Early picked Pinot Noir - Advice please

That's a great idea! That said, I'm not sure the Burgundians aren't faced with the same issues often though. I would be more careful with destemming than normal, but I'm not sure they would care much about those seeds.

The cold soak sounds like a good idea; if you are really concerned about color you may want to pull a little free run off early and taste at each punch down to try to catch it before harsh tannins beat you up. As long as you don't crack those seeds you may be ok.

I would add sugar as you mentioned but maybe only to at least 22 brix.

The actual numbers are what should guide you, then make the best decision you can and let nature take over... Joe

Hi Alastair,

I doubt your Pinot Noir will come it at 19 Brix if the sugar was 16 Brix a week ago and the weather is wet. There really isn't any way to make a decent red wine from grapes picked at 19 Brix. Red wines made from immature grapes are long on acid and short on alcohol, color, varietal character and flavor intensity. Adding sugar to the fermentation will raise the alcohol level, but it will do nothing for the lack of color, varietal character and flavor intensity. Please consider not making Pinot Noir this year. I think that is the best advice given your bleak pre-harvest numbers. Good luck, lum

Thanks to all for the advice!

I would love to pull the plug at this point and just not buy the grapes, but I committed to and if I do, then the chance of getting grapes from this good vineyard next year is nil, that's something I can't afford to do in Virginia

- there are few decent vineyards willing to sell to home winemakers.

To clarify one point for Lum: The weather has actually been very good for the last week (since they reached 16 Brix), so we're hoping that the sugar will rise just enough to make it worthwhile to make a red from it.

I had thought of making a sparkler from the grapes, my concerns with this are that it would be a first for me, and that I don't have a real press. I can and have pressed smallish quatities of red by hand (actually by filling a jelly bag with must, putting it inside one sterilite container with another on top with a large block of wood and standing on it!). I don't imagine I could get a decent amount of juice out of fresh grapes. Sigh.

We'll see what the numbers look like after picking tomorrow!

Alastair

Why not just stick it out and hope the weather holds? It's still pretty early in the season, and the weather forecasts _have_ been known to be wrong.

If nothing else, you should take a minimum amount now, and try to reserve an option to buy fruit later - if later ever comes. Always try to keep your options open. Good luck!

Tom S

I know of at least three vineyards in Northern Virginia that that sell to home winemakers- Willowcroft, Tarara and Windham. I know that Tarara used to sell Pinot but I don't know about now. The other two don't grow Pinot. It seems unfair that a vineyard would expect you to go ahead and buy the grapes even though they are of inferior quality. Are you sure they would hold it against you?

Alastair, what sugar level did you measure on the Pinot Noir? lum

Hi Lum, I've agreed with the grower to let the grapes hang for a little longer to see how we progress. He'll re-measure the sugar on Friday and we'll decide where to go to from there.

Alastair

Good decision Alastair.

Hi again all (but esp. Lum) The numbers as of Thursday were Brix 20.1, pH 3.44 - The berries are beginning to "fall apart" rapidly.

What do you think, is it worth picking?

Thanks again, Alastair

Hi Alistair

What do you mean that the berries "fall apart"?

thanks

Joe

The Gods were whispering "Rose, Rose", but nobody listened...

Richard