Missing out on one grape harvest

Harvest is not predictable even the California harvest. The best guess two months ago was that Cabernet Sauvignon from California would arrive mid-October. So we decided to squeeze a California trip in late September and early October to film vineyards and hopefully harvest. Unfortunately while we are flying to the west coast, the […]

This doesn’t look good

It is now a fact that I’ve learned more of “what not to do,” than what to do after making my first two batches of wine from kits. When checking the bottles in my wine cellar I came across one of my dessert Riesling bottles that had mold growing on it. It didn’t […]

Ready, Set, Wait!

I live by my calendar. Blocking out certain days is no concern, unless I don’t know when the days are. This is the case while waiting for the grapes to arrive at Vint Hill Craft Winery and Tin Lizzie Wineworks. We are at the mercy of the weather, harvest and shipment. Is there […]

Winemaking Online Class, Lesson Two at WSU

If the first lesson didn’t convince me that this is a science class the second lesson certainly did. This lesson dealt with the preparation of the must and juice. In addition to the chemistry there was a healthy dose of math. I wonder if there is an iPhone app for winemakers.

Several […]

Bottled first mead

In Fall of 2008 I made 2.5 gallons of mead. For months it was cloudy and research basically suggested to “leave it alone. It will eventually clear.” This summer it cleared so I decided to bottle the mead today. The mead is somewhat special to me. It was my first attempt to make […]

Winemaking Online Class, Lesson One from WSU

Since I knew that I was going to craft a barrel of wine during the fall of 2009, I decided to take an online class on winemaking. There are several online classes on winemaking and viticulture offered by Washington State University Extension. The class, Introduction to Winemaking, consists of seven lessons accompanied by […]

Winemaking Class at Vint Hill Craft Winery and a Touch of Chemistry

Kathy and I attended our first winemaking class at Vint Hill Craft Winery presented by winemaker, DJ Leffin. DJ has an easy going manner and blended well with the more than twenty participants. Using a PowerPoint presentation, DJ gave a crash course on the vineyard and the winemaking process. At times, we left […]

The Unromantic Side of Winemaking

I always fancied vineyards, winemaking and wine as romantic. Vineyard weddings or proposals field this view. So do winery receptions and bridal parties. Wine can always be romantic. However there is another side to the process from the vineyard to your glass that is not romantic.

My first day spent working […]