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RE: Growing Your Own Grapes - 8/26/2017 8:36:36 AM

champagneinhand

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After the wettest Summer I can remember, and most humid, we are getting welcome cool Canadian air which has us having Sunny days with cool nights and day time temperatures in the low 70s.

Things are looking good for my next year. A few slacker vines. I'll be putting in a good number of new vines.

With this cool weather, the Riesling in the FInger Lakes area should be nice for all that didn't succumb to mildews and rot. Good acids. I expect nice structure as well.

To give you an idea of how much the fruit prospered we have 4 feral apple trees loaded and dropping bi apples all on the area I walk the hound. Plenty of Concord grapes, but many are small as the vines tend to choke the life out of one another. I did find a feral pear tree I hadn't seen in years past.

We have new deer, a new litter of kit foxes and a big orange and white momma. Suddenly the rabbit population has diminished along with squirrels keeping to their trees.

I actually am happy to see the fox gang. I've hoped Nature would correct the rabbit issue.

The deer are openly munching on fallen apples. It should be a banter harvest for local orchards. Crisp, not mealy apples

VM, in past years I would get a little over 2 cases of wine from 24 vines. I would thin the fruit though. Chardonnay seem to be self destructive with fruit placement. If you don't thin, you are more prone to getting fungus.

I think we might be in for a very snow filled Winter here. The old farmers almanac seems pretty spot on for our area over the past couple of years. We are due for a harsh Winter. I'm not too worried about temps with the more cold-hearty Riesling now.

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RE: Growing Your Own Grapes - 8/29/2017 5:01:05 PM

khmark7

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According to the raccoons my Merlot is ripe!! Luckily my wire barricade prevented any excess pilfering, but i did pick my Merlot & Cabernet Sauvignon (about 6 lbs total) and will keep it for a week in my refrigerator hoping for the Cabernet Franc in my backyard to ripen so i can make a Bordeaux blended grape jelly.

Tasting the berries you can identify the fruit & pyrazines, much like you can in the wine. Brix around 20.

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Post #: 932

RE: Growing Your Own Grapes - 9/1/2017 10:26:36 AM

Vino Me

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Looks like a harvest date for my Pinot Noir of September 16th right now.

Khmark- I'm shocked that your Cab and Merlot were ripe enough to pick. They don't harvest Cab in SW Michigan until mid to late October.

VM

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Post #: 933

RE: Growing Your Own Grapes - 9/5/2017 11:34:46 AM

khmark7

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VinoMe, my Merlot was flowering the first week of June, so that predicts a harvest around early September, but for purposes of grape jelly production i was able to pick a little early. I suspect the Cabernet Sauvignon was ahead of schedule due to our long dry period in August that allowed ripening (but mild temps). Typically rain will delay this in Cabernet Sauvignon.

I still have 6 red grape vines (none are pure vinifera) hanging fruit (about 90 lbs), all which look good and could be picked today if i wanted to make a light rose. I will go test brix in a few minutes, but i am hoping to pick in one week. Same goes for some of my white wine grapes, which i have 5 vines still hanging fruit (about 60 lbs).

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RE: Growing Your Own Grapes - 9/5/2017 11:53:12 AM

khmark7

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Brix on my red vines all around 20+ with acids very moderate, so i have been spending lots of time placing wire barricades around any remaining wooden posts & around the base of each vine to prevent raccoons from climbing.

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RE: Growing Your Own Grapes - 9/7/2017 11:05:30 PM

PinotPhile

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Found some interesting info here. Usually not a fav blog, but sometimes worthy of my geeky attention.

http://winefolly.com/update/the-impact-of-wildfires-on-wine/

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RE: Growing Your Own Grapes - 9/10/2017 7:24:35 AM

khmark7

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Cool crisp & sunny morning here. Picking my remaining white grapes and starting with my red grapes. My white grapes were all around 18-22 brix this morning and the red varieties are all 20+, my red Frontenac are around 22-24 brix. Might delay picking my lone Vidal Blanc and St Vincent vines, as those are still around 16 brix.

As you might imagine, nobody is available to help when it comes time for the hard labor.

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RE: Growing Your Own Grapes - 9/11/2017 1:43:00 PM

Vino Me

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I'm harvesting my Pinot Noir this weekend. Minimal bird damage. Ripening very nicely. should be at 22-23 brix by the time I pick. It's been a wonderful growing season for Pinot in SW Michigan.

VM

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Post #: 938

RE: Growing Your Own Grapes - 9/13/2017 4:05:48 AM

khmark7

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quote:

ORIGINAL: Vino Me

I'm harvesting my Pinot Noir this weekend. Minimal bird damage. Ripening very nicely. should be at 22-23 brix by the time I pick. It's been a wonderful growing season for Pinot in SW Michigan.

VM

The dry & moderate temps in Chicago over the last month should help any local wineries, and i am optimistic about my own wine. Am very curious about how the vintage is in Traverse City.

Currently have two fermenters full of red grapes in my basement which should yield 5-6 gallons?

