What R you doing today?

[Boatboy24]

I've fished there before, same area, it can be challenging this time of year.

The grandson of my fishing partner(20 yrs ago) took second place today. And your correct tomorrow can and probably will be a different story. Wish your nephew the best of luck. I'm thinking tomorrow will be in the 90s.

Wow, they are not far from first and had a very good day at almost 20lbs. Very nice.

My sister said it is really hot down there today. More of the same tomorrow, I think. Win, lose, or draw, this is the experience of a lifetime for these kids. I think tomorrow is live on ESPN2.

 

[Hokapsig]

25 cases of Fredonia bottled today. Tomorrow, cleaning the tank, racking some Pee, filtering 40 gallons of Seyval Blanc. It will be a busy week....

 

[vernsgal]

Packing to go to the coast and spend a few days with a few of our grandbabies. Warning..there may be baby pics next week!

 

[vernsgal]

Celebrating my birthday by doing some winery hopping...

Happy belated Birthday John.Hope it was a good one! (also hope there was a designated driver so you could really enjoy!)

 

[ffemt128]

Working from home again today. Started another batch of Skeeter Pee this am. Need to either order a bag of corks from Lafitte or run out to AAC and pick up a bag. Price is the same from both, no shipping if I run to Belle Vernon.

 

[Boatboy24]

Makin' bacon! Just put this little 4lb slab of belly in the cure and will smoke it up next weekend.

 

[Johnd]

Drinking a cup and mentally preparing to bottle RJS EP Amarone and WE SL Merlot. Both are around 9 months old and have been through the Vadais, are crystal clear and sediment free, and just taking up a perfectly good carboy and carboy storage slot. I have lots of empty bottle storage, harvest is around the corner. Ok, that's enough reasons to bottle a few months early.......

 

[ceeaton]

...Ok, that's enough reasons to bottle a few months early.......

I hate to say it John, but that sounds like my type of thinking. You are regressing my friend!

 

[Johnd]

I hate to say it John, but that sounds like my type of thinking. You are regressing my friend!

Ha!! I don't mind bottling kits a couple months early, it means I have more capacity for grape winemaking, 9 months is plenty. I have to say, this is my third SLM, only one that got barrelled, it's easily the best of the three.

 

[ceeaton]

Ha!! I don't mind bottling kits a couple months early, it means I have more capacity for grape winemaking, 9 months is plenty. I have to say, this is my third SLM, only one that got barrelled, it's easily the best of the three.

Just razzing you. But your thought process followed how I usually justify bottling a wine early to make room for more. Hopefully tomorrow when I get to see @jgmann67 's AIO in action it will push me to buy a tool that will help improve my finished wines when I decide to bottle earlier than a year.

As I remember, you are like I am, if it ain't in the bottle it is hard to open it, unless you like tipping carboys.

 

[Julie]

Makin' bacon! Just put this little 4lb slab of belly in the cure and will smoke it up next weekend.

I really like seeing that there are others who make their own bacon. The bacon we make is sooooo much better than what you can buy in a store!

 

[Johnd]

@ceeaton , I definitely don't do much carboy drinking, other than needed when making adjustments and the like. Even pretty good about staying out of bottled stashes, have some wines over a year old and haven't even sampled a split yet.

I've got a lot of grapes ordered this year, which is my plan going forward, saving skins to enhance a few high end kits per year, so I really need to make room, hence the 9 month bottling. Once they've cleared and been racked several times and gone through a barrel, they can bottle age. I have lots of bottle storage, bulk storage is my limiting factor at the moment. I'm on the verge of committing myself to drums instead of pails, which will change a lot of factors.

 

[ceeaton]

Just got back from an afternoon at @jgmann67 's place. I wanted to see the AIO in action, and I did. Bottled two wines and racked two. He did two days work in a few hours and gave me a great demonstration of the AIO.

Now I'm working on my selling point to my Wife. That pump is a really nice tool!

Thanks to Jim for putting up with me and my constant jabber (my sister was visiting at the same time, so it was a double dose of Eaton jabber).

 

[jgmann67]

Recovered from a day of work... For the first time in a week, I slept past 4:00 a.m.

The Forza and The Cab are resting on their sides. Looking pretty good. Will capsule and label this week.

 

[Boatboy24]

Started the day off with a 6 mile run. After getting cleaned up, ran a couple errands with the kiddos and came home for lunch. Then got a 4lb piece of pork belly on the smoker after curing it for a week. While that's going, Got the 2015's out of their respective barrels and am now enjoying a few ounces of the cab that was left after topping up the carboys. Hopefully, the bacon will be done in about 15 minutes and I can get that off the smoker and get a nap before the next excursion.

 

[ceeaton]

Hopefully, the bacon will be done in about 15 minutes...

Mmmm, bacon.

Stayed up too late last night enjoying a few glasses of Chardonel, had to get up early, one daughter off for a day at Hershey Park with her friend and a sleep over (they picked her up at 7 am), other daughter had a field hockey scrimmage. Wife and oldest son worked today (left by 5:15 am). Did a Giant run in between dropping off and picking up my field hockey enthusiast. Youngest son played on the computer and I really doubt he noticed I was gone. Started a small batch of tomato sauce from about 30 Romas I picked this morning, will use that for Chicken Parm tomorrow (cold front coming through, probably won't be able to grill). Also made a batch of my Mom's BBQ recipe she got when in the Air Force in Texas (Lackland AFB I think), kids really like it, plan to use it on a cut up chicken and a few extra legs. Will serve with some local corn, still need to figure out which wine I'm quaffing.

 

[vernsgal]

Started this morning with my workout then bottled a pinot noir and a barolo.Now I'm heading for the beach!

 

[mennyg19]

Mmmm, bacon.

Stayed up too late last night enjoying a few glasses of Chardonel, had to get up early, one daughter off for a day at Hershey Park with her friend and a sleep over (they picked her up at 7 am), other daughter had a field hockey scrimmage. Wife and oldest son worked today (left by 5:15 am). Did a Giant run in between dropping off and picking up my field hockey enthusiast. Youngest son played on the computer and I really doubt he noticed I was gone. Started a small batch of tomato sauce from about 30 Romas I picked this morning, will use that for Chicken Parm tomorrow (cold front coming through, probably won't be able to grill). Also made a batch of my Mom's BBQ recipe she got when in the Air Force in Texas (Lackland AFB I think), kids really like it, plan to use it on a cut up chicken and a few extra legs. Will serve with some local corn, still need to figure out which wine I'm quaffing.

that BBQ sauce sounds great, care to share the recipe? Im a big bbq sauce guy...

 

[Boatboy24]

Finished the meatballs and sauce, then onto blending trials. I mixed up 4 different blends of Cab Sauv/Syrah/Petite Sirah. Headed over to Mom and Dad's in a bit, where Dad and I will taste and determine the final blend(s). In order of Syrah/Cab/Petit Syrah, they are as follows:

75/20/5
60/30/10
45/45/10
30/60/10

Even though I was able to successfully reduce the acidity on the Cab, it is still 'bright'. The Syrah and PS are chunky and chewy, with the PS being nice and dry, but quite smooth. Haven't tried any of the blends yet, but have a feeling I'll lean toward one of the Syrah-centric blends. We'll see later on.

But first, I need to slice up the bacon I smoked yesterday.

 

[ceeaton]

Mmmm bacon! Betcha that would make an incredible BLT, I've got the lettuce, nice big maters and homemade bread, bring some o' that bacon on up here and let's construct some heaven!