My dad vs Me

[Wiccan_Lager]

Hey everyone,

So last year I embarked on my own wine making journey with out the help of my father. My dad is from the old school (press grapes, throw yeast, wait then drink. If unpleasant, add ginger ale). That's how I was taught growing up.

Anyway, having never really learned how to make wine in a more "controlled and proper way" I joined this forum and asked away. I read article after article. Researched and binged (not googled) everything until I had a pretty good grasp of what was happening and what was needed. Well....the results are in.

Although still early, I decided to sneak a bottle of my Petite Sirah/Zinfandel blend out of the carboy and bring it my parents. Obviously my dad shook his head at me when he heard the word "sulfite" and "potassium sorbate" and I am sure if he could pronounce the word "blasphemy" he would, but lo, he was in for a surprise.

I poured my mother and my father a glass of my now 7 month old wine and they took a sip. If I can only describe the look on the old mans' face when he tasted some of the smoothest, most pleasing home made wine he has ever tasted (I have never tasted anything this good either). To his dismay, the old school has tasted defeat. The notion that sulfite is the enemy was crushed. Oak cubes were no longer Bull poop to him. Mom agreed too. Her seal of approval was when she drank a little too much to keep her head up.

Shortly there after, my father has come to me asking how to fix his syrah that has some SO2 problems and astringency that can remove tooth enamel. A friend of mine who's neighbor taught him the same way called me yesterday to inform me that I will be holding his hand in wine making this year as well.

From the student comes the master...

You can call me...FRUIT NINJA!

PS: I can't wait to see this wine after a year.

PSS: Thanks to all the people here and their patients and willingness to help. This buds for you.

PSS: Also made a Pinot Grigio. That stuff is off the charts. So crisp and refreshing. Sweet and tart at the same time. Used champagne yeast to get that lip smacking goodness. Mmm Mmm.

 

[jswordy]

Change your user name.

Now just think what you'll be like in 7 years. You may look back on your "never tasted anything this good" wine as just a good starting point.

As far as your Dad goes, it's not bad to make bad wine – as long as the winemaker learns from it how to make better wine. I would get totally bored if I was just making the same old thing without some goals to try and improve upon.

My grandpa made excellent wine the old-school way. It is entirely possible to do. But he worked hard to perfect it, and shared winemaking experiences with other immigrants who were vintners. They had goals.

 

[Wiccan_Lager]

Change your user name.

Now just think what you'll be like in 7 years. You may look back on your "never tasted anything this good" wine as just a good starting point.

As far as your Dad goes, it's not bad to make bad wine – as long as the winemaker learns from it how to make better wine. I would get totally bored if I was just making the same old thing without some goals to try and improve upon.

My grandpa made excellent wine the old-school way. It is entirely possible to do. But he worked hard to perfect it, and shared winemaking experiences with other immigrants who were vintners. They had goals.

That's the thing. Dad doesn't do anything different. His wine his like gasoline with an egg after taste. I try to help him see the light but he is a stubborn sicilian. What would you expect?! HAHAHA

 

[Julie]

Congrats Wiccan_lager that is awesome.

 

[Dugger]

Good stuff, Wiccan - sounds like you made a believer out of yourself as well. Don't you just love it when a plan comes together!!

 

[Runningwolf]

Sicilian huh, I wouldn't mess with him. Good thing your the son! LOL Really thats awesome that he admitted he liked your wine and is now asking questions. There isn't anything that could be more satisfying. Well that is unless he decided to start funding your hobby!

 

[tonyt]

What's wrong with being a stuburn Sicilian? It's worked for me for nearly 60 years. But congrats son.

 

[TahunaJR]

Certainly nothing wrong with this story from any angle! I know when I was around 15 and my Sicilian dad shared the winemaking hobby with me, he was an extremely proud/happy father. That is why I continue to do it today!

I had a habit of starting a wine on the days my daughters were born. I was not able to do the same when my 1st grandson was born last year so I decided to wait until his first birthday. In fact, here is a pic of him and I "kicking off" his Nero d'Avola wine kit on his birthday.





Wiccan_Lager, I believe regardless of how things turned out, your dad would still be an extremely happy father! La famiglia...

Joe

 

[jswordy]

That's the thing. Dad doesn't do anything different. His wine his like gasoline with an egg after taste. I try to help him see the light but he is a stubborn sicilian. What would you expect?! HAHAHA

Well, my grandmother and grandfather came here via Ellis Island from Berea. Grandpa always wanted good wine, though. Does your dad compare wines with other Italian vintners in the area? I'm told my grandpa had a circle of winemaking friends, and they would get together now and then to tip a glass, compare, and trade ideas. That could make all the difference for your dad, if he is sharing ideas with peers his age.

 

[JohnT]

Make sure to top that carbay back up after sneaking a bottle!

 

[moesagoodboy]

Wiccan Lager, I hope my sons turn out as well as you. My great grandfather was a methodist minister. There is no winemaking tradition in my family. Come to think of it, food tradition is weak also. Growing up pizza was considered an ethnic food.

Joe

 

[robie]

Wiccan Lager, I hope my sons turn out as well as you. My great grandfather was a methodist minister. There is no winemaking tradition in my family. Come to think of it, food tradition is weak also. Growing up pizza was considered an ethnic food.

Joe

Yep, zero (tolerance for) alcohol in my background, as well. Considering how much I like to travel, entertain, and work/drink wine, I am thought of as sort of the family mutant.

 

[JohnT]

My background is quite the opposite. My father comes from a long line of Hungarian winemakers/grapegrowers. My grandfather owned a vinyard in lovas (lake balaton region).

The real issue with my dad was that the communists "politely" asked him leave his native land when he was only 10 years old. We still have the old vineyard in the family, but it is now owned by my second cousine.

Dad's memory of winemaking at age 10 is rather scetchy at best. We had great interest in renewing our winemaking tradition and it took a number of years before we could produce a wine that we were proud of.

The most progress was made when I took over the effort. Having a clean slate and being willing to admit that "I have a lot to learn" served me well. I hit the books and spent a lot of time talking to established winemakers to learn the facts and science of winemaking.

This was by far better than the "I think they did it this way" approach that we used in the past with Dad. I found that traditions are, more times than not, based on nostalgia and romance. In my experience, most traditions have little to do with the actual process and can at times be even harmful.

To sum up, the more I learned, the better the wine turned out. The better the wine turned out, the more my Dad trusted me. Today we have a solid process that I feel we can rely on.

The funny part of all of this was visiting the family vineyard in Lovas and finding that most of what we do today is the same as what they have been doing for centuries. It made my Dad smile a bit knowing that our recently adopted process was, in fact, the true tradition.