I got a visit from an expert winemaker yesterday...

[Stressbaby]

We have a local fella who has been making wine for many years, both grape and country wines; he has won a number of medals in amateur wine competitions, including some best in show medals. He's going commercial now on a small scale, but he heard I had a greenhouse and was making interesting wine so he called yesterday and asked for a greenhouse/wine tour. I got some great advice on the whole. I thought I would post some take-home points for comments.

1. Just because you don't like the wine, that doesn't mean it is not any good. Think of all of the commercial wine you try and don't like. Get plenty of feedback. Basically, don't give up on a wine.
2. Enter lots of competitions right away. Early feedback is important so that you don't repeat bad practices or recipes and so that your wines can improve from the beginning.
3. No need to airlock during bulk aging. [Airlocks and bungs are cheap, I may pass on this one.]
4. Cold stabilize every wine someone might chill. 30 days.
5. Sugar (backsweetening) covers lots of wine flaws.
6. No need to backsweeten with anything but regular sugar. He had some reasons in particular not to use honey, but I don't recall what they were, something having to do with the complexity of the sugar.
7. It is possible to overdue the fruit; more is not always better.

He went home with a bottle of my carambola wine. In a couple of weeks I'll be visiting his place. I can't wait for that!

Now I've got to move a couple of carboys to the fridge and man up and enter some competitions.

 

[Julie]

Wow, what a great compliment to have an experienced winemaker contact you and want a tour. Congrats!

 

[Pumpkinman]

Congrats!
I am actually going to bring a bottle to the head wine maker at a local winery next weekend, while I am very excited to hear his feedback, I am very nervous to hear his feedback...lol!

 

[Runningwolf]

I think that's quiet a compliment to have him stop by and talk to you. It sounds like you're wise enough to hear what he had to say and form your own opinions. Just like home winemakers, there are plenty of wineries out there making bad wines and choices. The red flags here were you don't need air locks for aging, I hope he's at least using a solid bung. The worst though is "Sugar (backsweetening) covers lots of wine flaws". Why not address the flaws first then backsweeten so they don't come out later. Learn all the good stuff you can from everyone you talk to and you'll just become that much wiser and make wine that'll exceed theres.

The funniest call I ever got was from a winery in the mid-west. They bought the Vinmetrica and couldn't get the damn thing to work. It didn't take me long to figure out they weren't taking the protective cap off the electrode before taking a measurement. It felt good for a change not to be the one on the foolish end of the call. LOL

 

[Stressbaby]

The worst though is "Sugar (backsweetening) covers lots of wine flaws". Why not address the flaws first then backsweeten so they don't come out later.

To be fair, I might have presented this somewhat out of context. Around here, we have some winemakers who make high alcohol, very sweet country wines. I'm not sure, but I think they do it by stepped sugar additions until the yeast alcohol tolerance is exceeded...a low-tech approach. I think what he was saying was that these wines often have flaws that never get remedied because they are covered up with the sugar.

 

[Runningwolf]

I understand. Extra sugar can also be added to a wine high in acid to help balance it out.

 

[oldwhiskers]

Neat, that would really be an experience.

 

[3274mike]

Very cool that has t boost your confidence a lot what a huge complement