learn to clarify, filter and sweeten the Muscat wine prior to bottling.
Well we posted a question about sweetening the wine on the LinkedIn Winemaker’s discussion group. It was decided to sweeten the muscat with Muscat concentrate. We did not filter the wine. This turned out to be a mistake. The wine was clear when bottled, however after resting for several months in bottle, there is a noticeable sediment. You can pour one glass of the wine or fill a decanter without the sediment mixing in with the wine. However, when the wine is turned up after pouring a glass, the sediment will mix with the wine. Not very appealing. The silver lining is that Kathy gave me a wine filter for a Christmas present. In 2012 I’ll filter my whites.
2. Bottle the case of Cab at Vint Hill Craft Winery.
We bottled the first weekend in August with help from son Kevin and daughter Meghan. The only problem is the label machine was broken so we had to hand label at home.
3. Bottle the Petite Syrah in a carboy at home.
We bottled the Petite Syrah. This wine was made from juice that we were given. The juice was from Lodi. I finally came to a conclusion that red wines should be made from grapes, not juice. The juice needs the grape skins and seeds.
4. Get a yield of grapes greater than 15 pounds from our Niagara vines. Make Niagara wine. Rent or borrow a press and end up with more than 3/4 gallon of juice.
Completely lost out on this resolution. I sprayed the grapes and put netting over them. Birds and chipmunks somehow made it into the netting and we spent more time releasing them then harvesting any grapes. The Niagara grapes never managed to get above 14 brix. Then a hurricane followed by a rain train destroyed the crop. We ended with nothing but a respect for grape growers and what they have to go through.
If you had winemaking resolutions, how did you do?
Cheers,
Terry
At the urging of another wine writer, I decided to once again give a kit wine a try. My first kit wine attempt was a Cabernet Sauvignon. Since then I’ve come to discover, that for me a red wine needs to be made with grapes and kit red wines or juice don’t measure up to what can be accomplished with the grapes. White wine however is different. Some vineyards harvest and press there white grapes before sending to wineries. Since there is little or no skin contact with the juice in white wine production, this practice makes sense since shipping the juice has a lower carbon footprint than shipping the grapes. So I decided to try a high priced white wine kit.
Rather than purchasing an entry level kit, I purchased the WineExpert Selection Estate New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. We traveled to the Marlbourough wine region in New Zealand in 2010 and enjoyed the Sauvignon Blancs. So this choice made sense. I started the wine in early September. Because of travel, the wine was often left in the carboy longer than the directions stated, however this did not bother the wine. I did have to top off the wine and I selected a Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc to use for topping off. The wine was bottled the first week of November.
After resting for almost two months, I tasted the wine. First impression was that it did not have the “kit wine” taste associated with some kit wines. The wine had a gold color with lemon and tropical fruits on the aroma and taste. The crisp finish was accompanied by tropical fruits. There are different profiles for Sauvignon Blancs and this is one that I enjoy. This wine kit wine can be given as a gift rather then destining it for the mulled wine crock pot during the winter or summertime Sangria. I look forward to trying another Selection Estate Series Ultra Premium Wine Kit white wine. I’m still prejudiced towards red wines made from juice.
Cheers,
Terry
Earlier this year we bottled a Muscat that Kathy made. Since we do not have a filter, the wine was racked a few times and appeared clear. Now that it has cellared a few months, we tried some of it. We enjoyed the taste and aroma, however there is a residue and after pouring a glass of the wine, when you tip the bottle upright, the wine mixes with the residue and becomes cloudy. Hopefully Santa will be nice and provide a filter. In the meantime I tried a work-around.
I decanted the Muscat since I knew we would finish the bottle in a couple hours. I carefully filled the decanter watching for the sediment to reach the neck of the bottle. Then I stopped pouring the wine into the decanter. In all, about one to two inches of wine was left in the bottle. I’ll use that in cooking. The first wine poured out of the bottle as well as the wine poured into the decanter was clear with a yellow color. The wine that remained in the bottle that mixed with the sediment was cloudy. However it tasted fine. Cloudy white wines, however, do not offer an appeasing view even though the aroma and taste were fine.
I do not filter my reds and residue never appeared to be a problem. This isn’t the case for whites. In the future I will certainly consider filtering my white wines as appearance may be the strongest reason for filtering.
