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Ok, honesty time.
The down side to all this, is it was around 30 degrees C today, air conditioning has been running all day set to 22 C.
With 4 of the 5 gas burners running since around 3pm, all with water or sauces boiling, plus the oven going, our main floor is 29 C. Might need to go sleep in the basement.
 
Ok, honesty time.
The down side to all this, is it was around 30 degrees C today, air conditioning has been running all day set to 22 C.
With 4 of the 5 gas burners running since around 3pm, all with water or sauces boiling, plus the oven going, our main floor is 29 C. Might need to go sleep in the basement.

I laugh alongside you. You poor bastard! Hope you get some respite...
 
#1 had a noon birthday party at TopGolf today. So, #2, the Mrs and I got a bay for ourselves, hit a few golf balls and had lunch. Good times. Came home and went to work in the winery. Put the final pieces back together after the recent water events. After that, more winery organization in prep for (hopefully) Friday's grape pickup. Racked the Walla Walla Cab Merlot kit, then moved it into the barrel. Got everything ready to bottle the Cab Sauv Rose in the next several days. Topped up the 2016 Cab and Syrah barrels and moved the top up wine down to smaller containers. Swept up, staged some stuff and took final inventory to see if I needed any supplies. When I pick up my grapes, Harford carries a lot of supplies and I also need to stop my MD Home Brew on the way home to pick up my C/D - I can pick up any last minute goodies there. I think I'm good for Friday, but I'm sure I'll come up with a few more things to do.
 
#1 had a noon birthday party at TopGolf today. So, #2, the Mrs and I got a bay for ourselves, hit a few golf balls and had lunch. Good times. Came home and went to work in the winery. Put the final pieces back together after the recent water events. After that, more winery organization in prep for (hopefully) Friday's grape pickup. Racked the Walla Walla Cab Merlot kit, then moved it into the barrel. Got everything ready to bottle the Cab Sauv Rose in the next several days. Topped up the 2016 Cab and Syrah barrels and moved the top up wine down to smaller containers. Swept up, staged some stuff and took final inventory to see if I needed any supplies. When I pick up my grapes, Harford carries a lot of supplies and I also need to stop my MD Home Brew on the way home to pick up my C/D - I can pick up any last minute goodies there. I think I'm good for Friday, but I'm sure I'll come up with a few more things to do.
Seems like your pretty set up and organized. I always find the one thing i need i dont have. :)
 
Posting a little late, but on Saturday we had a "send-off" party for my oldest who is going into the Air Force next week. Gonna miss him quite a bit, it is only sinking in now. Anyhow, started the day at dawn getting the smoker going for some ribs for he and his buddies. Had about 35 people show up, which is about my max as I was cooking "to order" and on my poor legs for about 6 hours straight. Got to relax and watch the Eagles try and loose to the Giants on Sunday. Luckily they found this kicker from some practice squad (Cinci I believe) that finished the game off in our favor for a change. I like the video that Paul posted of Eli's face at the end of the game, priceless!

Oh, last image was of the guest of honor (other than my son). One of the perks of organic gardening. Took a ride on one of my wife's cousins, she asked for a beer when I put the camera down (Labatt's blue was her preference)(the mantis asked for the beer, not the taxi).

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Final prep for crush. Gonna run up and get my C/D later this morning, and grab a crush bin at Lowe's. A quick cleaning of the Brutes will also be in order. I've got all my yeast, chems and additives, so all set there. Empty carboys will get a cup or two of KMeta solution and get capped with solid stoppers while they wait for wine. I should probably make a crush checklist as well - almost forgot to add the Lallzyme last year.
 
Made some Habanero (from our garden) bourbon hot sauce.
Was actually irritating our eyes and throats while it was boiling. Tastes awesome!

Looks great, would be interested in your recipe.

I have a bumper crop of very hot jalapenos. Last year I made an Adobo sauce and smoked a bunch for a paprika. This year I'd like to make a hot sauce.
 
