What's in your glass tonight?

[Ohio Bob]

Some decent TW Albarino that went well with the Diablo shrimp for dinner........

Good to know it pairs well with carbon.

 

[jswordy]

Sipping my last Texas beer at 4 p.m., after a morning of shopping and an afternoon of blueberry pruning. Whew, I am beat, lol...

 

[Christopher Anderson]

Did not like the agave. Going to try it again with my 2:1 turbinado simple syrup and suspect I'll enjoy it much more.

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Having been a Tequilla drinker all of my life (100+ bottles on my shelf and IMHO-Better than bourbon, whiskey, rum, etc), I have found that Anejo can be good, but sometimes the Reposado or Blanco can be better. Not as sharp of a taste. Plus add a tiny bit of water (like in bourbon) or in your case simple syrup but use agave juice instead for some sweetness.

 

[Hazelemere]

This is Carol's Muscat Dry Auslese 2023 from a carboy in my cooler made from 27% Ortega, 55% Siegerrebe and 18% Reichensteiner homegrown organic at SG 1.093, 1.092 and 1.092 respectively with un-chaptalized juice, bentonite treated mid-ferment with 71B yeast and nutrient. Here are my comments on this wine:

Appearance - clear lemon yellow

Smell - very fragrant muscat similar to Gewurtztraminer

Tannin - fine

Acid - I thought it might be flat from malic acid conversion by 71B yeast but it isn't. Carol my wife says don't mess with it.

Flavour - this is delicious, the best one I've tasted in 10 years. I'll get 40 bottles. If it does go slightly flat I'll bottle 25 of those for Carol and 15 for myself spiked with a tiny bit of citric acid. I'm tempted to leave it until the end of the summer before tasting it again and then bottling it after I adjust the sulphite level and acid. I'll post an image as soon as I have one. The grapes were picked dry, hand destemmed and sorted, undamaged by wasps, mildew or botritis. Just for fun I mixed it 50/50 in a glass with California Chardonnay 2022 from Brehm frozen juice. That is also good with more acid, an interesting Chardonnay-Muscat nose and a good aftertaste. In future if I could I'd make all three 1) Carol's unacidified version 2) my acidified version 3) my version with Chardonnay e.g. Washington Sheridan vineyard Chardonnay in boxes.

retaste on bottling after adding citric acid 1/2 tsp per small 16 bottle carboy plus K-sulphilte to 30 ppm free and now into my cooler:

Appearance - clear lemon yellow

Smell - very fragrant muscat similar to Gewurtztraminer, really good smell.

Tannin - fine

Acid - The citric acid improved it

Flavour - this is delicious, the best one I've tasted in at least 10 years. My palate. I score it 9 out of 10. It may get better e.g. 9.5. I haven't had one that good since 1993. The nose should get even better as it ages due to citrate esters on top of tartrate and malate esters plus skin terpenes. I've got some of it blended into my son-in-law's Washington Sheridan Vineyard Chardonnay (D47 yeast) for him as a Xmas present (80 Chardonnay 20 Muscat) plus some as his Chardonnay (V13/71B yeast) with this Muscat in a 50/50 blend. I get 18 of the Muscat Auslese which includes 4 splits. I'll get 22 of the Chardonnays or Chardonnay Muscat blends. I'm going to try to leave the Muscat alone until my 2024 birthday in November to have with clam vongole or savoury prawn chow mein or prawn or crab linguine or Boston clam chowder.