Cheers,
Terry
We have been opening some of the bottles that we bottled in August after spending 20 months in French oak. How do we know if the wine is good? Taste is obvious, but are there other external factors that may indicate that you have a winner or plonk?
I took several cases to my brother in Michigan. Tim is into drinking wines based on ratings from Wine Spectator and others. He has a tasting profile that he seeks in a Cabernet Sauvignon. Many people agree, that have a similar profile that aligns with a 100 point system, that they will probably like a wine in the 90’s. So how did our Cabernet Sauvignon stack up with someone that enjoys Roy, Caymus Special Select and Shafer Hillside Select? The first reaction was, “not bad.” It helped that the fruity aroma reached one’s nose while the glass was still sitting on the table. My brother thought the wine resembled many wines he had in the 90 – 92 point range.
The Michigan part of the family tasted the wine and liked it. The wine ended up in a restaurant and Chef Sal liked it. The chef even borrowed the bottle and used some of the wine to make a glaze for lamb. That had to be a good omen. The owners of the restaurant also thought the wine was good.
With only a barrel of an obviously well like wine, I don’t believe in sending it to contests to see if it medals. My opinion of wine medals is similar to my opinion of elementary school science fair medals. I heard to many laments by winemakers who gather gold in one contest and nothing in another. Did their wine suddenly go bad or do contests lack validity and reliability? For me, it is better to listen to comments and count the number of empty bottles at the end of dinner divided by the number of people who drank the wine (this at least gives quantitative data). Last evening six wine drinkers emptied 4 bottles of the Illuminatus. A few weeks ago seven drinkers also emptied 4 bottles of wine that included all Cabernet Sauvignons including a bottle of Dominus. A very slight edge goes to the Illuminatus.
Now the challenge is to make another barrel that aims a bit higher. What can Kathy and I do that would make a better wine? We are thinking of seeing if we can buy a Taransaud French oak barrel and sourcing ultra premium grapes. That’s a start, I also want to double sort the grapes, once before destemming and again after destemming. These are just some early ideas. At the moment there is time to research and plan.
Cheers,
Terry
Kathy’s peach wine has been sitting quietly clearing nicely. We decided to rack it off the lees today. The aroma prior to racking reminded me of aromas in the kitchen when Kathy bakes bread. There was an yeasty aroma from the wine. Later we place a small amount in a wine glass. At first the aroma wasn’t pleasant. However after a few minutes it changed and you could notice the peach aroma and taste. The wine is quite dry and will need to be back sweetened prior to bottling.
After racking we added potassium metabisulphite and potassium sorbate to the wine. The combination of the two should deliver a knock-out punch to the yeast stopping the the yeast from reproducing. I don’t want the wine to begin refermenting in the bottle after adding a sweetener. We’ll let the wine continue to clear for a few weeks and then back sweeten it at the end of the month.
It is a bit difficult to appreciate a peach wine at this time of year. I have to remind myself that this wine is meant for next summer when the temperatures sore to the 90’s and higher. We’ll chill the peach wine and serve it in a wine glass with a frozen peach slice to keep it cool. Right now, with frost clinging to the house roofs, I’m more inclined to drink a red wine.
Cheers,
Terry
I am in no rush to bottle the Sauvignon Blanc made from a kit. For the past several days the wine was clearing as the sediment dropped to the bottom of a six-gallon carboy. The bottom resembled a lunar surface. Today was time to rack into a sterilized carboy. I sanitized the equipment with a solution of potassium metabisulfite. The solution didn’t use to bother me, however recently it causes me to sneeze several times and I had to go outdoors for some relief. It didn’t bother Kathy at all.
I tasted the wine before racking. It had a gold color and aroma and taste of lemon grass. They may have been some tropical notes but my sense of smell was off due to the sneezing and congestion. I did not notice any “wine kit” taste that I’ve experience with other wine kits in the past. The racking went slowly and I came up short about a gallon of wine. Off to the wine shop I was looking for a Sauvignon Blanc from Marlborough to top off. I settled on a 2011 Babich.
Since I plan to keep the wine for a couple years, or at least until next August, I added a quarter teaspoon of potassium metabisulfite to the wine. I’ll let this wine settle for a month and plan for bottling at the end of November or beginning of December. So far I like the way it is turning out.