I found a recipe online and quadrupled it, modified it just slightly:

4 cups water
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1 cup Habanero peppers, chopped
1/2 cup chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, chopped
2 cups onion, finely diced
2 cups carrot, grated
1 cup bourbon (I used Jim Beam black)
Juice from 4 lemons
2 cups brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cumin
4 tablespoon salt

Bring water and vinegar to boil, mix in chopped peppers (both types), onion, carrots, salt, sugar, cumin. Simmer for 20-30 minutes. Add in rest of ingredients, blend, simmer until desired thickness.

I got 5 250ml bottles, plus 4 hot sauce style bottles, with a bit to spare.
 
Yesterday I worked at a commercial cruch pad no crushing but a lot of other projects.
Pressed and MLF'ed 2 T bins (1 ton bins) of Grenache and 4 PV, innoculated 3 T bins of Syrah, smoked about a couple dozen barrels, topped up and sulfited about 60 barrels twice punched 20 or so T bins and finally cleaned the 5 ton press and crush pad. This was all done with the wime maker, asst wine maker and 3 volunteers. We started out the day at 9:00 drinking sparkling wine, then tasted the Grenache before and after the press, had wine with lunch and did several barrel tastings. There was also a 92 year lady with one of her 21 kids. That's right 21 kids. Her daughter didn't do much but take care of her mother.

Aside from the work the wine and asst winemaker explained in pretty good detail what we were doing and why we were doing it. I was the only home winemaker in the bunch so it was much more informative to the others. The one thing I did get out of it was the process of commercial and home winemaking is the same, just in greater quantities.

Also something inconsistant with this forum is they do not agree that a once opened package of yeast or MLF bacteria cannot be used the following year as long as it is refrigerated.
 
Wifey got up at 4:30 am to go to work. She works about one weekend every 6 or 8 weeks, so I can tolerate it. Got up and dropped my oldest daughter off at school so she could go with her field hockey team to a tournament about 1 1/2 hours away. We'll be lucky to see her this evening before dark. Then headed to the local Giant to forage for food. There are always plenty of discounted items early on a Saturday morning. Met my competition, a local Mom who does the same thing I do but in a big way. She had a large cart overflowing with discounted items. They have their oldest at a local $$$ college and this is how she helps make her budget work. Any how, found some baby backs on sale for tomorrows smoking session, and my Son's last meal with us for awhile. Got home, did some wine chores and headed to the roof to bring down the old antenna and give it a facelift. Glad we did, not sure the supporting pole would have lasted a nor'easter this winter, very rusty and weak. Fixed it up, took it back up and get a few more channels now that the reflection panels on the back are not hanging in every direction.

Then I opened a beer, and another, slurp...ahhhh.

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I found a recipe online and quadrupled it, modified it just slightly:

4 cups water
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1 cup Habanero peppers, chopped
1/2 cup chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, chopped
2 cups onion, finely diced
2 cups carrot, grated
1 cup bourbon (I used Jim Beam black)
Juice from 4 lemons
2 cups brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cumin
4 tablespoon salt

Bring water and vinegar to boil, mix in chopped peppers (both types), onion, carrots, salt, sugar, cumin. Simmer for 20-30 minutes. Add in rest of ingredients, blend, simmer until desired thickness.

I got 5 250ml bottles, plus 4 hot sauce style bottles, with a bit to spare.

Very nice. Still formulating my recipe.
 
Went up to MD this morning to pick up 3 lugs of Merlot and 3 of Malbec. I was the only one there and ended up talking with Kevin for about an hour, while his son was doing punchdowns on the Merlot they harvested Wednesday. Grabbing a quick bite to eat now, then will crush and destem.
 
Also something inconsistant with this forum is they do not agree that a once opened package of yeast or MLF bacteria cannot be used the following year as long as it is refrigerated.


That sounds like a pretty cool day. Hands on experience is always a good thing. But as far as re-using yeast or MLB, I can't say I've seen that said here. And I know for sure it accepted that MLB cannot be use again once opened. Are you saying they disagree and re-use yeast and malo?
 
I gotchya. I didn't mean"re-use" re-use. But I understand it. Manufacture can't exactly say it's ok to do. But it is possible. But if it doesn't work properly there's no blame that came be put on the ML or yeast.
Large scale makes sense. Small scale I like knowing each use is fresh stuff.
 

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