 

[Hazelemere]

Dineen Cabernet Sauvignon 2023

This is hand-destemmed and uncrushed Dineen Cabernet Sauvignon in boxes in perfect condition fermented with nutrient and RC212 yeast for 12 days. This is racked into a glass carboy and is near the tail end of a malolactic fermentation with 38 medium toast American oak cubes in a 25 bottle carboy to make sure it has no hydrogen sulphide issues. Here are my comments:

Appearance - nice deep purple

Smell - good clean nose

Tannin - good

Acid - good

Flavour - this very nice, rich, complex and interesting. I'll try to keep my mitts out of it wrt to bottling it alone or in a blend until the end of the summer 2024. I am thrilled to have 50 of these! No hydrogen sulphide smell at all. The oak level is fine and not overpowering at this dosage of cubes. I'll post a photo when I have one. We've used Dineen grapes for years. These were 1st class 14% PA.

retaste ahead of racking with 1/4 K sulphite per 16 bottle carboy (i.e. 40 ppm) into my cooler to drop tartrate crystals over the next 3 to 6 months.

Appearance - nice deep purple

Smell - good clean complex exotic nose - coconut, marzipan, mocha, plums, anise, blackberries, cedar

Tannin - good

Acid - good

Flavour - this is a savoury fruit bomb, very nice, rich, complex and interesting with a really good aftertaste. I'll try to keep my mitts out of it for at least 6 months before bottling it between August and December 2024. I am thrilled to have 50 of these!

Dineen Petit Verdot 2023

This is hand-destemmed and uncrushed Dineen Petit Verdot in boxes in perfect conditon fermented with nutrient and RC212 yeast for 12 days. This is racked into a glass carboy and is near the tail end of a malolactic fermentation with 38 medium toast American oak cubes in a 25 bottle carboy to make sure it has no hydrogen sulphide issues. Here are my comments:

Appearance - nice deep purple darker than the Cab described above i.e. inky purple

Smell - good clean nose

Tannin - good

Acid - good

Flavour - this is rich, complex and interesting. I'll try to keep my mitts out of it wrt to bottling it alone or in a blend until the end of the summer 2024. I am thrilled to have 50 of these! No hydrogen sulphide smell at all. The oak level is fine and not overpowering at this dosage of cubes. I'll post a photo when I have one. We've used Dineen grapes for years. These were 1st class 14% PA. I actually think that this is better than the Cabernet Sauvignon right now although the the Cab is very good. So now I'll comment on a 50/50 blend of Cab and Verdot near the end of MLF:

Appearance - inky purple

Smell - good clean nose although the Verdot is more intense

Tannin - good

Acid - good

Flavour - this is rich and tasty. The oak level is fine. There is no MLF stink from RC212. Right now of the 3 wines I've described i.e. 1) pure Cab 2) pure Verdot 3) 50/50 Cab/Verdot, I like this one the least. The Petit Verdot on its own right now is the winner IMHO i.e. really good. I'd make it again in a heartbeat. The Cab is very good also but having said that I prefer the Verdot right now. What amazes me is how good these wines are at the tail end of MLF with oak cubes and rC212 fermentation with really good nutrient DistilaVite from Bosa Grapes in Burnaby B.C.

To make sure that I'm not full of Sh*t I retasted the pure Petit Verdot

Here are my comments on the retaste:

This is really good! If you can find ripe Petit Verdot try to make some. I will absolutely make it again if I can.

Enough said.

Good luck to all of you in 2024

Namaste

Klaus

retaste ahead of racking with K sulphite at about 40 ppm into my cooler to drop tartrate crystals:

Appearance - nice deep purple darker than the Cab described above i.e. inky purple

Smell - good very fragrant, clean nose - toasted American oak, molasses without any sweetness, black cherries, blackberries, sour black licorice.

Tannin - good

Acid - good

Flavour - this is rich, complex and interesting, totally different from the Dineen Cabernet Sauvignon but very nice on its own with a good, rich aftertaste.

Here are my comments on a 50/50 Dineen Cabernet Verdot 2023 blend:

Appearance - deep inky purple

Smell - very fragrant, complex and interesting - fruity and savoury, too complex to describe

Tannin - good

Acid - good

Flavour - this is rich and tasty with a really good aftertaste. Right now this blend is first class. Since I have 50 Cabernet and 50 Verdot, I think I might make:

30 Cabernet

40 Cabernet Verdot

30 Verdot

I might even make the Cabernet Verdot blend with more Verdot to save as much pure Cabernet as I can. Having said that all three wines from high quality grapes destemmed and uncrushed with RC 212 yeast with nutrient are IMHO first class.