Cheers,
Terry
We returned from Washington and Oregon to find our peach wine and Sauvignon Blanc clearing nicely. However the directions for the Sauvignon Blanc had us stir the wine including the sediment. During this stirring there was a lot of dissolved carbon dioxide that foamed up. When we made our less than a gallon of Niagara wine two years ago I never stirred it. Perhaps that was the reason it is slightly carbonated in the bottle.
To the Sauvignon Blanc I added 4 g of potassium metabisulphite and 5.5 grams of potassium sorbate. I am not a fan of the sorbate and I hope the Sauvignon Blanc doesn’t develop a kit wine taste something I dislike and consider a fault. I also added chitosan. The sorbate and metabisulphite should stop the yeast from reproducing. The chitosan should help clarify the wine. After I added these products the wine was cloudy from the stirring. Within a day, there were noticeable deposits on the bottom of the carboy. By the end of two days the cloudiness began to clear. I’ll let the suspended particles settle to the bottom for another six days then rack the wine into another carboy.
My plan is to also rack the peach wine at the same time and add potassium metabisulphite and potassium sorbate at that time. I’m not as worried about adding the sorbate to the peach wine because we plan to back sweeten it. The sugar has a tendency of masking the effect of the sorbate taste.
Cheers,
Terry
Since we are going to travel for a few weeks we decided to rack the peach wine. The wine was in a 3-gallon carboy, a half-gallon carboy and a 750 ml decanter. Both the decanter and the half gallon carboy had about an inch of sediment and dead yeast cells at the bottom. The 3-gallon carboy had about 1/2 inch of sediment and dead yeast cells. We racked into another 3-gallon carboy.
While racking we were careful not to get much if any of the muck from the bottom. As a result we were able to fill a different 3-gallon carboy to within an inch and a half of the airlock. Unfortunately we didn’t have enough wine to fill another half gallon carboy so we had to make a decision about the extra wine. We filled the decanter and froze the left over wine. I don’t know if freezing the left over wine was a good idea or not. It seemed to make sense at the time.
Before racking, we measured the specific gravity at 0.990. When tasted, the wine was quite dry and had noticeable dissolved carbon dioxide. There was a slight peach aroma and taste. Kathy didn’t like the dryness and added a bit of sugar to her glass. The result increased the peach taste. We’ll let this wine take its time and let the solids settle on the bottom. Meanwhile we have a debate on how to back sweeten the wine. There are several options.
Cheers,
Terry
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Companion Website Launches
We just started making wine in 2008. Since then we have made eight different wines, six at home and one at a Virginia winery and another at a Maryland teaching winery. The reason we started making wine was the realization that since we were writing about wine, we should make it. This reasoning was probably the result of our careers in education and life-long learning attitude. So its no wonder that as we prepared for a new companion website on food that emphasizes cheese, wine vinegar and olive and grape seed oils that we should try to make some of those items.
We were told while visiting a Maryland creamery that Mozzarella cheese was the easiest to make. We followed the directions precisely and I recalled the feeling I had when following the kit wine directions on the first wine I made. Well, the Mozzarella did not turn out as we expected. It was the consistency of peanut butter. We did make Ricotta from the left over whey that did turn out as expected, so our first attempt was partially successful. Since that first cheese making attempt, I’ve had several winemakers tell me they were not successful when they tried to make Mozzarella. Misery enjoys company.
A week ago we started a batch of wine vinegar. The directions are much easier. Take a good red wine, add mother of red wine vinegar and place in a container with cheesecloth covering the opening. Finding the vinegar container was the most challenging part, although the Internet has plenty of sites to choose from. The next challenge was what wine to use. I went with my 2010 Petite Sirah because the alcohol was only 12.5 % and my thinking was that I would have to add less water to dilute the acid of the final vinegar. We’ll see if that was a good choice in a few months.
The website: Food.WineTrailTraveler.com focuses on cheese, wine vinegar and olive and grape seed oils. It has articles about these foods as well as articles about destinations such as creameries and olive oil producers. There is a recipe section that uses cheese, vinegar or oil in the ingredients. New recipes are added monthly. There is a list of events that focus on cheese, vinegar or oils. A forum section is for the community that would like to post or read comments.
Check out the newest member of the family of WineTrailTraveler websites at: http://food.winetrailtraveler.com.
Cheers,
Terry