Photo was taken just after I pitched the yeast to this Merlot.
Every November when nearly all of the grapes have been picked, thousands of swallows descend on our vineyard and will stay for days. There are still some grapes left on the vine and some have actually started to ferment because of the indigenous yeast on the grape skins. Some swallows eat too many of these alcoholic grapes and become so inebriated (more…)
Nearly all red wines and some whites are put in oak barrels for maturation. The main reason for this is that the barrels soften the wine and add body and depth. The barrels actually “breathe” and some of the water content of the wine evaporates, concentrating the flavors. This small portion which evaporates at a rate 2-3 bottles of wine per 60 gallon barrel per month is sometimes called (more…)
One of the most important things a winemaker looks at when deciding to harvest grapes is the sugar level or Brix . A winemaker will usually walk the vineyard during harvest to select a random sampling of grapes from clusters from many different vines. They will than measure the Brix using a simple tool called (more…)
Did you know that 2 of the 3 grapes (Pinot Meunier and Pinot Noir) that are used in Champagne production are actually red grapes? Nearly all red grapes used in winemaking have clear pulp but in fact derive their color from their skins. In red wine production, the grapes are crushed and left on the skins during fermentation to extract color and tannin. Tannins are a natural preservative that allow a wine to age and wine with tannin tends to really pair well with cheeses and red meats. Wines that typically have a lot of tannins include (more…)
What can the legs of your wine tell you about the quality of the wine? Not much really. The legs of the wine are really just an indicator of the amount of alcohol and sugar the wine has. The more prominent the legs, the higher the alcohol or sugar your wine has. Too much emphasis has been made on looking at legs to evaluate wine; although they are nice to look at they won’t tell you much about the quality. So you can continue to check out your wine’s legs, or the legs of the person you are with. Either way you will have something to entertain your eyes while you enjoy your wine.
Cheers!
Audrey