2018 Grape Season Underway

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I'm getting fired up. 6 days left!

Jim and Fred: not sure what the schedule will be that day, but hope we can meet up. I will likely have Dad with me. Will bring some bottles for trading.

It will be get it and go for me. 2 otger events that day. Don't you think it's a shame though driving 30 plus miles to trade wine when we live 2 miles from eachother. LOL!
 
I'm getting fired up. 6 days left!

Jim and Fred: not sure what the schedule will be that day, but hope we can meet up. I will likely have Dad with me. Will bring some bottles for trading.

I will bring some of my EMs. Not a lot in my cellar in the “ready to drink” category. So, the ones I’ll have will need another 6-12 months of aging before they’re ready.

The RJS RQ French Cab and Merlot are pretty damned good now. They’ll be stellar in another year.
 
hey, im doing my wines from 4 aces and musto bello buckets, without skins expect less tannin...are there any base guidelines for adding before I go by taste, I really have no idea what a lot or a little is to add
 
It will be get it and go for me. 2 otger events that day. Don't you think it's a shame though driving 30 plus miles to trade wine when we live 2 miles from eachother. LOL!

Well, yes. But you and I have plenty of opportunities. I haven't seen Jim in probably 2+ years.
 
Saturday I picked up 2 lugs of Merlot and 1 Cab along with 3 lugs of Zinderella OVZ and 1 lug of Carnellian. Crushed/destemmed the Merlot and Cab for a field blend and Zin on its own. I split the Carnellian lug into the Merlot and Zin musts. I used MT yeast on the Merlot and D21 on the Zin. Tested and added enzymes. Sunday I retested and added FT rouge to both musts. The Zin had a very high starting SG of 1.110 which is going to push the D21 to its limits to finish dry, hopefully no issues as fermentation progresses. This morning, caps forming on both, things are rolling along quite nicely. Love this time of year!
 
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Just got the pickup schedule for Washington Winemakers.

@mainshipfred : looks like you and I both have the 10-11 spot
@jgmann67 : You're a little earlier. You plan on hanging around?

Jim is getting his crushed so it might be a little. I'm probably going to get there around 8-8:30 andhelp out if they need it.
 
Jim is getting his crushed so it might be a little. I'm probably going to get there around 8-8:30 andhelp out if they need it.

Yep. They’re crushing mine, and I’m hoping to arrive around 9:00, crush and hang out a bit. Not too long, though. Want to keep my grapes and juice cold and get home (2 hour drive).
 
So far, no. Still working on him. But, he may have some domestic issues to attend to.
I think the domestic issues are cleared (washer and dryer installed, wifey not working).

My main issue is being in a car for four hours, not sure my back/leg are up to it. I developed a sciatic nerve issue along with an arthritic hip this past spring (it sucks getting older) and have found that much more than an hour drive necessitates a stop and five minute walk/stretch. I've got to find a way to do a three hour trip up to our cabin to close it in a couple of weeks, so this may be a good test (at your expense if I'm howling in pain the whole way).

What time do I have to be at your place to depart, 6:45-7am?
 
I think the domestic issues are cleared (washer and dryer installed, wifey not working).

My main issue is being in a car for four hours, not sure my back/leg are up to it. I developed a sciatic nerve issue along with an arthritic hip this past spring (it sucks getting older) and have found that much more than an hour drive necessitates a stop and five minute walk/stretch. I've got to find a way to do a three hour trip up to our cabin to close it in a couple of weeks, so this may be a good test (at your expense if I'm howling in pain the whole way).

What time do I have to be at your place to depart, 6:45-7am?

Yes, departure at 0700 hours. Heated seats? Check. Sucks getting older? Check. Bullet to bite to handle the pain? Check.
 
Pressing both the Merlot/Cab blend and Zin tonight. SG for both sitting right around 1.000. Was concerned the D21 might struggle to finish dry on the Zin but all signs trending towards no issues.
 
Yes, departure at 0700 hours. Heated seats? Check. Sucks getting older? Check. Bullet to bite to handle the pain? Check.
I'll aim for 0645 hours so I can walk around and get rid of some of my coffee. I'll text you if things change on my end. Should I bring a Zin/PS for BB and Mainship to put into storage, since we see BB about every second year?
 
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