What's in your glass tonight?

[Hazelemere]

This is an excellent lesson in blending. At first blush it sounds screwy -- Chenin Blanc, Chardonnay, Apple Pyment, backsweetened with apple juice.

I don't doubt it's delicious. Congrats!

nothing was back sweetened. I just blended Chenin Blanc Russet Honey with Ambrosia Chardonnay to try to get every component to be at its best. This is the artistic non-formulaic part of winemaking which I enjoy the most.

Chenin Blanc - really good smell (honeydew melon and straw) but too acidic

Chardonnay - buttered popcorn but slightly too acidic

Ambrosia - super fragrant but with no tannin or acid

Russet apples - super tannic and slightly acidic

Unpasteurized blueberry blossom honey in the Russet juice to raise the SG to 1.090 - very fragrant (I like it a lot, my daughter doesn't, tropical fruit smell which the Chenin Blanc and Chardonnay lacked)

the blend was all about acid and then tannin and then smell and then flavour and aftertaste. None of the components were balanced on their own, but the blend is perfectly balanced without any flaws that I can see like my amazing and surprising restaurant tofu dish cooked perfectly.

 

[winemaker81]

nothing was back sweetened.

From the wording, the Russet apples sounded like juice, not wine. My misunderstanding. Actually sounds good, either way.

 

[winemaker81]

I purchased Aperol last fall, as my wife read about it, and it sounded interesting. It's bitter, so it's used as an apertif, but Mrs. WM81 didn't like it as she doesn't do bitter. It's been sitting in my second fridge since then.

I opened a bottle of prosecco before dinner, and for the heckuvit poured a splash of Aperol into the glass. It is nice. I probably used less than the spritzer recipe (which calls for sparkling water), but it worked for me.

 

[Hazelemere]

From the wording, the Russet apples sounded like juice, not wine. My misunderstanding. Actually sounds good, either way.

we ground the russets in an electric apple grinder and then pressed the ground russets in a pneumatic bladder press.

The russet tree i.e. russets grafted on to a transparent tree saw no rain for 90 days i.e. dry gulch russets which went brown in the grinder before the press.

 

[ibglowin]

Celebrating Jon Rahm's Master's win today! What an incredible day for golf.

 

[ibglowin]

 

[Hazelemere]

Fusion Winemaking i.e. grapes with fruit

What you are seeing is a fruit port wild organic frozen dead ripe blackerries iwth homegrown organic raspberries 50/50 blend with dried elederberries on American medium toast oak cubes topped up with French blackcurrant liqueur (1 bottle per carboy). Call this part A.

Then we mixed 5 bottles of A with a beautiful dry wild organic blackberry elderberry wine dead ripe and hand piciked by one of my wine making apprentices. Call this B.

Then we mixed C "Pacific Red" 2020-2021 which is a blend of grape wines

Lodi Mettler Petite Sirah
Amador Cabernet Sauvignon
homegrown oranic Marechal Foch
homegrown organic Regent
Sheridan Syrah

I made C for my wife.

It is slightly too tannic, low in acid but rich.

So we reblended C with B with A in the ratio 60/35/5.

This is very good. We'll call it "Pacific Express" i.e. the expression of west coast fusion wines.

Namaste

Klaus

 

[David Violante]

Very vanilla forward~

 

[David Violante]

Very Very Nice~

 

[wood1954]

My 2022 vintage, I swear it gets better every week. It’s a little lite on tannin with just enough acid.

 

[Hazelemere]

Pinnacle of Sirah 2020-2021

6 blended vinifera all hand destemmed and fermented uncrushed with RC212 yeast. I grow Regent. The rest were purchased in boxes. The Mettler were too high in sugar but tasted and smelled really good. Dineen and Sheridan are neighbours in Washington. First column is lbs, 2nd column is % of the blend, 3rd column is juice SG, 4th column is juice acid and last column is alcohol level. I opened 1 and have 8 left to age.

Comments:

Colour: purple ink

Smell: coffee, cocoa, black licorice, five spice, plums

Tannin: high but fine with tannin in the aftertase

Acid: good, matches the tannin

Flavour: intense, rich, balanced, needs lots of time e.g. 5+ years to mellow the tannins and develop a bottle bouquet. This had medium toast American oak cubes added during malolactic fermentation.

Finish: long and intense

I'll rebottle 1/2 of this in a split (13 oz) and taste it again in a years time. Pinnacle is the shorthand that I use for wines containing 2 or more Cabernets.

Pinnacle of Sirah 2020-21
Dineen Cabernet Sauvignon	97.7​	19.1%	1.100​	0.80​	13.3​
Sheridan Syrah	48.0​	9.4%	1.114​	0.70​	15.6​
Amador Cabernet Sauvignon	21.7​	4.2%	1.107	0.70	14.5​
Dineen Cabernet Franc	61.0​	11.9%	1.100​	0.75​	13.3​
Mettler Petite Sirah	216.0​	42.2%	1.120​	0.70​	16.6​
Regent	68.0​	13.3%	1.082	0.85	10.6​
	512.4​	100.0%	1.108	0.74	14.6​

 

[Hazelemere]

4th column is juice acid

 

[crushday]

I'm drinking the 2020 Optimist tonight. A bit of backstory...

I was driving to California for a haul of grapes from Loomis, CA on August 28th, 2020. As you know, as a world, we were in the throws of CoVid19. Driving on I-90 was one of the most strange experiences of my life. It was difficult to find an open gas station or restaurant. REST AREAS WERE SHUT DOWN!! People were literally pulling off the highway and doing their business.

