Beginner's diary - Shiraz making

[Obelix]

Well, just in time. Started 6:30 this morning. The press washed and stored and all equipment washed by 10am . The wine sitting happily in the VCTs. 200-210 L in todal + 25L Rose.

The Brix was zero, the colour came through, and so did the taste. I could recognise the fruity ting of a typical Zin. The colour is dark with red hue.
Just in time - it is a scorcher out there 40C.
I feel lucky again


Last year I compared the taste of the free flow vs pressed wine and decided it was all great and mixed it up.

This year, I felt the pressed wine is inferior. Felt a bit thin. Go figure.

Anyway, decided to separate it into another container. I'll try it again after the gross lees raking and decide to mix it in or keep separate.

 

[mainshipfred]

In McLaren Vale (the region I'm most familiar with in SA) their harvest officially kicks off tomorrow, but some grapes (esp some white varieties) would have been picked already.
Don't know about Primitivo - I am trying to get my hands on some so your post has prompted me to try to get onto that ASAP!
Shiraz is a little while away - possibly 3-4 weeks.

Also, I can vouch for the quality of your shiraz... great wine.

Here in Aus biosecurity regulations are a big thing (for example, SA and WA are along with Chile some of the biggest grape growing regions to have avoided phylloxera) so we don't usually move grapes between jurisdictions .... so it always surprises me on this forum to read about people just casually ordering grapes from all over the world!

I wish it was from all over the world. I would like to get Malbec from Argentina but like Europe and Australia these sources aren't available for grapes. Although we are lucky to have so many growing regions in the states.

 

[Obelix]

The wine raked from Gross Lees after three days (remembered John's advice from the last year - thks John ), and, after trying it again, decided to mix in the pressed wine and the free flow. I only had about 25-30L of the pressed wine anyway. So it's a total of about 200L in the big VCT. Feels slightly less acidic. The MLF performing?
Added in the last pinch ov VP41 I retained in the fridge - just in case of any disaster

The 40s C were relentless until today's 29C. Lucky to have survived this in good shape. All now in the air-conditioned environment.

The Rose is still bubbling away in the beer fermenter. Once it's done, I'lI'll add a bit of egg white to clarify it, and some Tartaric if required.
Then transfer it to the 100L parrafin tank for some months of aging.

Got a bottle of Italian Primitivo yesterday. I was keen to compare, but couldn't taste the wine from the oak. Oak can be pleasant but overwhelms the wine character.