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RE: Growing Your Own Grapes - 9/14/2017 7:53:17 AM

Vino Me

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quote:

ORIGINAL: khmark7
Am very curious about how the vintage is in Traverse City.

All the winemakers I've talked to have given glowing reviews of the growing conditions in 2017. I'm sure the same is true up North but a lot will depend on their weather over the next month.

I got the lab results back on my grapes from last weekend. 20.6 brix, .795 TA, 3.17pH. Very excited about those numbers. By this weekend the brix will be at 22-23. After having some problems with low acidity (.585) and high pH (3.44) last year, these results were were a welcome relief. Seems like the limestone I added to the soil last Fall and 1 year older vines have resolved those problems.

VM

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RE: Growing Your Own Grapes - 9/15/2017 11:25:26 AM

ChrisinCowiche

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quote:

ORIGINAL: Vino Me

quote:

ORIGINAL: khmark7
Am very curious about how the vintage is in Traverse City.

All the winemakers I've talked to have given glowing reviews of the growing conditions in 2017. I'm sure the same is true up North but a lot will depend on their weather over the next month.

I got the lab results back on my grapes from last weekend.20.6 brix, .795 TA, 3.17pH. Very excited about those numbers. By this weekend the brix will be at 22-23. After having some problems with low acidity (.585) and high pH (3.44) last year, these results were were a welcome relief. Seems like the limestone I added to the soil last Fall and 1 year older vines have resolved those problems.

Nice job, Vino Me!

Quite interesting that my Pinot Noir is tracking at almost these exact same numbers ~2500 miles west of you. I didn't measure TA, but 20 got Brix, 3.1 pH yesterday. Since we have cooled off, I'm planning to wait a couple weeks at least to try to get a bit more Acid conversion. I don't think 0.5-0.6 TA is out of range, but 3.44 pH is a bit high.

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RE: Growing Your Own Grapes - 9/15/2017 2:04:53 PM

Vino Me

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quote:

I don't think 0.5-0.6 TA is out of range, but 3.44 pH is a bit high.

We struggled controlling the pH last year. 3.44 at harvest. We added some tartaric acid to bring it down to 3.26. After a 36 hour cold soak and 8 days of maceration, the pH jumped back up to 3.73. We acidified again to get it down to 3.37.

VM

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RE: Growing Your Own Grapes - 9/15/2017 6:45:28 PM

khmark7

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interestingly i've never had to worry about acids in my yard, they always seem to come out alright.

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RE: Growing Your Own Grapes - 9/19/2017 7:42:40 AM

Vino Me

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Harvest went very well. We picked 147 pounds of Pinot Noir. All the numbers look very good. They are currently undergoing a cold soak and I'll start fermentation tomorrow.

This weekend I'm heading over to Wyncroft to help Jim Lester harvest the rest of his Pinot Noir.

VM

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RE: Growing Your Own Grapes - 9/21/2017 12:27:15 PM

champagneinhand

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My surviving chard should be ready to pluck but sugars aren't what I would have hoped fir. Nasty fungi have really taken a toll on the remaining leaves. However we have a week long sun amd warmth spell in the forecast. Maybe the might be ready in a week.

They are just snacking fruit as I only had 3 vines producing and I cut most of the clusters off. I do have a few clusters of PG, but they won't be ready until around October. Such a weird Summer here. I'm just glad my Riesling vines came back and I'm looking forward to next year.

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RE: Growing Your Own Grapes - 9/21/2017 6:16:42 PM

khmark7

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Long dry September continues here. Great weather for the grapes, and i believe that the local wineries have all picked. My vines have ALL prepared for winter early....maybe a bad sign for the rest of us.

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RE: Growing Your Own Grapes - 9/22/2017 10:22:39 AM

champagneinhand

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While sunny and dry here as well the humidity is still there. I do think there should be some great Finger Lake wines but if the stayed organic I might shy away. Last night as the sun was setting ambient humidity was still 88%. Glad to see things went well for most folks here.

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RE: Growing Your Own Grapes - 10/3/2017 12:04:01 PM

Vino Me

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Crushed last weekend. Ended up with 9 gallons which should give me about 4 cases. Beautiful color, body and flavor at the time we pressed.

VM

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RE: Growing Your Own Grapes - 10/3/2017 4:35:16 PM

khmark7

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quote:

ORIGINAL: Vino Me

Crushed last weekend. Ended up with 9 gallons which should give me about 4 cases. Beautiful color, body and flavor at the time we pressed.

VM

How are you managing the oak?

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RE: Growing Your Own Grapes - 10/4/2017 10:05:02 AM

Vino Me

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Since the wine is in Carboys, I've added French oak chips with a medium toast. I increased the amount of oak this year over the amount I used last year. Next year I may have enough grapes to warrant an investment in a half barrel (used since I don't want to over oak the wine).

VM

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RE: Growing Your Own Grapes - 10/4/2017 3:04:32 PM

khmark7

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VM - i have used about 1 oz of oak cubes per gallon of wine, sometimes less, for around 2 weeks. This year i am around 4 oz for 5 gallons. Mostly French oak, but i have used Hungarian & American oak as well. Still something i am experimenting with on different grapes.

