2009 Gowden Winery Gewurztraminer

There's some concern in my cellar today...

Pressed my Gewurztraminer this afternoon. It was cold pressed, just like yesterday's Riesling, and 108 lbs of juice easily gave up 7 gallons of juice. I saved some must for testing and put campden tablets in.

Sugar content was very good, 1.9 or 23 brix.

My acid was way, way low...coming out at 2.0. I have to figure out the amount of acid to add back to the must, but I'm not happy that the acid is THAT low. 4 or 5, I can expect that. This is just wrong.

I rechecked the Riesling and it was still around 6.1. The pinot...more concern: 2.8.

For the record, I'm lousy in math and chemistry, so it's a crapshoot from here on out.

This can go either way.

2009 Gowden Winery Johannesberg Riesling

Got an unexpected, yet pleasant email today that the grapes were in a few hours early. That meant the crush could begin today!!!

The Riesling grapes were plump and ridiculously sweet. They tasted like candy, with bitter little seeds. Chucked them right in the press for what's called a 'cold press' and 2 hours later I had a 5 inch ring of pressed grapes and 7 gallons of juice.

Checked the sg: 1.100. The acid level is 6.1. I added 7 campden tablets to the must, along with Premier Grand Cuvee yeast and 2 nutrient tablets.

And now I wait.

The plan for tomorrow is to press the Gewurztraminer. The Pinot Noir was crushed today, and I'll talk about that in a few days, when there's something to write about.

Yeah, this weeks posts will be dry, I'm using it as a way to track my wines' progress, since I'm terrible at logging this stuff in a notebook.

See you tomorrow.

It's that time...

Grapes are coming in tomorrow: 108 lbs each of Riesling and Gewurtz, 216 of Pinot Noir.

Whites: Right into the Press (probably Monday)

Red: Crush tomorrow or Monday.

I wish this was happening yesterday, or that I could take Monday off.

Regardless, it's going to be a fun week.

Baconsabers!!!!

So I was thinking...

I've seen the bacon explosion. I'm a Star Wars fan. How can I combine the two?

Take 4 lbs of bacon, 3 lbs of sausage, 6 links of kielbasa and some BBQ sauce and make...


BACONSABERS!!!




Yes, they tasted as good as they looked.

No, this has nothing to do with wine.

Sean

The best 43 mintues you'll spend today

John Cleese, wine, and a lack of pretension. I love this!!!!!!!

http://www.hulu.com/watch/79439/wine-for-the-confused


Warning, it is 43 minutes long, and there are a few commercials. You will get 2 things out of this, some great info on wine, and you'll see what a cool service Hulu is!

Enjoy!Sean

Aliens love my wine!

This past Saturday was another bottling night. We had our friends Chrisie and Tony over to help, and ended up with about 3.5 cases of wine: Blueberry Port and Ruby Cabernet.

Of course we sampled as we bottled; it's thirsty work. Once we were done and cleaned up, Tony and I stepped outside to the porch to enjoy the night air and the Ruby Cab. That's when 'it' appeared.

I saw a red light rise from behind a neighbor's house, probably a block of so behind that house. It slowly went into the air, glowing bright red, and leveled off. Tony and I watched as it slowly cruised across the sky, taking at least a minute to drift out of sight. The whole time it did not rise, fall, move nearer or closer...just drifted along.

We ran into the house to tell our wives, who responded just as you would "sure, have another glass of wine guys." Now at no time did I think it was aliens, but it was an 'unidentified' flying object. I know the Blueberry Port is good, but not First Contact with Intergalactic Explorers good.

Tony and I went back to the porch, and there it was...another one. We called them outside and showed them the glowing orb. They saw it...they had no explanation. There was no apology for not believing us either, by the way. This one kept the same flight path, same color, everything.

When asked on Monday how my weekend was, I relayed this story. I couldn't be sure what it was; probably a helicopter, military plane, something like that. I guess I watched too many X-Files in the 90's because a coworker pointed out a type of firework called a Chinese Lantern that floats into the sky and drifts away.

I have 6 more gallons of the Ruby Cab in the cellar to be bottled. What do you think: UFO Red? Sky Lantern Cabernet? Martian Red?

How were the wines? Delicious. I'll post more about them later.

Live long and prosper....
Sean

2007 Oaked Zin

On Oct 25th of last year I posted that we were bottling about 15 gallons of wine. Some of that was the 2007 'Zinners are more Fun'. I put 1 gallon in my small oak barrel and figured I would get back to it in a month.