 

[Boatboy24]

Having been a Tequilla drinker all of my life (100+ bottles on my shelf and IMHO-Better than bourbon, whiskey, rum, etc), I have found that Anejo can be good, but sometimes the Reposado or Blanco can be better. Not as sharp of a taste. Plus add a tiny bit of water (like in bourbon) or in your case simple syrup but use agave juice instead for some sweetness.

What about in a cocktail like an Old Fashioned? I'm no tequila expert, but I think the aging on the Anejo lends itself to a cocktail like the OF.

 

[Christopher Anderson]

What about in a cocktail like an Old Fashioned? I'm no tequila expert, but I think the aging on the Anejo lends itself to a cocktail like the OF.

What about in a cocktail like an Old Fashioned? I'm no tequila expert, but I think the aging on the Anejo lends itself to a cocktail like the OF.

Maybe with less expensive tequila.

 

[jswordy]

I'm gonna be sad when these are gone...

 

[Hazelemere]

Moraine 2023

This is a 50/50 blend in a glass of organic homegrown Regent and Marechal Foch fermented hand destemmed and uncrushed with RC212/71B yeast combo post MLF from my cooler. I live near the top of a south slope glacial moraine i.e. well drained powdered rock, sand, slight clay with about 6 inches of humus on top. The grapes were bone dry i.e. no water from rain and unirrigated when they were picked in perfect condition. Here are my comments on this wine in a glass:

Appearance - inky purple

Smell - good nose

Tannin - fine

Acid - slightly high but okay, should drop as it ages

Flavour - interesting, decent red wine. It should be even better when the acid drops. The Marechal Foch improves the Regent IMHO and I'll make a small carboy of this ~i.e. 15 bottles and let it age to drop more tartrates in my cooler before I bottle it. 71B yeast improved it i.e. use 71B on hybrids, especially high acid hybrids having gone through MLF. I also tried 2/3 Foch 1/3 Regent which is illustrated below. Here are my comments on this blend:

Appearance - inky purple

Smell - good nose

Tannin - good

Acid - good maybe a tiny bit high but should be fine as it ages

Flavour -this is good, not outstanding but much better than anything I've made from this combo in the past. I'll make 15 of this blend, 15 pure Marechal Foch and 15 pure Regent and put them back into the cooler after adjusting sulphite to 70 ppm total ~24 free and let all 3 wines age until Easter or even better, the end of the summer.

Sorry but the photo didn't load i.e. it is clear inky purple.

a retaste of Moraine 2023 which is now 2/3 Marechal Foch and 1/3 Regent

This is racked into a glass from my cooler where it has dropped tartrates:

Appearance - inky purple

Smell - good nose

Tannin - fine

Acid - fine

Flavour - interesting, decent red wine. I'll use it as an everyday house red. It should also make a really good cooking wine for Beef Bourguignon, Coq au Vin or Spaghetti Sauce. It is fruity and savoury.

 

[winemaker81]

 

[winemaker81]

This one has been in bottle over a year. The last time I tried it, I didn't like it. Quality is fine, it just wasn't my taste.

I opened a bottle tonight, just for giggles. Wow. Totally different wine.

 

[jswordy]

This one has been in bottle over a year. The last time I tried it, I didn't like it. Quality is fine, it just wasn't my taste.

I opened a bottle tonight, just for giggles. Wow. Totally different wine.

View attachment 110084

TWO bottles tonight! Good for you!

 

[Christopher Anderson]

This one has been in bottle over a year. The last time I tried it, I didn't like it. Quality is fine, it just wasn't my taste.

I opened a bottle tonight, just for giggles. Wow. Totally different wine.

