Don Giovanni

4/27/2012 going down to a reported 27 F that is not good if it happens... we have 100% bud-break...

a very few buds the heavy snow was a issue... So 4'of snow is snow big deal... the temp never went below freezing ...we are safe for now...

how about a few inches of snow to cover the buds ? It's 33F with steady snow... time for bed... 2 inches thus far ...

bio-dynamic winemaking ...you can use sulfur in the vineyard along with coper and fish oil... you use lunar cycles to plant harvest rack etc... you can use cultured yeast ... filter rack etc... you can use sulfur to preserve the wine ... at least with bio-dynamic wine-making yes you don't spray in the vineyard pesticides ...but you intervene using tea sprays ... using a cows horn with silica ground up in it with manure this is used as a spray on the vineyard after it's dug up for a period of time... it's the limited intervention that is acknowledged in a very green way... some people don't believe in it ... I do due to experience... one case in point the trees to make log homes were cut down during a new moon for homes ... these logs lasted over 200 years and counting ... the trees that were cut down during the full moon rotted in 40 years... another case is racking under a new moon or within 8 days of one the lees are more compressed etc... strange as it may be we have some proof working the crops and wine during lunar cycles is not lunacy...

ok natural wine is made with no added yeast just spontaneous fermentation ... organic grapes or bio-dynamic no added sulfur ...no filtering the wine at all ... oxygenated bottling no inert gas ... very close to organic but with the aforementioned methods... anything you use to make a better wine is called non natural...if you read the original post this is where the movement shoots itself in the foot...

Do you believe in the myth of a "Natural Wine" ? as I become more educated on this subject I find it very hard to believe in ... losing faith with each book I read and with each conversation I learn from...as a proponent of using the most natural methods of making wine you might think that I would be the biggest preacher of the "Natural Wine Movement" personally I see it as a hoax only developed as a way of marketing wine... as a tool for selling it's great, because it sounds so , well "natural" ... as I see each turn and twist in the winemaking process it has become self evident that the whole movement is built on rules that are ok, so long as you are dismissing the unnatural intervention along the way... is the natural wine more natural because the weeds have been pulled ? is the vine natural if you prune the vine and reduce fruit ? did the vine climb a tree or did you train it on a trellis ? is the wine natural if you control fermentation temperatures ? is the wine natural if you add DAP to increase the YAN so you don't get stuck fermentation ? is the wine natural if you used a bird netting to protect the grapes ? is the wine natural if you pulled leaves ? is the wine natural if you drove a carbon fuel vehicle to do work in the vineyard ? did you spray the vineyard with anything ? did you irrigate ? did you tie the vines ? would any oak be a natural thing to do to a wine ? is the use of SO2 natural ? if so how much before it's not... type of closure, glass, plastic, composite, bark cork, screwcap ? ferment in animal belly , stainless, concrete , oak vats, amphora, anything natural about them ? Süssreserve or sugar no matter how approved it is add back Jesus juice units aka water ? add tartaric acid or any kind of acid ? add tannin , mega purple-red ? micro-oxygenate how so ... did you use sparger or different diffuser ? use spinning cones, reverse osmosis machines ? did you use a bottle, flask, skin, glass, plastic or membrane to house the final product did you add a culture to help the ML fermentation ? did you let the wine sit on the lees? did you use any frost equipment to prevent frost? did you use SO2 at the crusher, during the fermentation or pre-bottling ? Argon, Nitrogen , CO2 for bottling ? did you use a lab to give you the bio on the grapes, must or wine ? spontaneous yeast or cultured ? filter , rack , clarify,Delestage, bâtonnage, Sur lie? Did you use a rubber hose to transport wine along the way ? you get my point and I am sure I missed many other things used in "Natural Wine" ..."natural" bah humbug !!! like I said great marketing ...

latest update in::: FLX banana belt east side Seneca some magic from the lake is working now...revised to 34 F in our area...micro-climate is working ... other areas not so good...

one more perspective ... this is expressed by Portuguese winemaker Dirk Niepoort in some circles we come to find the opinion that "minerality" comes from the decencies of the must due to the inability of the land or "terroir" to fulfill the needs of certain nutrients of the must AKA juice once crushed... becoming the signature of that vineyard... another cause he thinks is reduction in some cases due to the lets say one example sulfur treatments done late... the residues in the must influence fermentation, producing some reduction... source page 211 Authentic Wine by Goode and Harrop a great book full of exciting ideas and science... wouldn't it be something if some minerality is reduction ?

