Wine in the Cellar
Wood Family Vineyards
Off to the winery again today to finish topping. When I top the wines I always take a look in the barrel to see the surface of the wine and check for clarity. I smell the barrel and take an ear to the bung hole and listen for any fermentation sounds. Of course I take a sample and slurp and take notes on characteristics. It can be a long process, but I like to know the wines in each barrel.
Soooo...last weekend a guy (winemaker) from another winery (He custom crushes) and a freind/business associate from Pleasanton in to taste. I join them up with another couple and we taste all our wines and everyone is real happy. The winemaker likes the Zinfandel (double gold Best of Varietal, SF International WIne Competition) but prefers a different style Zinfandel. As he starts to describe the style Zin he prefers I start thinking about our '04 Zin in the barrels from Rabolli VIneyard. (planted around 1918, head-pruned and dry farmed) and since I was getting ready to top it anyhow I thought I would treat them to a barrel sample..
So I pull a sample (having just tried it 3 weeks ago) I know it hadn't finished ml fermentation yet and I had innoculated it with ml bacteria 3 weeks ago along with adding ml nutrients. As soon as he (the other winemaker) tries a sample he starts saying I need to add Copper. I smell it and it is stinky. I am not quite ready to come to the conclusion that it is H2S and as I try to tell him it may just be ml funk, he says it is not only H2s, but it is mercaptans and disulfides as he looks at his friend with the look like ....I know all and will tell you about it later. Rather than get in to a lengthy discussion in front of my customers I decided to let it go and steer them in another direction. The Cab Franc (which they bought lots of).
After they are gone, I do what I should have done before. I listen to the barrel and it sounds as if (what is that candy you used to put it your mouth and went popping like wildworks?) That is what it sounded like. I am surprised we couldn't hear it from the cellar floor!
I pulled out my H2s kit and checked. I don't believe it is H2s. Just to be sure I sent off a sample to the Wine Lab.
Lesson to be learned: The know it alls sometimes don't really know it all. Hmmmmmmmm , Is this something new to anyone?
Cao for Now!
Rhonda
Off to the winery again today to finish topping. When I top the wines I always take a look in the barrel to see the surface of the wine and check for clarity. I smell the barrel and take an ear to the bung hole and listen for any fermentation sounds. Of course I take a sample and slurp and take notes on characteristics. It can be a long process, but I like to know the wines in each barrel.
Soooo...last weekend a guy (winemaker) from another winery (He custom crushes) and a freind/business associate from Pleasanton in to taste. I join them up with another couple and we taste all our wines and everyone is real happy. The winemaker likes the Zinfandel (double gold Best of Varietal, SF International WIne Competition) but prefers a different style Zinfandel. As he starts to describe the style Zin he prefers I start thinking about our '04 Zin in the barrels from Rabolli VIneyard. (planted around 1918, head-pruned and dry farmed) and since I was getting ready to top it anyhow I thought I would treat them to a barrel sample..
So I pull a sample (having just tried it 3 weeks ago) I know it hadn't finished ml fermentation yet and I had innoculated it with ml bacteria 3 weeks ago along with adding ml nutrients. As soon as he (the other winemaker) tries a sample he starts saying I need to add Copper. I smell it and it is stinky. I am not quite ready to come to the conclusion that it is H2S and as I try to tell him it may just be ml funk, he says it is not only H2s, but it is mercaptans and disulfides as he looks at his friend with the look like ....I know all and will tell you about it later. Rather than get in to a lengthy discussion in front of my customers I decided to let it go and steer them in another direction. The Cab Franc (which they bought lots of).
After they are gone, I do what I should have done before. I listen to the barrel and it sounds as if (what is that candy you used to put it your mouth and went popping like wildworks?) That is what it sounded like. I am surprised we couldn't hear it from the cellar floor!
I pulled out my H2s kit and checked. I don't believe it is H2s. Just to be sure I sent off a sample to the Wine Lab.
Lesson to be learned: The know it alls sometimes don't really know it all. Hmmmmmmmm , Is this something new to anyone?
Cao for Now!
Rhonda
posted by Rhonda Wood at 9:24 AM
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