Hibernation Is Over
The Final Post About Wine Harvest California 2016
The Final Post About Wine Harvest California 2016
A Rite of Passage for a Wino
November
Week 3 & 4
So here's what's been going on.....
Harvest finished, a week later I made my way back to the winery to check out the filtration process, I also got a chance to help out with the bottling process.
A strong cup of Vietnamese iced coffee, and a 45 minute drive later...I made my way into the lab and was greeted by Luciana Turkovich, she asked, "How have you been?" Me...I don't know if I'm getting sick or I'm just really tired all the time. Luciana, "That will happen after harvest."
After harvest and the cellar work was officially over, my body just shut down and went into what I call, hibernation mode. When I think back to all that I have learned and done, the whole harvest and process is a blur! I'm glad I made myself put out an article every Sunday, or else I wouldn't be able to really recall every detail of this monster, marathon, nightmare, the best way to learn and understand the production side of things...whatever you want to call it...wine harvest 2016 in California.
It has been about a week or two since all the harvest work has finished and I am finally feeling normal again.
What did I get out of harvest besides gaining a way better understanding of the winemaking and maturation process? Well...I have made some amazing friends and mentors, I am more physically fit, I lost almost 20 pounds and have gained muscle. Overall I feel better about my health and proud that I finished the whole ordeal.
Acetic acid:
smells like vinegar
Ethyl acetateEthyl acetate:
smells like nail polish or some nail polish removers
Checking and keeping an accurate record of the wine’s volatile acidity helps winemakers with troubleshooting a problem wine. As I learned and was constantly reminded this harvest, the earlier you catch a problem the better.
Using the (Volatile Acid Still) to check the amount of VA in this year's wines
Checking VA in wines
Using the Cash Still:
-switch on cooling water
-fill boiling chamber with distilled water so that water
levels is 1in above heating coil
-add 10ml of sample
-add 0.5 ml of 0.3% hydrogen peroxide
-rinse funnel with distilled water
-switch on heater
-when water boils, let some steam escape for 15sec, then
close stopcock
The wines we are testing today are pretty much a mixed bag of wines that have finished primary fermentation as well as wines that are about to be bottled.
When are VA tests conducted?
After primary fermentation
After malolactic fermentation
Periodically through wine storage
When a film is found on a specific wine
Pre-bottling
Read more: VA in wine from Penn State Extension
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| Measuring out a sample |
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| Careful not to lose it! |
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| Filling the inner chamber with a wine sample |
Steam distillation:
-Collect 100ml of distillate
-switch off heater
-add 2-3 drops phenolphthalein
-titrate with NaOH to pink endpoint that lasts 10-15sec
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| Magic! |
The day it getting more and more interesting =D
While Luciana Turkovich is being interviewed, I get to create the tasting note for the newly released Zinfandel
Vaca Mountain Zinfandel Solano County 2014
14.3%abv
Aged 18 months in 85% new American & French oak
Color: Medium ruby with a watery rim, and moderate moving legs
Nose: Fresh black cherry, red currant, plum, and hints of olive...but then with a second whiff I got currant leaf, and some delightful hints of dill and cocoa
Palate: Elegant medium body, medium tannins, medium plus refreshing acidity courteous of the high altitude of the Vaca mountains, medium plus flavor explosion of flavors of fresh picked black cherry, ripe heirloom tomato, and dried cranberries.
This wine had a beautiful lasting finish with warm flavors of bramble, toast, and leather.
The filtration truck is here!
Some may argue that flavors are stripped away by the filter, others demand clean looking wine! So what exactly is happening during this process?
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| This equipment is pricey! For a boutique winery, hiring a filtration truck is a common choice. Top it off Bottling |
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| Out comes the wine from the tank and in it goes into the filtration device. |
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| Hoses, hoses, so many hoses! |
"The basic distinction between crossflow and other filtration methods is the direction of flow. Standard membrane filters and plate-and-frame (pad) filters send the wine straight into the filter medium, a perpendicular flow that traps the solids (called the retentate) inside or against the filter medium, while crossflow pushes the wine across a porous membrane, with the wine passing through the pores and the solids continually washed away by the incoming wine."