FLX::: 88F yesterday 27F tonight 25% bud-break thus far...happy it's not worse like as in 75% bud-break... we will deal with it ...

Teo, you are the very best... I really appreciate your reply... the info will come in handy as I plan to go there this year... it's people like you that make the wine world tick being very informative ... again thanks so very much !!! Cheers !!! John

Fragolino the illegal wine Venezia (Venice) experiences (not the sparkling) ? Fragolino the illegal wine Venezia (Venice) experiences (not the sparkling) ? I have been enamored by this wine with such a big following in the city of Venice... so many Americans go taste the forbidden wine and can never find it when they come home... a strawberry tasting wine from the Isabella grapevine around 3 to 4% RS...not to be confused with the infused wines or liqueurs... anyone with experience with this wine of Venezia (Venice) if you could please give me a recollection of your TN please... the Uva Americana or Isabella grape is used to produce it... I do know the Italian government banned this wine due to the uncontrolled methanol levels... I call BS on this statement because we produce this grape in the FLX and it's not a problem ... I have tasted this wine only in America produced by Americans... the purest form has strawberry notes, not from the strawberry, but from the grape... I also heard they make it with Concord grapes too ? I really don't know if this is true or not... any help or insights into this wine would be very much appreciated ... Cheers !!! PS.. the Isabella grape is the 'Typhoid Mary' due to being the vine that introduced Phylloxera to Europe, maybe the true reason it's illegal...

FLX we have 5% bud-break and soon in a week it will be prolific... we had some hail this AM... this year the hail factor with frost will be heavy pressure on the vines... it's been observed vines like to suffer, this year they will get their wish... temp dipped down to 31F in my vineyard near the tasting-room other areas got colder... clear frost date is may 10 th ... we are one month ahead of LT averages in vine development ... that said it's been earlier each year the past 7 ...

I think minerality is a description of that sense of place ... one does not taste minerals ,ever, no matter what... ions as you mentioned , yes ... the wine gives off a unique fingerprint of that sense of place that sometimes corresponds to the thought of minerals used as descriptors...only a fool without a real science education would argue that they taste actual rocks... while not bashing the wine reviewers although I did once and was kicked off her board (a different story for another day ) ... it's the reviewer that goes to the site and observes the dam rocks ... this I am sure adds to the sense of place but it is expressed so many times in a confusing way... as in ..I taste the wine and the expression of the schist soil makes me want to chew the rocks... I have read this so may times that the consumer gets confused and thinks they can really taste that soil ... they do taste the influence of the soil I am sure , but rocks no way... so it's the reviewer that conveys this premise and myth ... doing so unintentionally I am sure, as they know better..

Nibor thanks... FLX::::: we had a hard freeze down to 20 F last week the vines look ok thus far nothing fried to the eye... does this mean we are safe... #ell no... the vascular system might be damaged and we won't know this until the season and the fruit sets and the vines respond... we go down to 24F for two more nights... we are one month early and this spells trouble maybe 35% damage this spring , just a wild guess...