The trip back was the most harrowing. For those who don't know, you cannot pump your own fuel in the State of Oregon; an attendant is necessary. It's a worldwide pandemic and most of the filling stations in Oregon are closed. Estabilishments that have a filling station are not manned. I almost ran out of gas trying to find one open and manned. To make matters worse, the bridge that spans the Columbia River at the state line had hundreds of protestors (George Floyd) on it and the interstate and bridge was closed.

I remember FINALLY getting to my home state and thinking about making a wine blend to commemorate the year. I was "optimistic" that one day, the world will be normal again. Although my optimism hasn't waned, normalcy has been allusive.

I really enjoy this wine...

 

[wood1954]

I'm drinking the 2020 Optimist tonight. A bit of backstory...

I was driving to California for a haul of grapes from Loomis, CA on August 28th, 2020. As you know, as a world, we were in the throws of CoVid 19. Driving on I-90 was one of the most strange experiences of my life. It was difficult to find an open gas station or restaurant. REST AREAS WERE SHUT DOWN!! People were literally pulling off the highway and doing their business.

The trip back was the most harrowing. For those who don't know, you cannot pump your own fuel in the State of Oregon; an attendant is necessary. It's a worldwide pandemic and most of the filling stations in Oregon are closed. Estabilishments that have a filling station are not manned. I almost ran out of gas trying to find one open and manned. To make matters worse, the bridge that spans the Columbia River at the state line had hundreds of protestors (George Floyd) on it and the interstate and bridge was closed.

I remember FINALLY getting to my home state and thinking about making a wine blend to commemorate the year. I was "optimistic" that one day, the world will be normal again. Although my optimism hasn't waned, normalcy has been allusive.

I really enjoy this wine...

View attachment 100559

Looks like a great blend

 

[winemaker81]

I'm making pork scaloppini tonight, and decided to open my last bottle of Vouvray. It's a bit warmer than optimal, so after pouring a glass I used the wine chiller I was given a few years ago -- that's the silver rod visible in the bottle. I keep the metal part in the freezer, screw it onto the pourer, and put it in the bottle. The bottle is in the fridge, but this gives it a boost.

That leaves a slightly warm glass of wine. So I got out my whiskey stones and put them in the glass. If it chills whiskey, it will chill wine. I used 6 instead of the usual 3 as the wine volume is greater. It works nicely.

 

[wood1954]

I'm making pork scaloppini tonight, and decided to open my last bottle of Vouvray. It's a bit warmer than optimal, so after pouring a glass I used the wine chiller I was given a few years ago -- that's the silver rod visible in the bottle. I keep the metal part in the freezer, screw it onto the pourer, and put it in the bottle. The bottle is in the fridge, but this gives it a boost.

That leaves a slightly warm glass of wine. So I got out my whiskey stones and put them in the glass. If it chills whiskey, it will chill wine. I used 6 instead of the usual 3 as the wine volume is greater. It works nicely.

View attachment 100613

That’s really cool, no pun intended. I’ve never seen that before.

 

[Hazelemere]

I'm drinking the 2020 Optimist tonight. A bit of backstory...

I was driving to California for a haul of grapes from Loomis, CA on August 28th, 2020. As you know, as a world, we were in the throws of CoVid19. Driving on I-90 was one of the most strange experiences of my life. It was difficult to find an open gas station or restaurant. REST AREAS WERE SHUT DOWN!! People were literally pulling off the highway and doing their business.

The trip back was the most harrowing. For those who don't know, you cannot pump your own fuel in the State of Oregon; an attendant is necessary. It's a worldwide pandemic and most of the filling stations in Oregon are closed. Estabilishments that have a filling station are not manned. I almost ran out of gas trying to find one open and manned. To make matters worse, the bridge that spans the Columbia River at the state line had hundreds of protestors (George Floyd) on it and the interstate and bridge was closed.

I remember FINALLY getting to my home state and thinking about making a wine blend to commemorate the year. I was "optimistic" that one day, the world will be normal again. Although my optimism hasn't waned, normalcy has been allusive.

I really enjoy this wine...

View attachment 100559

great story

 

[winemaker81]

That’s really cool, no pun intended. I’ve never seen that before.

The wine chiller or the whiskey stones? Both are very useful, although I drink far more whiskey than white wine, so I use the stones more.

My birthday is coming up, and my wife & sons ask for ideas. I'm harder-n-heck to buy for, as there just isn't much that I want, and the price of most of my toys are beyond "birthday $$$" levels. I'd love d20 whiskey stones (shaped liked a 20-sided die, TTRPG players will understand), but they are STUPIDLY expensive.

 

[Hazelemere]

The wine chiller or the whiskey stones? Both are very useful, although I drink far more whiskey than white wine, so I use the stones more.

My birthday is coming up, and my wife & sons ask for ideas. I'm harder-n-heck to buy for, as there just isn't much that I want, and the price of most of my toys are beyond "birthday $$$" levels. I'd love d20 whiskey stones (shaped liked a 20-sided die, TTRPG players will understand), but they are STUPIDLY expensive.

Buy Central Otago New Zealand Pinot Noirs e.g Aku Rua Rua any year. Happy Birthday.

 

[ibglowin]

Did not suck! This IS the hazy IPA to drink when in Hawaii. Had it on tap in Maui and it was so good we drove to the brewery and bought (3) 6 Packs. Down to only 4 left tonight.

Stay thirsty my friends!