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| Out comes filtered wine |
Bottling
Top it off Bottling
The bottling truck has arrived, and the guys who run this truck from winery to winery know how to rock and roll!
Some of the older vintages have been resting in barrels and it is time for them to wake up from their slumber, a 2014 vintage Port, some custom crush wine that has been ageing in oak, a GSM, and our 2016 Albariño (not aged in oak) will be bottled today.
In goes the empty bottles into the bottling line.
A little puff of air to blow out any dust that may be in the bottles.
Hoses are hooked up to the tanks, the wine is pulled from the tanks and put into bottles.
This machine is calculated to put the exact amount of wine into each bottle of wine
After the bottles are filled, on goes the screw caps for this year's 2016 Albariño.
For the reds corks are used.
Foil tops need to be put on by hand for each bottle.
After these are put on, the bottles go through an area that seals the foils on tightly.
One must be quick to do this job!
New labels for the new vintage.
The labels and bottles must be constantly checked in insure each label has the correct spacing for each bottle.
After all of that, these bottles need to be quickly put into boxes, the boxes must be taped up and sent outside to be put on a palette. This part of the job is intense! if you aren't quick, before you know it the bottles will be stacking up against you.
Each box is labeled so they will be easy to track later on.
And just like that, it feels like it all happened within a blink of an eye...harvest it over!
I survived! And learned so, so much!
If I didn't stick it out and take the time to sit down and write about what was going on weekly, I probably would have forgotten about it all. There is just so much to learn and do and even with having 3 levels of the WSET (Wine & Spirits Education Trust) under my belt; I felt like I was learning from the start all over again, but that is exactly what I wanted! For me I enjoy learning most when I can actually see the action taking place, so joining a harvest was a must.
Tips For Joining Harvest
~Apply early and make sure you communicate clearly what you are hoping to do and achieve by joining a harvest. Turkovich is a small boutique winery so luckily I got to do and learn a little bit about everything imaginable when it comes to harvest and the winemaking process. If you work for a big winery there may be a possibility that you will be only doing one thing during harvest, such as, only pressing, or handling pumpovers and punchdowns; make sure what is expected of you so you get the most out of your harvest experience.
~You must be fit! I started preparing 6 months in advance by building my strength and endurance, and even that wasn't enough! During harvest you are constantly lifting, and cleaning, and....the days can be long sometimes!
After work, I would go home, have dinner, have some wine =) and knock out! My back hurt, stretching helped! I couldn't feel my hands every morning, hot showers helped, but the pain in my hands as well as the numbness, didn't go away until a week or two after harvest.
I ended up losing almost 20 pounds by the time harvest concluded.
~Wear sunscreen when you are outside, and stay hydrated.
~Dress comfortable, expect to get dirty..everyday! Just when I thought I was going to leave the winery clean, something would happen...take my advice, it is highly unlikely you will leave clean! Wear clothing that can dry easily.
Bring multiple changes of clothes.
Layers help, it's cold in the cellar, but it can get hot outside.
~The clothes you wear during harvest will get stained and destroyed; shop at 2nd hand shops/thrift stores/discount stores, to save on clothing costs.
~If the winery doesn't have wet boots handy, make sure you get a pair; there is nothing worse than working all day with wet socks and shoes...o yes, bring a few extra pairs of socks with you each day...and remember to flip your boots over and knock on them...spiders may have made a cozy home out of your boots!
~Perks =D
There's no need for makeup, give your skin a break, but remember to protect it with sunscreen.
Hair: If it's long, tie it up and keep it out of your way. Since there was no need to do anything with my hair besides tie it up, it was the perfect chance to use a leave in oil/cream, tie it up in bun and give my hair a little spa treatment from time to time.
I am sure there is so much I am leaving out
If you have any questions, post them in the comment section and I will try my best to answer them.
Cheers! Happy New Year, and happy drinking winos!
