A story of Petite Sirah, from the truck to the carboy

November 18, 2010

Many have asked about it... others didn't but still got to hear me blather about it. Here's my story from the truck to the carboy. To appreciate it as I do, you must REALLY like red wine... and then appreciate that it's made right here. I just pressed the grapes off the skins today and it's rollin' in the cellar. I already can't wait to do it again next year. But next year, I think we'll shoot for a clean 500 lbs. Hope you enjoy.

Tags: wine , grapes

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The final grape crush of 2010 brings me 300 pounds of Petite Sirah

November 09, 2010

I hope to make wine from my own grapes one year, but until I do, I have to buy them. I've been growing grapes, planting a new row and variety each year, for about 5 years now. I battle with the deer, the black rot... you name it, about everything that has prevented me from bringing in the bounty. This year, however, I brought in my first lot of Concord grapes, but there wasn't enough worth making wine with, so we made pies and jams and froze the rest.

Speaking of buying grapes, I brought home the last bounty on Saturday. 300 pounds of Petite Sirah and I am very excited about this one. It feels almost like--ok, time to stop messing around and make some good, red grape wine. So, this Petite Sirah has been somewhat of a project for me delving back into books, picking brains and talking to people.

I really appreciated the help from my friend Dave whose been a student of winemaking lately as well. Dave makes excellent wine and so I wanted to really get a up-close look at his process. When I was in Art School, we were told to "copy the masters". Doing so may not make complete sense at the time, in fact it seemed like plagiarism, but looking back, I found that it brought me up to a plateau where I could look back down to where I really was to see where I did good, or bad. For me, I'm a quick study in most things, mainly because I have no problem admiting that I don't know it all and then asking someone to tell me everything they know.

Ultimately, I choose to stay on that higher plateau because afterall, it's the place to be, right? Knowing what i know now... is better then what I never knew. You heard that here first.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy these pics of the fine people I get to mingle with when we take off on a cold morning to smash grapes, eat pizza and drink wine! Cheers.

Tags: wine , friends , grapes

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Wine Grape Crush and Pickup in Loveland

September 25, 2010

Ran up to Loveland to pick up the first juice buckets to come in. I thought I'd take the camera and hand these folks back some images since I knew their hands would be too sticky to take some of their own pics.

There was over a case of various homemade wines that everyone brought in and by noon, I already had a buzz on. The knowledge gleaned just by listening to all the conversation was worth more than most classes. I learned a ton just by overhearing talk about acid, pH and starting gravity. It does matter depending on the grape varietal, and the wine style you wish to achieve. While everyone has their own beliefs, I think hearing them all and soaking them in is invaluable.

A dedicated group, they got the work done. I think the pics will show you there was some "BIG CRUSH" going on and I was happy to be a part of it.

I'm going back over the for Petite Syrah shipment. I'm happy to report I secured 300lbs, so by winter, I'll be back over 100 gallons of wine in various stages. I really need to get some bottling done. Anyway, all for now and Caio!

Tags: wine , grapes

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Grape variety is a major factor for success in Indiana

July 01, 2009

Check out this paper just released from the Purdue Agricultural Extension by Bruce Bordelon. I consult with Bruce... and he actually responds to questions from home-boys like me. I appreciate the efforts of his team and want to echo their efforts to other growers in SE Indiana!

Selecting an appropriate grape variety is a major factor for successful production in Indiana and all parts of the Midwest. There are literally thousands of grape varieties available. Realistically, however, there are only a few dozen that are grown to any extent worldwide, and fewer than 20 make up the bulk of world production.

Consistent production of high quality grapes requires properly matching the variety to the climate of the vineyard site. This publication identifies these climactic factors, and then examines wine grape varieties and table grape varieties. Tables 1, 2, and 3 provide the varieties best adapted for Indiana, their relative cold hardiness and disease susceptibility, and their yield performance at two
test locations in the state.

Grape Varieties for Indiana

by Bruce Bordelon
Purdue Horticulture and Landscape Architecture
www.hort.purdue.edu
All photos by Bruce Bordelon and Steve Somermeyer

 

Tags: vineyard , grapes

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June 2009 Grape Update

June 20, 2009

Some varieties are doing ok... but the Catawba has been hit with black rot. I'm about to throw in the towel with these. I've been diligent in cleaning out the vineyard last fall... spraying early... before, at and after bud break... Did Captan once...waited two weeks and been on a regimen of spraying 1-2 times a week with Stylet oil. I have done cluster thinning, canopy thinning to let air blow through... all to no avail... The black rot is HIGH-PRESSURE around here this year. I am suffering like a mo fo.

I'll be contacting Bruce Bordelon at the Purdue extension next. I just went in and plucked clusters... and rotten berries to get out everything I can. I have it clean now. Thinking of spraying again. Right now, it's latched on to my Catawba the hardest (not as bad last year) The others are OK but I'm still picking leaves and things off as I see them.

See the pics. Here are the questions I'm posing to my experts.

1. Is it true I should be pulling out leaves, clusters... and whole stems that I see are infected? Just don't want to overdue it for the storage of needed carbs over winter.
2. True that we want to pull leaves to give wind and sun a direct route through?
3. If the pressure is high and black-rot is eminent, what do the experts try?
4. Regarding pruning: Would like training suggestions on what to do with some of my double trunks... and lower cordons. I'm seeing that lower cordons are just a direct transfer of rot from the ground to higher up. I have cut them off of some

Growing grapes is a task. I respect vinyard managers. I would like to think as my vines mature that they would build up an immunity to the rot in future years. Will report again next month.
 

Tags: grapes

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