View attachment 110084

Swill? What is interesting is that my wife enjoys strawberry wine.
Strawberry wine
(Oh, oh)
Strawberry wine
Deana Carter

 

[Hazelemere]

a retaste of Moraine 2023 which is now 2/3 Marechal Foch and 1/3 Regent

This is racked into a glass from my cooler where it has dropped tartrates:

Appearance - inky purple

Smell - good nose

Tannin - fine

Acid - fine

Flavour - interesting, decent red wine. I'll use it as an everyday house red. It should also make a really good cooking wine for Beef Bourguignon, Coq au Vin or Spaghetti Sauce. It is fruity and savoury.

I tried it for the first time in a glass mixed 50/50 with Black Iris 2023 (wild cherries, wild blackberries, dried elderberries) i.e. Black Iris Moraine 2023. Here are my comments:

Appearance - inky purple

Smell - really good nose, very fruity

Tannin - good

Acid - good

Flavour - this is a really interesting fruity complex wine made entirely from what I grow or can pick in my neighborhood including wild black cherries from 4 trees including Iris' (1), Kendall (2) and Barbera (1). I'll make Black Iris Moraine 2024 because it is meant to be all organic fruit.

 

[Rice_Guy]

Tonight a comparison and contrast commercial hard cider which has been filtered versus home brew hard cider with similar English apples from someone in the vinters club.

By the numbers the home product are higher pH than the the Cider Farm. By taste the commercial product is cleaner/ less sour, ,,,, The home brew has funk / similar TA and I am betting has had some lactic fermentation. ,,, Flavors are interesting, bench testing a few home brew with a drop of lactic makes the flavor smoother. ?WHY?
Flavors are so interesting!! ,,,,, Wild MLF is a really deep rabbit hole.

 

[Boatboy24]

Mexican Firing Squad



https://www.liquor.com/mexican-firing-squad-cocktail-recipe-5270686

 

[Hazelemere]

Raspberry Sour Cherry Melomel 2019

49 lbs frozen raspberries (late harvest)
21 lbs frozen pitted sour cherries
12 Imperial gallons of water
unpasteurized cranberry blossom honey to SG 1.090
yeast nutrient
pectic enzyme
bayanus EC1118 yeast

good colour, nice fruit and honey fragrance, no oxidation, well balanced, good flavour and aftertaste. The raspberries are dominant but you can taste the sour cherries. This is a good melomel recipe. I've always had good luck with cranberry blossom honey. This will age and I probably have 6+ left. It dropped a bit of sediment on the side of the bottles which settles easily. Don't know if it is protein, ellagic acid or both. Anyway it is easy to decant and a good recipe if you have sour cherries. Sour cherry melomel would probably be good too. I use early harvest raspberries for juice plus fresh eating in vegan coconut yoghurt or granola with cashew milk and mid to late harvest raspberries for wine. Now we use most of our sour cherries to make juice or fruit custard.

retaste:

Appearance - good colour, a bit of sediment on the side of the bottle which falls out

Smell - good smell, sour cherries are dominant

Tannin- good

Acid - good

Flavour - rich, fragrant with a long finish. Tastes like it would be good with not too sweet cherry pie, fruit tarts, raspberry apple crumble, German fruit custard "Gruetze" from sour cherries, raspberries or blackberries, in a roast duck sauce or glaze, or sweet and sour chicken or pork. Its in good shape for a 4 year old melomel. I'm going to try it with vegan sweet and sour lentils on rice and also in a Chinese roast duck recipe next week to celebrate the year of the dragon with 5 spice, tamari, garlic, ginger and a bit of maple syrup.

 

[Darkroom]

Patio Peach, 1 part Macabeo/ Sauvignon Blanc WE, 3 parts Fresh Peach, named after MIL. Originally I was worried not enough peach. Semi dry, nice flavor with a good peach finish

 

[Darkroom]

Patio Peach, 1 part Macabeo/ Sauvignon Blanc WE, 3 parts Fresh Peach, named after MIL. Originally I was worried not enough peach. Semi dry, nice flavor

 

[David Violante]

This was very nice… mellow, soft, and interestingly with a hint of violet.