FLX:: update... as expected we are going to have a hard freeze after a few 80 F days...and many 70 + days ... the cherry trees in some places bloomed... they are done for as this hard freeze will eliminate the crop... the grape vines are swollen with sap and will have some damage from this freeze... it is what I expected ... farmers gut call at this point will be 35% damage this year due to the stage of the vines and the reality of the weather ... the last frost date is May 10 th... Next 5 Days Today Mar 26 Mostly sunny; breezy, colder 38°Lo 19°

No GOOG alowed ::I want you to guess how many wine varietals there are in the world ? No GOOG allowed... I want you to guess how many wine varietals there are in the world ? so what was your guess... ? ... mine was 10,000 off by 4,000 ... Just the Facts. Yes, All of Them. Quote: a new tool for wine information... very cool... source::: Click On Me this company will change the way you come to comprehend data... be it wine related or other... Quote:

pruning now as opposed to early offers the vine the ability to go into shock and delay bud-break... in strange years like this it's best to delay pruning as we have done... with over 80 F in the vineyards you have to go back over 117 years to find weather close to what we are having... remember out frost date is May 10th ... in theory after that date no frost...

you will be in good company with the wines I have selected and the producers... they all score 90 + points and look for the key vintages... 2007,2009,2005,1995,1997 enjoy ... Cheers !!! 7 ZINS 2009 WA 90 points old vines USD $ 22.00 Lodi Ca Cline Old Vines 2007,2009,2005,1995,1997 Cline Cellars 2006 Live Oak Zinfandel Contra Costa County, CA Rosenblum Cellars 2008 Maggie's Reserve Zinfandel Sonoma Valley, CA Rancho Zabaco Sonoma Heritage Vines Zinfandel Sonoma County, CA Bogle Old Vines Zinfandel 2009 Zinfandel Sierra Foothills, California high rated wines more $$$ Ridge York Creek Zinfandel 2009 Price: $29.99 Ridge York Creek Zinfandel 2009 Zinfandel Napa Valley, California Artezin Dry Creek Zinfandel 2007 Zinfandel Sonoma County, California Rancho Zabaco Monte Rosso Zinfandel 2007 Zinfandel Sonoma County, California Williams Selyem Forchini Vineyard Zinfandel 2008 Zinfandel Russian River, California Turley, Carlisle, Seghesio Sonoma Zinfandel 2009 from Sonoma County, California - The 2007 vintage of this wine was ranked #10 on the Wine Spectator's Top 10 Wines organic wine Coturri Winery - Home www.coturriwinery.com 6725 Enterprise Road Glen Ellen, CA 95442 (707) 525-9126

7 deadly ZINs 2009 Lodi Ca, solid 90 points great QPR @ $21.00 nice rich color dark deep burgundy with ruby edges blackberry nose with anise and black liquorice ... rich mouth-feel well balanced fruit with vanilla on the top of the palate long hang time on the finish with a dry snap...if you breath out of your mouth and nose you taste a mocha chocolate impression these are the type of wines that bring me back to my grandfathers wine cellar and sipping wine as a very small child as he explained what I was looking for...life seemed very simple then... after we learned a short story or two then the wine went into the bowl and out came the peaches... fresh or put away in jars and what a nice treat at any age... yes, we were happy kids... 15% ABV and you really can't feel it... very well balanced... back to the nose it reminds me of the 2007 Earthquake on the spice side ... influenced by the barrel in a great way to my style of ZIN... solid 90 points... “Old Vine” Zinfandel, Lodi, California after tasting very old ZIN vines you pick up on the signature taste they give off... IMVHO these vines need to be protected as an American historic vine treasure ... registered with protection would suit me just fine... __________________ 1478: George Plantagenet, Duke of Clarence, was executed by drowning in a barrel of Malmsey wine at his own request.

yes I allowed fermentations go to different lengths for the higher alc... The first and last were free SO2 the second was hit to arrest the SO2 at that level...the third I lowered the tank as the yeast were dying anyway due to alc toxicity to the yeast... I have done what you proposed using white lightning or pure alc... the higher alc killed the low density molecules of the aroma rendering the wine muted... playing with the SO2 's has been done again the result being muted low aromatic molecular density aroma... those experiments we do all the time as they are the easiest... cheers !!!

