2010 Winemaking Resolutions a Reflection

January is a great time to make resolutions even about winemaking. I did this at the beginning of 2010 and thought I check to see how I did before making 2011 winemaking resolutions.

1. Bottle a Cab/Tannat blend. This will be an east meets west wine: Virginia Tannat and California Cabernet Sauvignon. Did this in August. My youngest son was married in August and guests at our house helped determine the Cab/Tannat blend. By December this wine was really good.

2. Bottle the Cab at Tin Lizzie Wineworks. We didn’t get to bottle our Cab when our group was assigned to bottle it since it was bottled during the time of our son’s wedding. I did however cover another group’s bottling and am familiar with the process used at Tin Lizzie Wineworks. We picked up our 5 cases a few days after the wedding. Everyone who has tasted this wine likes it and my five cases are dwindling.

3. Determine if the barrel of Cab at Vint Hill Craft Winery should be bottled during 2010 or if additional aging will benefit the wine. In August of 2010 we tasted the wine and noticed the harsh tannins. We decided to go with the extra aging. We are in no rush for this wine. By the time we bottle, it will have been in barrel 18 to 21 months.

4. Make a raspberry/mead melomel. Failed on this resolution. Our crop of raspberries was good however the carboys were full at the time and the idea slipped away.

5. Perhaps make a Sauvignon Blanc that is fruit forward with tropical fruit aromas and tastes. Failed to make a Sauvignon Blanc, however Kathy is making a Muscat.

6. Kathy wants to make a peach wine. One of my all-time favorite fruit wines was a dry peach wine. Didn’t happen in 2010 because of a busy August and travel in September, October and November.

Not bad, only two of the resolutions did not happen and we have a Muscat rather than a Sauvignon Blanc. I’m glad that we made the decision to age the Cab at Vint Hill another year. I’m equally happy about how well the Cab/Tannat blend and the Cab made at Tin Lizzie were so well received. The melomel can be put off until another time as well as the peach wine. Next summer we’ll have Muscat to drink.

How did you do with your 2010 winemaking resolutions?