That didn't happen.

So here I am tonight, thirsty, looking to celebrate the occasion of having no occasion and I remembered the Zin. Pop the bung, turn the spigot, and pour a glass.

It has the same 'bite' that the Zinners has (I have to find a way around that), but it is so rich, almost thick on the tongue. The oak is there, but not to that 'wine-jerky' taste and mouthfeel that so many reds get. I also don't have the feeling that those kids on YouTube who try and eat spoonfuls of cinnamon have. It feels like a sweeter, thicker wine, and it definitely is not. This was fermented to no residual sugar, and wasn't primed at all before bottling.

I can't wait to get this is a bottle and share it. I'm thinking of crusty bread toasted and drizzled with olive oil, a slice of Parmesan or Locatelli cheese with a drop of thick balsamic. Yeah, that would be awesome with this wine.

Wow, it's been 8 months since I last bottled anything? No wonder there's no room in my cellar. I've got 34 gallons that will be a year old in Sept! I've got 5 gallons of blueberry ready to go in a bottle now.

Why am I blogging when I should be bottling?!?!?!

Sean

Hack your Wine????

Found this link today on Lifehacker.com. It's a way to cheer up a bland house wine. I think it's just making it a spritzer, but who knows. I'll give it a shot on something weak.

Here's the link.

By the way, it's time to start posting more....once a week, minimum.

Sean

Happy Valentines Day

Maybe you think it's a greeting card holiday, and a way for the florists and candy makers to make some money before Easter. Maybe you're a romantic who sees it as an excuse to publicly slather your significant something or other in your love. Maybe you fall somewhere in between.

Guys, you gotta do something special for that special someone, and a good bottle of wine make ANY occasion special.

If you're celebrating, what wine are you drinking to make the night special?

Happy Valentines Day.

Trainers love to drink

Sadly, I have to have a day job...chilling out with wine doesn't pay the bills.

My whole team, folks from three states, is in town for the week, and I brought a few bottles to dinner last night, as the place we ate did not serve alcohol.

Bottle each of 2006 Zin and Chard, large bottle each of 2007 Zin and Chard, and 2007 Diamond. 19 of us, 80 minutes, and it the first non family Gowden's Wines sampling was a hit.

This was the first I've tasted the 2006 Chard in a while. It's mellowing out wonderfully. My Zins are still a little harsh, but hold up well to pasta. Anyone who likes sweet, loved the Diamond (and I'm a little surprised Heidi gave up a bottle so easily ;-)

I was a little nervous. A few bottles here and there have gone rogue, and this was my boss, his boss, and my peers...not where I want to drop the ball/cork/grape..insert metaphor here. I do wish I had the time to bottle the blueberry, and I wish the 2006 Syrah had something more like flavor. Oh well.

Happy drinking!

Sean

New Years Realization

Hello everyone.

I've been enjoying some much needed time away from work during the holidays and reacquainting myself with my hobbies. I got to spend a few hours in the cellar this week racking my reds and sampling this past September's Chard. The good news? I was able to clean the cellar while the wine racked. The bad news? My reds are not living up to their potential yet.

Honestly, I've never been really pleased with my Zins. The first year's Bella Giada was very tasty. It wasn't 'great' but it was my first try. My Zins over the last 2 years have had loads of flavor, but an off-putting bite. Never, could any of them be called 'smooth'.

I spent New Years Eve with my friend Tony and his family. Tony led me into the hobby, and darn it, he makes some tasty wines. We sampled his Zins from this year, and it was pretty interesting. He had 4 demijohns, and 4 completely different tasting wines. We have our theories as to why this is, but all but one were tastier than my one carboy of Zin from this past year.

I bought my grapes with my finances in mind. I went with a supplier who offered the best price per case, scoffing at the quotes I had that were up to 50% more per case. Tony bought some with me, but finished his wines with grapes from elsewhere. Tony made the right call.

Three years in a row I've followed the rules, racked when I should and took care to make the best I could. Even now, opening my second years Zin, it's nowhere near as good as the wines I've tasted, made from grapes from other suppliers.

I know that in life you get what you pay for. I feel I've been burned 3 times now with grapes that simply did not have a good wine in them. I can't explain the very tasty Chard this year.

There's a rant on the Sangiovese...but that's for later.

Maybe there's hope. Maybe the wines will mellow. Maybe because they're only 3 months old I'm expecting too much. Maybe Tony's holding out some secret.

Maybe I need better grapes.

Sean