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it was the second year for a crop, but I am going to be much more aggressive about thinning clusters next year.

I guess I just live too far north to get these grapes really ripe. I’m hoping next year we will have a warmer summer. The ph was 3.00, so I’ve got to make an adjustment there too. The joy of trying to grow grapes in a northern climate!

For those of you with Petite Pearl, do you have trouble getting a high enough Brix? I harvested today and the grapes looked great! They are full clusters with very few green berries, almost a black purple, but the Brix seems stuck at 13-15 and the berries are really compact and don’t seem to...

Sorry to hear you’re not having good luck. I read through the morewinemaking guide suggested for white wine. I already see a few things I need to change for next year, but I’m hoping to get to the finish line this year with something I can bottle.

I have my very small harvest in a 1 gal carboy fermenter. I was very disappointed in yield! Part of the problem is I do not have a press, so I had to use an old Victorian strainer (cone shaped thing they used years ago for separating tomato skins and seeds from juice). Anyway, the berries were...

I’m going to be picking my Itasca in a few weeks. I have 10 vines, but I don’t think I’m going to get your volume of fruit! I’m anxious to try a good commercial bottle to see what to strive for. I’m hearing very good reviews!

I’m in UP of Michigan, so I’m still waiting for Petite Pearls to ripen. Marquettes look pretty good, although thin clusters this year.

What winery? I know Parallel 44 does a nice job, but not sure their whole process.

So I have been doing taste testing of my first real harvest from last year. It all went in bottles early May, and I wanted to see how things were going at 3 months. The Petite Pearl was tart, but drinkable. It made a great spritzer. The Marquette was very drinkable and I was impressed with how...

I went to good old Amazon and found this one. there are several similar, and I’m thinking this might be an option. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07FMKG4JZ/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=A3TAX0K2WG2NP6&th=1

That’s a great looking set up!😊👍

Thanks for info!

I also have 10 Itasca vines that are 4 years old this year and should produce enough for harvest this fall. This will be my first attempt at white wine. Up to now, I have not used a press. I was interested in a bladder style press for ease of clean up, etc. The ones I’ve seen are around a $1000...

I also have 10 vines of Itasca! I didn’t take grapes in 2022 because they had some deer damage the first year before the fence was up. I’m anxious to see how they will be this year!

Here’s the labels. The green & red label was for one gallon of Marquette that I administered Malolactic on, stirred about 2 times in week following, then left it all winter without any sulfite treatment. I wanted to see if I would get any spoilage or off smell/taste. I think it turned out...

Since this is my first real vintage from my vineyard so my plan is to not blend this year. I want to taste each one alone. I did use oak chips during primary, but I did not use any barrel aging. I’m gone during the winter, so I need a low maintenance process for aging.

Bottled last seasons wine. I had 7 gal of Marquette, 5 gal of Petite Pearl, 3 gal of Frontenac. I think they all looked very clear & good color, especially the PP. They are all a little tart yet, but not sour. I’m anxious to try after another 3-6 months in the bottle. My husband was making wine...

Boy, sorry to hear about this!😢 So much work to make and then to see it go to waste! I am finishing up primary on two batches of wine this week. I have 5 gal of Marquette that I just put into a glass carboy with some malolactic bacteria. I’m hoping to increase PH for the next two weeks until I...

My Petite Pearls look really good, but sugar is still not very high. I’m going to give them a few more days. Frontenac was taking longer to get ripe, but ph was slightly better than Marquette.