What's in your glass tonight?

[heatherd]

Wish I could get my wife to like a Sauvingon Blanc. For some reason she just can't get past the lemongrass type flavors in the Australian/New Zealand versions, which is something I love.

Oh, that's a bummer. This particular wine is tough to describe, but it is tart and fresh-tasting. It is not a fruity wine, and I don't get lemongrass, but that is just me. I have made NZ SB and it's less tart and more smooth.

I have seven batches if white/blush wines aging now, including (3) muscat canelli, (2) traminette, (1) white zin, and (1) gewurztraminer verdelho muscat. I am looking forward to comparing them against the SB when all are ready.

After that, I have Fourtitude, Bravado, Forza, and a 2017 LE Mosti Mondali Meglioli Australian Shiraz that will ship in March. This will restock my racks with reds, which are sorely needed.

 

[ceeaton]

Oh, that's a bummer. This particular wine is tough to describe, but it is tart and fresh-tasting. It is not a fruity wine, and I don't get lemongrass, but that is just me. I have made NZ SB and it's less tart and more smooth.

I have seven batches if white/blush wines aging now, including (3) muscat canelli, (2) traminette, (1) white zin, and (1) gewurztraminer verdelho muscat. I am looking forward to comparing them against the SB when all are ready.

After that, I have Fourtitude, Bravado, Forza, and a 2017 LE Mosti Mondali Meglioli Australian Shiraz that will ship in March. This will restock my racks with reds, which are sorely needed.

Heather, if you and your hubby ever need someone to house sit, just let me know, I'll do it for free. Now you need to supply some food, and hummm...wine, but I think you have that covered nicely. Decisions, decisions...I don't see a wine in there that I wouldn't want to try. Quite the selection.

 

[Boatboy24]

Wish I could get my wife to like a Sauvingon Blanc. For some reason she just can't get past the lemongrass type flavors in the Australian/New Zealand versions, which is something I love.

Try something from the US west coast.

 

[ceeaton]

Sampling some of the sparkling wine from my 3 gallon Cornelius keg. This year is a blend of 10% Sauvingon Blanc and 90% of a really acidic Pinot Grigio. Wife gave it a nod of approval and a "yum" comment. Hoping for another cold night as the carbonation is in "big bubbles" and I am aiming for smaller ones, which seem to appear once carbonated for a longer period of time. Temperature outside has not been my friend as I can usually get good carbonation in a day or two if it is in the low 20's, which it hasn't been. I've been pushing 30 psi for 5 days now, it is accepting the CO2, just slower than usual. I've got another 44 hours until serving, so here's to two really cold nights...

Still, a nice effort and will be drunk willingly by my extended family.

Edit: this is definitely in the Brut style of sparkling wine, very dry, very acidic, very good and holding on to the carbonation in the glass for 20 minutes now.

 

[Boatboy24]

Did a little of the cucumber-melon sauvignon blanc tonight. Caps going into OT - might pop a bottle of the blueberry port.

 

[geek]

Geez....what a mix...

Passport Pinot Gris
Muscat Canelli
La Bodega port
Punta Cana rum
Other shots
[emoji44]

 

[Boatboy24]

The better part of a bottle of Winery Series Super Tuscan went into my red sauce. The rest went into the cook. Getting ready to try a bottle of my Eclipse Forza. Bottled in August, it is now a little over 13 months. Probably too young, but who cares.

 

[ceeaton]

The better part of a bottle of Winery Series Super Tuscan went into my red sauce. The rest went into the cook. Getting ready to try a bottle of my Eclipse Forza. Bottled in August, it is now a little over 13 months. Probably too young, but who cares.

Mine is at 17 months but I bet yours is further along with the barrel time you gave it. It is very drinkable in small quantities, a 375 ml bottle makes me a bit silly (actually sillier, my base mode is silly, like my sister, who I get to see tomorrow, woohoo).

