We had an opportunity to help winemaker Dave Zuchero at Tine Lizzie Wineworks in Clarksville, Maryland yesterday. The sun was radiant which helped melt the several feet of snow. Yesterday was one of the first days since the back-to-back blizzards hit the area earlier this month, which Dave was able to drive to the winery. The pastoral country setting looked beautiful, however winds kept part of the roadway covered with snow. It did get plowed, but then was quickly filled again.
Our task at hand was to rack wine from a stainless steel tank to a container, clean the stainless steel tank and then rack the wine back again into the tank. We also tested the pH and sulfates. Dave will bottle the wine soon. We did add some tartaric acid to the wine to lower the pH 3.7 to 3.6. The sulfates were a bit low, so sulfates were also added to the wine.
Dave then tested the wine in three barrels that seem to have stalled with malolactic fermentation. He was testing a new product that resembled litmus paper. Placing a measured quantity of wine on the strip and waiting for a specified amount of time, one can match the color or the strip to a color chart indicating the progress of the malolactic fermentation. The Syrah barrels had a way to go. The chardonnay barrel may need to reinoculated.
As the wine ages during the winter there are always winery tasks to address. Sampling the wine, testing it and topping off the barrels are a few of these winery tasks.
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