Post your crush/press day photos

Long story - one vineyard has some soil issues and gets hit every year by spray drift, so they are struggling. The other should have produced this year but we got hit by a May freeze. Maybe next year I'll get a little?

GreginND said:

Long story - one vineyard has some soil issues and gets hit every year by spray drift, so they are struggling. The other should have produced this year but we got hit by a May freeze. Maybe next year I'll get a little?

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Ain't farming fun. Hope next year is a good one

What are the soil issues? You did have Clopyralid or Picloram contamination?

Masbustelo said:

What are the soil issues? You did have Clopyralid or Picloram contamination?

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Yes, while my growing tests early on showed very little contamination out there, that could be a problem. However, the pH is quite high - about 7.9. That's likely to be the big problem. It also is clay underneath. This vineyard struggled from the beginning by being flooded right after planting and two very bad winters after that. The vines just haven't had a chance to flourish. I'm slowly transitioning to a better location on my property.

I realize it's not press day photos anymore, but just an update on my friend's Amador Sangiovese blend.

On the 14th I completed the 72hr racking and moved the wine to the basement, ML culture CH16 added, no nutrients or Acti-ML used, added 2 French oak M+ convection toast, and 2 M toast Mercier staves. Some of the press wine was added to the free run during the racking; pH 3.59 tank, remaining press wine pH 3.66.

I ran the first chromatogram yesterday, and after only 11 days, it appears to be on the move, holding temp is around 68 to 70F. The 1/2 gal on the end is the remaining wine and lees from the last racking, not surprising it is further along; I'm retaining and working this material with stirring and oak, just as an experiment, to attempt to create a high polysaccharide blending component.

The wine taste at this point is surprisingly pleasant, fruit and tannin in balance, a bit lighter in color than what I'm used to, definitely not a block buster, but that wasn't expected with these grapes.

From a friends harvest this year. 1500 pounds of grapes and I lifted all into the crusher

My harvest from my own small 250 vine vineyard. We always have a good crew to take off the nets and pick the grapes. This year I made all the wine into a Syrah Rose.

@FreddyC: How'd you get the pic of the refractometer reading?

Boatboy24 said:

@FreddyC: How'd you get the pic of the refractometer reading?

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Good question, I assume he places his phone right against the view on the refractometer and the phone places focus on it....

Although I've never done this with a refractometer, I do it all of the time with my rifle scope and binoculars. You can take a pic with your iPhone or iPad from a long ways away, looks like you are right on top of a deer.

Fall is here so it was a bit cold for final picking. 750 lbs of Petit Sirah, Malbec and Petit Verdot. Picked, crushed, pressed what we picked a month ago, then food and tasting.

Awesome John!!!!

To me, that post is like crack!

What did you end up tasting? What food did you have? How many people did you have?

That is so cool and I need details man!

Nice pics...

At least when it gets cold like that you don't have to worry so much about the dang bees! Looks like a fun event.

JohnT said:

Awesome John!!!!

To me, that post is like crack!

What did you end up tasting? What food did you have? How many people did you have?

That is so cool and I need details man!

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Let's see. We had last year's Chardonnay and Sauvignon blanc, three years of Cab Sauv, a best of show 2012 Merlot and something we call Stehekin Red cause that is where our hiking crowd came up with the blend, Tempranillo and Sangiovese (yeah, go figure). Food: my lovely wife made her lip smacking ribs, a friend brought comb honey, pasta for the vegetarian.... 9 folks showed up. Quite the good time. Long time till next fall, I'll have to plan a mid-winter bottling party