My 2010 Wine Making

Yesterday I made a ramp, which allowed me to bring all 17 carboys of this year’s wine up the basement steps and transport them to my detached garage for cold stabilization, without throwing my back out. I should have made this years ago. Since I’ve reached this temporary lull in my wine making, I thought I’d share with all the folks here about my wine making this year. It was a great year for grapes in this area. Everything was locally obtained and the sugar and acid levels were ideal.

Since it was such a good year, I decided to take the great leap: I purchased a 100 L (26 gallon) Hungarian oak barrel and in a few weeks will be filling it with a blend of 70% Cab Franc (28 gallons - 23.25 Brix; .62 TA; 3.27 pH - grapes from Freedom Run Winery – where I’ll be attending a library and barrel tasting tonight) and 30% Merlot (12-gallons, 22.8 Brix; .65 TA; 3.30 pH - crushed grape must from Watsons in Canada). I plan on rotating the total of 40-gallons through the barrel over the course of a year or two.
I have 10 gallons of Pinot Noir (21.5 Brix – adjusted to 23.5; TA .75; pH 3.5 – Leland’s vineyard on the Niagara Escarpment). French oak chips were added after primary fermentation, and have since been removed. All the reds were fermented with RC-212 yeast and inoculated with a malo-lactic culture. The MLF has been completed (I bought a chromatography test kit) on all the reds and I have raised the SO2 levels.
All the following were fermented using EC-1118 yeast and no malo-lactic. The vinefera are all from Don Demaison’s vineyard (Niagara Escarpment) and the hybrids are from Bruce Giles (Niagara County).
Pinot Gris – 6.5 gallons - 21.25 Brix; .76 TA; pH 3.5. I haven’t decided if I’m going to finish this bone dry or off dry.
Riesling – 13 gallons + 1 gallon of frozen juice for sussreserve – 21.0 Brix; .76 TA; 3.18 pH. Both the Pinot Gris and Riesling are undergoing a bentonite fining, something I decided to do this year as I had problems with both varieties last year that developed in the bottle. I will probably finish half the Riesling Dry (1% RS) and the other half Semi-Dry (2% RS), using the juice.
Cayuga – 13 gallons, 19.25 Brix; .81 TA; 3.4 pH. Half this will become a sparkling wine. The other half I adjusted the Brix to 21.5 and will probably finish to 1.25% RS using cane sugar.
Vidal – 21.5 Brix; .825 TA; 3.4 pH. I’ll probably finish this similar to the Cayuga. Then again, I may blend some of the Cayuga and Vidal and finish bone dry.
Steuben – 20.3 Brix; .65 TA; 3.3 pH – I fermented this on the skins for a few days - it will be a rosé and probably finished to about 1.5% RS.
One of the new toys I bought this year is a meter for testing SO2 levels. I’m glad I got this. I can now adjust SO2 levels based on the pH instead of using old rules of thumb.

Great post Howie. I've been thinking of you these past several days given all the lake effect snow. Anyway, I enjoyed the info on your 2010 wines, and can only hope to get a taste of one or two. Have a happy holiday and for that matter entire winter. Seems that winter came early to Kentucky.

I'll have some for you, and our other WLDG friends at our next get-together.

Thanks for the update Howie! Glad to hear you’re not snowed in! It’s an even year didn’t you make a sparkler? Glad to hear you’re happy with the SO2 analyzer. I was thinking about getting it but I’m so use to doing it using an A/O apparatus. During the Thanksgiving holiday I had a week off from work, MLF was completed in 95% of my carboys in 5% it lagged behind just a little but I decided to transfer to oak barrels than. The wine is all cozy now in barrels just settling nicely.

Salute

Nice numbers in general but the Franc is great. It is interesting to see how much higher your TA numbers are wrt to pH than the numbers that I get down here in Maryland. You state that you are bringing the carboys up from the basement, if you are fermenting there how hot were you able to get the CF and merlot? Did you do any extended maceration or did you press when fermentation ended.

Nice numbers in general but the Franc is great. It is interesting to see how much higher your TA numbers are wrt to pH than the numbers that I get down here in Maryland. You state that you are bringing the carboys up from the basement, if you are fermenting there how hot were you able to get the CF and merlot? Did you do any extended maceration or did you press when fermentation ended.

The CF was picked on 10/6, crushed on 10/7 and fermented in the garage. The Merlot must was picked up 10/16 and fermented in the back entranceway of the house (warmer than the garage). Both were pressed on 10/24, put in carboys and moved to the basement. I don't think either wine exceeded 70 deg during fermentation.
In my original post, I forgot to mention two disappointments. I couldn't get any Lemberger this year because the grower missed part of his spray program and lost almost the entire crop to mildew. The other disappointment - I was all set to harvest my first home grown Chambourcin - probably enough for 10-15 gallons and the birds found a hole in my netting and ate every bunch in less than 3 days. Oh, well, better luck next year.

Sorry to hear about the birds. I loose less and less each year to them as I learn. I have to put the nets on earlier each year and constantly check them as the birds will probe for weak spots to gain access. They will use any opening no matter how small. I have caught birds inside the nets not knowing how to get back out. First year I put the nets on and did not get/keep them tight I lost all of my Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Sangiovese. Funny thing I noted this year. I did not net the Tannat as there was not enough to attempt to save. However, the birds did not touch the few bunches that were on the tannat. For whatever reason they were not interested in them even when they got over 20 brix. The yellow jackets were not put off however.

Hi Howie,
Sorry to hear about the Chambourcin. How are the other vines doing?

Salute

Howie,
Are you letting any of the whites undergo ML?
Best, Jim

Howie,
Are you letting any of the whites undergo ML?
Best, Jim

No, Jim. The only white I do ML on is Chardonnay and I haven't made any in a few years. When I do make it, I'll separate it into two batches, one with ML and oak and one with neither. Years ago I tried ML and oak on Vidal, but didn't like the results. Not much local Chardonnay is grown, so to make it, I have to cross the border and buy juice from Watson's, where I got my Merlot this year. As an aside, last night I went to a library and barrel tasting at Freedom Run (will post WTNs later) and found out that Vineland Winery in Ontario (owned by Dave Gardner, who attended a few of my NiagaraCOOL picnics), has planted Chenin Blanc.

Howie,
Just for the hell of it, one year try sauvignon blanc (or a similar grape with high acid and low phenolic load) on the skins all the way to dry and then, once pressed, let it go through ML. I have done it for a couple years and you get what is essentially orange wine with little varietal character but a whole lot of earthy, minerally, spicy stuff going on that will pair with almost anything.
Most of the orange wines I've had from others are made oxidatively - but I keep mine away from oxygen and the result, although not for everyone, is an amazing food wine.
Best, Jim

Jim - While I can appreciate your suggestion, I doubt if I'd ever make a SB or a Syrah, for that matter. I've only had one SB that I actually liked, a Sancerre, and have yet to have a Syrah epiphany, even after attending a MOCOOL where Syrah was the theme. That being said, I make my Steuben similar to what you suggest, but have never tried ML on it. I have also made a bone dry blend of Vidal and Cayuga that is SBish, but without the cat pee, etc. I could it on try something like that. Hmmm... skin contact, ML... Thanks for the ideas.