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RE: Growing Your Own Grapes - 10/5/2017 9:23:55 AM

Vino Me

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I don't use anywhere close to that much oak but then different varieties benefit from more oak. I prefer a lighter touch of oak in Pinot Noir (especially in young vines like mine). I only added 16.5g of oak (.58oz) to my 5 gallon carboy. However, I leave my oak in for 6 months (much longer than you). I won't use American oak as it is too heavy for Pinot in my opinion and I have been told to be careful about sourcing Hungarian oak as there are a lot of fakes out there.

VM

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RE: Growing Your Own Grapes - 10/5/2017 5:17:05 PM

khmark7

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quote:

ORIGINAL: Vino Me

I don't use anywhere close to that much oak but then different varieties benefit from more oak. I prefer a lighter touch of oak in Pinot Noir (especially in young vines like mine). I only added 16.5g of oak (.58oz) to my 5 gallon carboy. However, I leave my oak in for 6 months (much longer than you). I won't use American oak as it is too heavy for Pinot in my opinion and I have been told to be careful about sourcing Hungarian oak as there are a lot of fakes out there.

VM

Curious, why the long 6 months on oak, as opposed to more oak for less time?

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RE: Growing Your Own Grapes - 10/13/2017 3:03:51 PM

Vino Me

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That was the advise I got from my consulting winemaker. Last year I only racked once a week before bottling which was when the oak was removed. This year I will rack twice so the oak treatment may not be as long. I'll try the wine when I rack the first time and see if additional oak is needed.

VM

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RE: Growing Your Own Grapes - 10/13/2017 3:20:28 PM

ChrisinCowiche

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quote:

ORIGINAL: Vino Me

That was the advise I got from my consulting winemaker. Last year I only racked once a week before bottling which was when the oak was removed. This year I will rack twice so the oak treatment may not be as long. I'll try the wine when I rack the first time and see if additional oak is needed.

VM

Yeah, that has been my strategy when oaking in carboy. I would taste even between rackings, like monthly, to determine when I thought it was "enough" oak added.

I'd tend to use less chips for longer time too. In order to simulate a barrel type oak extraction, I think that would be more realistic. The aromatics and flavors change over the course of extraction, and "all up front" quicker would give a different flavor in the end product.

< Message edited by ChrisinSunnyside -- 10/13/2017 3:24:35 PM >

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RE: Growing Your Own Grapes - 10/25/2017 11:20:31 AM

Vino Me

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I left some secondary grapes on the vines that were still green and were at about 10 brix on average on October 14th so I picked them and got 13 lbs. Ended up making 3 half bottles of verjus out of them.

I also had another 20 or so bunches of secondary fruit that had already gone thru veraison. They were at 15 brix 10 days ago so I left them on the vines. If the birds haven't gotten them, I'll pick them this weekend (hoping they get to 20 brix) and make a bottle or 2 of Rose'.

VM

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RE: Growing Your Own Grapes - 10/25/2017 1:11:49 PM

ChrisinCowiche

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quote:

ORIGINAL: Vino Me

I left some secondary grapes on the vines that were still green and were at about 10 brix on average on October 14th so I picked them and got 13 lbs. Ended up making 3 half bottles of verjus out of them.

I also had another 20 or so bunches of secondary fruit that had already gone thru veraison. They were at 15 brix 10 days ago so I left them on the vines. If the birds haven't gotten them, I'll pick them this weekend (hoping they get to 20 brix) and make a bottle or 2 of Rose'.

VM

We left a few clusters at harvest two plus weeks ago, and the next days I saw huge flocks of robins and magpies swarming. None left!

I wish I had harvested a bit of verjus from my viognier mid August. Ended up with ~7 gallons of rhone white that will be fine, but we could use some verjus more than another 3 cases of wine.

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RE: Growing Your Own Grapes - 10/25/2017 5:11:19 PM

khmark7

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My grapes from California arrived today, and thankfully i was off from work and able to spend time crushing and cleaning everything. 3 different blends fermenting and a 4th to arrive next week. Will try the less oak for longer time with these blends.

Alicante Bouchet & Zinfandel (upfront oak treatment here, the short term oak worked well last time)
Petite Verdot & Merlot
Grenache & Syrah
Sangiovese

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RE: Growing Your Own Grapes - 10/26/2017 11:55:52 AM

Vino Me

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How much did you pay per ton for the California grapes?

VM

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RE: Growing Your Own Grapes - 10/26/2017 12:10:17 PM

khmark7

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quote:

ORIGINAL: Vino Me

How much did you pay per ton for the California grapes?

VM

per ton? Jesus....i was paying about $50 (give or take) for a 35 lbs lug of fruit. Some of those lugs i would swear weighted 50 lbs, especially when running up & down the stairs.

Basically works out to 3 lugs (crates) of fruit yields around 6 gallons of free run + light press juice.

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