 

[Boatboy24]

Mine is at 17 months but I bet yours is further along with the barrel time you gave it. It is very drinkable in small quantities, a 375 ml bottle makes me a bit silly (actually sillier, my base mode is silly, like my sister, who I get to see tomorrow, woohoo).

Surprisingly solid caramel notes and lighter tannin than I recall. Fruit is solid as well. Overall, a nice wine, but different than what I sampled after barrel aging. No complaints at all though. I have one of yours and will do a compare soon.

 

[ceeaton]

I have one of yours and will do a compare soon.

Just decant the crap out of it. I still am finding residual CO2 in my wines, even after purchasing my AIO. Though I think that one was pre-AIO.

I need to do 5 or so AIO rackings and NO winter bottling. Too cold in this house because I'm the heat grinch.

 

[ibglowin]

Just wait two years before you bottle. No CO2 guaranteed!

 

[NorCal]

My wife called for the somewhat oakey 2014 Cab Franc. One of her favorites.

 

[opus345]

2014 Truett Hurst Black Sheep Pinot Noir

The feline lets us live here.

opus

 

[Elmer]

Probably better than wine!

YMMV !

 

[ibglowin]

Reaching back into the cellar tonight. My own 2011 "Caballo Muerto" This was my best Bordeaux blend from 2011. 79% Cab Sauv, 10% Merlot and then the rest was touches of Malbec, Cab Franc and Petit Verdot. Hard to believe this is now 5 years old. Zero sediment. That's what waiting to bottle for 2 years will do for you. 6 months in a Vadai. The tannins have integrated and mellowed. Lots of dark fruits especially cherry showing through. Still has a nice long finish. Oak is spot on. Very proud of this wine and now down to two bottles left in the cellar.....

 

[ceeaton]

Zero sediment. That's what waiting to bottle for 2 years will do for you. (

For my education, I thought that as a wine aged in the bottle, the tannins would bind with the O2 which slowly comes though/around the cork and that eventually a long aged wine would get sediment from that process? Is my thinking off base?

I think you should keep those two bottles for another 5 years to see if you get any sediment, so that us newbies can learn at your expense!

 

[ibglowin]

So my cellar gets down to ~50F in the Winter for months. They go through not one but two Winters before bottling. That includes 6 months in a 23L Vadai barrel as well. The wines are basically cold stabilized down to that temp. Since they will never see anything lower than that they will not, should not throw any sediment at all and this proves it. Everything that would fall out has fallen out by then and I have racked it off long before bottling.

 

[ceeaton]

So it sounds like what I've read about tannins binding and precipitating out is actually whoey. Nice to know. I thought I could trust everything I read on the internet, oh well, live and learn.

From http://www.winespectator.com/webfeature/show/id/how-to-serve-wine-decanting

Older red wines and Vintage Ports naturally produce sediment as they age (white wines rarely do); the color pigments and tannins bond together and fall out of solution. Stirring up the sediment when pouring will cloud a wine’s appearance and can impart bitter flavors and a gritty texture. It’s not harmful, but definitely less enjoyable.

 

[Boatboy24]

After last night, there probably shouldn't be anything in my glass. But I'm doing some Eclipse Sauvignon Blanc.

Last night was sone Pundit Syrah, J. Lohr Cab and Coppola Claret. Then my good friend broke out a bottle of Orange Chocolate port that I gave him a few years ago.

 

[ibglowin]

This is all about the solubility of Tartaric acid in any given wine at any given temperature, plain and simple. The lower the temp, the less soluble the acid is and more and more will fall out. If you bottle at 12 months and your wine never sees a colder temp than what it has seen then it should be fine. If your wine storage area goes colder then it will throw more sediment.

I am sure if my cellar got colder, say down into the 40's it would throw more sediment in the bottle but that will never happen as it has a heat source and plenty of insulation to keep it more around 50-55F in the Winter.

So it sounds like what I've read about tannins binding and precipitating out is actually whoey. Nice to know. I thought I could trust everything I read on the internet, oh well, live and learn.