High Alcohol and SO2 is a Aroma killer explained via science : case for lower alcs and SO2 in wine the big debate over high alcohol and some experimenting that I did this past harvest is now explained by science in the new book that I have been reading 'Taste Buds and Molecules' page 38 specifically. first to the experiment I did and have been evaluating ... the subject grape is a aromatic grape Cayuga White grape a hybrid who's life begins in 1947 and then brought to the wine world in 1972 by Cornell... it's a very good winter hardy grape that when fermented will give notes of peach, pear, wildflower, honeysuckle as the primary notes... the experiment I fermented three batches in stainless and the following are the results CW -1 ....CW-2.... CW-3 PH 3.22 ... PH 3.21 ... PH 3.33 T.A. 7.5 g/l ... T.A. 6.9 g/l ... T.A. 7.8 g/l R.S. 0.9 ... R.S. .06 ... R.S. 2.4 Alc 13.1 ... Alc 13.1 ... Alc 13.9 Free SO2 52.8 ... Free SO2 60.8 ... Free SO2 49.6 each had Birx of 19 and each has sugar added to boost the alc... the yeast was a control commercial yeast not being disclosed ... CW-1 the wine had the best aroma fully of life very pleasant very big... CW-2 the wine had a nice aroma 1/2 the bigness as the CW -1 still nice but the SO2 was in the air and muscled out the aroma... in time as the SO2 binds or if decanted blows off the wine will open up , but it's my experience it won't be as perfect as the CW-1 wine CW-3 is everything wrong with this high alc wine the aroma is gone and hiding far in the background ... hard to believe it's the same grape... muted is the kindest description ... so molecular weight in wine as displayed by aroma comes to play... the first CW-1 had the greatest balance where the alc allowed the lowest molecular weight of the aroma that has the most aroma to come up and out of the glass.... CW-2 had more SO2 that gave off the flint match head smell and competed with the lowest molecular weight in the aroma by muting the aroma... it was a bully in that glass... CW-3 was a mess although the SO2 was the least and not far off the control wine CW-1 ... the high alc. killed the aroma by not letting the aroma out trapping the lowest molecular weight aroma in the wine we know that "when wines with the normal alcoholic content, those between 10% and 14%, the aromas are released in successive stages. First come the compounds of low molecular density. then the later, depending on the interaction with oxygen in the air of the wine, then the higher density compounds. In higher alcohol wines the low density aromatic compounds are rapidly inhibited, leaving room for only the high density compounds." page 38 Taste Buds & Molecules by Francois Chartier. So I did this experiment and found the results but lacked the science as to why... then by the gift of information...Bob recommended the above book and a light went off I had my answer in English as to the science... go figure... if the winemaker does not let the wine come in at a much lower alc specific to that grapes expressive aromatic low molecular weight aroma then the it will kill the aroma, also if the winemaker is too liberal with SO2 then again they are killing the aromatic low molecular weight aroma... and last if they do both the above they lose the personality of the grape and produce a unnatural high density aroma only...

In Sicily, Treasure Trove of Wine Yeast Click On Me locale wine yeasts reflect the taste of the land that best reflects the grape they worked with... and the taste of the consumer is always changing...

oak and maple syrup the same taste profile... Click On Me

this new book relates to wine and pairings ... both are good , but I would place my bets on this new one as the book to read... it's less reports better translation ... better interface with the wine world... easy to read...

Book recommendation::: Taste Buds and Molecules: The Art and Science of Food, Wine, and Flavor Taste Buds and Molecules after receiving my book from Amazon I jumped right in... this book out of all the books I own relating to wine, food, smell, taste, chemistry, is one that is indispensable ...it's a must read if you every want to understand the molecular nature of what the #ell you are tasting and not only wine... in college while taking organic chem I came to understand many things that related to me everyday... this book is like the Rosetta Stone... it has taken all the information I have ever read and constructed a wonderful, clear, intelligent, concise and to the point reference of all that is taste via pure science... I can not express to anyone ITB, or just a wine geek, or maybe a foodie ... you must read this book... it's easy to read... you don't have to start at the beginning you can jump around if you like... it's the ultimate Kama Sutra for taste... you will bring to yourself and others so much pleasure from this information that taste will never be the same again... ever !!!!