Mid-August we leave for a business trip abroad. This is while the grapes were growing and doing fine. I gave them a final spray of organic Kaligreen, covered them in bird netting just in case the juiciness of the grapes attracted the birds, and left for 1.5 weeks. They aren't expected to be ripe until mid-late Septebmer.
We returned on August 26, and I noticed some of the grapes looked a bit rasin-ey. They couldn't be ripe, could they? I mean I was leaving town for a family reunion the next day. SURELY they can wait until I get back, right?
After sleeping on it, jetlagged from a trans-Atlantic flight mind you, I decided to test the Brix of the grape juice (Brix = fancy term for sugar content). Brix was at 25, which is a nice, even over-ripe sugar level to be harvesting at.
So, what else are you to do but get out there at 5:30AM (again, jetlagged) and start picking? We had to start by removing the bird netting we had put up, then picked and picked and picked. About 1/3 the way in I had to leave for aforementioned family reunion, but Bruce kept going. Until it was dark. So now we have wine from our own vines. Yeay! Hopefully Bruce's neck will return to normal after the somewhat gruelling day.
Geeky stats:
Overlook 2007 Cab Sauvignon - Harvested August 26, 2007
Measurements:
- Must: 25.0 Brix
- TA 9.5 via titration method; 11 via Accuvin (high, will run MLF to reduce)
- pH measured 3.6 (suspect actual pH is lower, we have crappy test strips)
- Added 2t Potassium MetaBisulfate, equals roughly 80 ppm (I later read that we could get away with less :-( bummer)
- Fermented from Aug 27 - Sept 13ish; room temperature 72 degrees
- Then put on CO2 tank for extended maceration, room temperature lowered to 65 degrees
- Pressed on Sept 23
- Innoculated with MLF culture on Oct 2 - Viniflora CH16
- Now we send positive MLF vibes its way!
