Quality of Brehm Vineyards grapes

I'd expect that Peter Brehm has done better than he did in 1982 (Berkeley, Wine and the People) - unless you're buying grapes from another poor vintage.

In a good vintage I'd expect his stuff to also be good, albeit expen$ive..

If you find otherwise, he should attempt to ameliorate your situation.

Tom S

I agree with what's been written. In addition, they're a pleasure to deal with. Instead of ordering them through a supplier in Canada, deal directly with them...it's more fun and they are really helpful.

Lee

Yes they are more ex$pen$ive then other sources, The grapes I purchased come from the state lane vineyard about an eight of a mile north (if that) of the Stags Leap distrct. I should be getting them next week... can not wait! Peter also sells grapes (or frozen must) from the Rutherford Bench, These are the two best places for cab IMHO. Cheers, Robert Reilly

The quality is phenomenal for select vineyards. Tom should be able to attest to the quality of the Cab out of the Alias vineyard in Rutherford, and as Lee stated, the folks at Brehm's are great people to deal with. Expensive is always a relative term. Relative to central valley grapes or wine kits, yes, Brehm grapes are expensive. The Rutherford Cabernet and Petite Sirah however can both be made for under $15 bottle. The quality of both is comparable to the quality of commercial bottlings at twice the price. The old vine Windsor Zin also provides exceptional value. IMNO, my fully extracted Windsor Zins are every bit as good as Ridge's Lytton Springs, again, at half the price ;-)

I bought fruit in 1986, 1987 and 1988 from the Allais Vineyard, which is where Brehm gets his Rutherford fruit. The last two years were especially good. I'd like to get some more, but I won't pay Brehm's price for it.

I figure he (Brehm) should comp me a ton, considering how lousy the two Cabs (Stags Leap and Mount Veeder) I bought from him in 1982 were.

But maybe that's just sour grapes...

Tom S

You might be able to get a better price on some fruit from Niagara, it's a wee bit closer. HTH

I go in with a group of people here in Illinois, and we get a few pallet-loads of grapes from Peter. The grapes are delivered by truck to a central location, and we all meet to pick them up. While you pay a premium for his grapes, I have found them to be of very good quality. Since we are ordering in bulk, we do get a break on the price and shipping. The one time he screwed up one of my orders, he air-freighted the omitted grapes to my home, at his cost.

My suggestion is that you get a group of people together and submit a combined order, and agree to a single point of delivery. This makes Peter's life a lot easier, and he will work with you on pricing/shipping. Oh, and it certainly helps grease the wheels if you pay up front, or at least make a significant deposit towards the final purchase price.

One last note: Peter will crush/press the grapes at the vineyard. You will receive frozen must/juice. I do not believe this has any noticable affect on the resultant wines.

--Lee

As far as I know, Brehm does not ship unprocessed grapes, if you are lookng for the "complete" winemaking experience.

The reds are closest, in that you get pails of crushed and destemmed fruit, with the skins. One pail will yield about 3 to 3 1/3 US gallons of juice when pressed.The most expensive red I saw from the Vancouver distributor I deal with was a Rutherford cab sauv at $250 CDN per pail. That works out to about $15 a bottle, your cost, not including the barrel you will want for aging this beauty. ;-)

The whites are shipped as pressed and settled juice (and you now get a bonus liter, 20 liters total). Top price is the Sangiacomo chardonnay at about $200 CDN.

Generally, the Pacific Northwest products are better value and still good quality.

All products are shipped frozen, and need a few days to thaw out.

Brian

Are you in Canada?

I wouldn't go this route. First, he would pay the full cost of shipping to Quebec, not an insignificant amount. Better to find a distributor much nearer (I think Funk winemaking in Niagara brings them in, see their web site

who has gotten a better per pail shipping price by virtue of volume for the majority of the trek.

Second, he would become responsible for dealing with Canada Customs and Agriculture Canada (since it is a food product). My one experience bringing them up from Minnesota put me off that. As good as Brehm people are to deal with, it is more than offset by dealing with those yahoos.

Brian

All the grapes I've used from Niagara were good. I posted this earlier, but in case you missed it there is a list of some growers...

He does sell fresh grapes, too, but you have to go get them. I don't know about you, but its a long drive from here to California.

--Lee

It's a long drive from here (LA area) in California to Napa too. Besides, his stuff is too expensive. :^(

Tom S

One question about Niagara grapes: If I'm thinking about taking a drive up there next fall to pick up fresh grapes, when is the best time? When do they harvest? I would imagine it's a bit later than California. Any suggestions of which areas to plan to visit?

Lee

Lee, are you in the chicagoland area? I may be interested in getting in on your group purchase next year....