Hill House Vineyard

[rrawhide]

 

[Runningwolf]

WOW Rick that is so cool!

My friends keep asking me what I'm going to do with all of my wine but dang you make me look good! i love the barrels!

 

[rrawhide]

glad that I had a lot of airlocks - I think that there is only 1 left.

there are now 4 barrels and 3 are full. Am thinking about transferring the Rakatsitelli into a barrel for a few months but it is a red wine barrel. Might just give it a little different finish.

cool room is full too - - - - -

wine - wine - wine - wine everywhere - whine - whine - whine!

we racked/transferred all the barrels today and the 15 gallons white & blue containers and all the carboys in the tasting room. All racked and gassed with co2 except the ones that are still working.


I think that we are going to sleep well tonight. I sure could not operate without a tractor/loader and a 2 wheeled cart. I think that they are used every day.


later


rrawhide

 

[Runningwolf]

Wow that is really neat. I know the air lock issue as I am running out of carboys and using more gallon jugs I had to run out and get another half a dozen. Glad I did though as i saw my supply house had those hose clamps Rich was using you can turn with your fingers. Pretty cool!

 

[grapeman]

Wow you got those barrels for a song! Lots of work to do racking all those carboys, etc.

 

[AlFulchino]

20 bucks...that kills us here onthe east coast glad for you!

 

[ibglowin]

Wow!

Looks like they are in great condition to boot!

Are they in the hallway?

 

[rrawhide]

They are right outside the cool room. I have a desk and a cabinet (reloading stuff) and 4 saddles (that I have to get sold some day soon) that I have to move out. Then I can insulate that west wall and the ceiling and expand into that extra room (?). It would hold maybe 8 more barrels there!!! But why, I ask myself? hummmmmmmmmmmmm!!!!

 

[rrawhide]

U - P - D - A - T - E


ON HILL HOUSE VINEYARD.

After looking over the last year and how much time and money that was spent on this project we elected not to take it again this year.


WELL, the owner said if we did not do it he would take it out completely.


Just got back from the vineyard and sadly it is no more. All was bulldozed and is completely gone posts; wires; vines and trees. SO, we will be buying a ton or two of grapes this year. My own vines are coming along nicely but will not have enough grapes for much wine this year.


Looks like we can buy some syrah @$500-600/ton and some cab a little more. A ton should make 2 barrels. SO, until we get our own crop we will buy - might be a whole lot easier!!!!!!


Unless the costal freeze hit too hard we should be able to find the grapes that we want - just do not know what we want yet!!


later


rrawhide

 

[Randoneur]

Bulldozed!!!!!

Oh the insanity of it.

 

[ibglowin]

Oh the humanity.........

How could someone do that!

 

[grapeman]

I'm sure he didn't want the extra taxes and liability for an unkept vineyard. Around here if you quit taking care of an orchard, you can be sued by neighboring orchards because the unkept vineyard is a source of disease and insects.

 

[Wade E]

Wow, all that work to get it up and going only to bulldoze it!!! That blows!!!!!!!Couldnt he have just downsized and left some for recreational???

 

[Rocky]

Unbelievable waste. I can't even imagine it.

 

[Runningwolf]

Well that must have been a depressing trip. So Rick what is he going to do with the land now. He'll have to either plant something or develop it before it erodes.

 

[rrawhide]

It was depressing - but we still have a lot of wine from last year. Come to find out that the Mrs. has never liked the vineyard as she does not like wine only vodka so she has been after him to push it our for years. So now they just have a fenced in area full of weeds. Oh well, we could have kept it up for years but there was not enough of any one varietal to make a barrel - except Rakatsetelli. So, onward and up wards and try to find some good grapes to buy.


Now ya'll know the rest of the story!!!


rrawhide

 

[Waldo]

And a bummer of a story it is my friend

 

[ibglowin]

So now he will plant potatoes or grain to make her some vodka I guess.

 

[DBell]

Let's see, would I rather look at a vineyard or empty feild? Hmmmm.



Oh well, now you can devote all your attention to your own!

 

[AlFulchino]

sad to see vines go under and all your hard work along with it....but on the upside less vines raises the price of grapes

another upside, you take with you a yr of real good experience useful for your own vineyard