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Spring bottling

Is anyone else finding themselves knee deep in bottle cleaning and wrestling with the corker machine? We spent the better part of the weekend bottling some recent past vintages. Our '05 Syrah finally found it's way into the bottle. We're really pleased with this one, albeit a small batch (5 gallons). This is the vintage that we lost over 30 gallons due to some serious H2S problems. We were only able to save a 5 gallon carboy of free run we had put aside. But it is wonderful. While I grieve for what would have been about 40 gallons of great wine - at least we have a couple cases put away in the cellar. hard part now will be leaving them alone for another year. Final alcohol

12.7%; pH 3.63; free SO2 at bottling 30 ppm. Clear, spicey but subtle nose, firm tannins and a long finish. Lightly oaked for about 3 months on French medium toast staves. The '06 Pear wine also made it's way into the bottle - 5 cases of it. We left about 3% residual sugar to make it an off-dry apertif style wine. Slight bentonite treatment, and extended settling time got this year's wine perfectly clear with no filtering. No MLF of course, brought fermentation to a halt with refrigeration, then used potassium sorbate to prevent any further activity. Delightful wine - we really recommend pear wine for anyone looking for a fruit wine that is more "wine like", yet fresh and light. Lastly, we bottled the small batch of '06 Pomegranate dessert wine that we experimented with. We have been pleasantly surprised. The color is a brilliant (and I mean brilliant) clear blood red. The nose is not great

- smells like the pithy part of a pomegranate (kinda woody), but the flavor is great. We made this more in the 7% RS range, with a crisp lively acidity (pH of 3.1). Still have the '06 Marsanne / Viognier to bottle, but all in all, a good weekend, It's always good to see the bins full of one's own wines. --

Reply to
Ri
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Wow. inspiring! As I spent last night inventorying my wines, I find I am again - needing to make more. Where does it all go? I had a couple disappointments - the Pinot Noir, I cooked so it went south quickly in the bottle. Dang that was cases down the drain. Some of my fruits - first ones I ever did - were too dry, so need 1-2 tablespoons of sugar to make them nice. No big deal, but can't give away like that! smile.

Saturday is our wine tasting party - we have 13 different types to sample. Can't wait. Our first ever party with mostly our own wines!

thanks for your status. >

Reply to
Dave Allison

Nope, too much to do in the vineyard. Bottling in August before harvest...when I need the carboys.

Sounds like you put up some nice wine, though. I love pear, along with blackberry and elderberry one of the best fruit wines.

Steve Oregon

Reply to
spud

quoted text -

I was going to bottle some this morning; I have 3 carboys left from 05 that are due. One more thing to like about reds, they wait for you...

Joe

Reply to
Joe Sallustio

Sorry to hear about the Syrah.

Your pear wine sounds like it would be wonderful. Would you mind sharing with us the recipe, and what type of pear you used?

Reply to
wpattison

Three years ago, came across the following recipe; Pear Wine Recipe (One Gallon)

4 lb Pears 6 pts Water 4 cups Sugar 2 1/2 tsp Acid Blend 2 tsp Pectic Enzyme 1 tsp Yeast Nutrient 1 Campden, crushed 1 pkg Wine yeast(good for up to 5 gallons)

Use ripe to firm-ripe pears.

l. Wash, drain, remove stems, cut in half and core. Cut into smaller pieces.

  1. Using nylon straining bag (or press) mash and strain out juice into primary fermentor. As juice is extracted immediately add Campden to prevent spoilage and browning. Keeping all pulp in straining bag, tie top, and place in primary fermenter.
  2. Stir in all other ingredients EXCEPT yeast. Cover primary.
  3. After 24 hrs., prepare and add yeast. Cover primary.
  4. Stir daily, check Specific Gravity, and squeeze pulp lightly to aid extraction.
  5. When ferment reaches 1.040 (3-5 days) squeeze juice lightly from bag. Siphon wine off sediment into glass secondary and attach air lock.
  6. When ferment is complete (S. G. has reached 1.000 -- about 3 weeks) siphon off sediment into clean secondary. Reattach air lock.
  7. Siphon again in 2 months and again if necessary until clear before bottling. Age for 3 months. Cool and enjoy.

Some of the differences in my own process include;

  • I use tartaric acid, rather than a blend (just because that's what I have in the winery!). I try to shoot for a pH in the range of 3.1 to 3.3; preferring the wine to be slightly more acidic, in that I try to keep some residual sugar.* I use potassium metabisulfite, and use it as one would with wine rather than 'recipe' style. I try to maintain somewhere in the region of 30 ppm from secondary through bottling.* I test sugar levels when I first make the must, and try to target a
12% final alcohol, with a little residual sugar (preferring a light fruity wine)* I always prepare yeast starters, and get a healthy batch going before pitching. Ergo, one packet goes a long way!* I stop fermentation at my desired hydrometer reading with refrigeration, the use potassium sorbate to suspend any further fermentation.* This year, I sued a little bentonite, then let the wine sit for some weeks. That gave me a clear wine, versus the slightly cloudy I had previously made I have been using Bosc pears for the last three years we have been making pear wine. Why? Because we have a very productive tree of Bosc! We stem, core, and cut into smaller chunks - but we do not peel. Some folks do, I guess. This year, we started with about 50 lbs of pears, used 8 gallons of water, and added about 20 pounds of sugar, all told. After 70 grams of tartaric acid, pH was at 3.25 - should have pushed it down further. Hope that helps - enjoy!
Reply to
Ri

It's been Riesling and muscats here. Except 14 gallons of muscat has gone south due to bad juice... and I still don't know the fate of the

20 gallons of Cab that had that funny stuff growing on it.

My 'bottle washer' is an aquarium pump and Iodophor solution. I pump it into a PVC setup with 1/4 Tygon outlets, then spin the bottles. Does 8x bottles at a time, then they drip dry on a rack. Can do 90 bottles in between anything ... next one will have a higher pressure pump and some means of turning the bottles (Already have the design on paper, just need to figure out how to make it).

Think there might be a home market for an auto-bottle washer for under

100$??? :)
Reply to
purduephotog

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