Beaujolais Nouveau

I had no idea what this was until a few years ago when my aunt brought a bottle of this to Thanksgiving Dinner.  It was a tradition for her to pick up a bottle at the same time in November every year.

Beaujolais Nouveau in a nutshell is wine that comes from the Beaujolais region of France that has only been fermenting for a month or two, depending on when France had their grape harvest that year.  We are both in the Northern Hemisphere so their harvest is typically Sept-Oct time frame so that means it would have been fermenting for a month to month and a half.
They rush it into warehouses around the world by FedEx, and then release it on the 3rd Thursday of November for sale. 

That's November 18th this year.

So go buy a bottle....it's not bad.  Very light and fruity, but it's more tradition than it is taste!

TN Law to allow "Spirits" makers

Tennessee, traditionally one of the least progressive states when it comes to wine, beer and spirits making and distribution, is close to passing a law that will allow "spirits" to be made in all 95 counties (or at least counties that are not presently dry).

Chinese proverb:  "The Man who removes a mountain begins by carrying away small stones".

Here is the link:

BusinessTN Article

Winemaking Log

Especially if you're just starting out, it helps to keep a log of your activities.  It helps you do things in an orderly manner and it also allows you to share your experiences with other winemakers. If you don't already have one, here is a good one I found on the internet. Here it is.

Winemaking Log

I will post it in the references/tools tab, as well.  I recommend using this.  It helps to compare different vintages and also to document the process.  I find that I will test the wine on a timely basis if I'm writing it down.

Corks....and the tools that go with them

It is early to be thinking about items needed for bottling but I wanted to make this post now that I'm thinking about it.  When buying your corks, choose winery grade corks, not pure agglomerated.   Agglomerated is basically like particleboard they use on houses.  It takes chips of cork and by products and glues them together to form a cork. Winery grade uses natural cork on the ends and some agglomeration in the middle.  They are longer, and non-chamfered (non-tapered).  Winery grade corks will cost more, but it is worth it.  I have used the cheap, agglomerated corks and (depending on how old they are) can crumble and come apart as you insert them into your bottles.

You spent a lot of time and money on your wine.  Don't skimp on the cork.

Here is the tool I would recommend using to insert them.  This is the base-level tool you should use.  I wouldn't go with anything less complex or cheaper.  Hand-ratcheted devices are harder to use and can leave indentations in the top of your cork, and the corks rarely go in evenly with the hand-corkers.

It retails in the $60-$70 range.

WA narrowly defeats I-1100

An initiative in Washington State that would have eliminated the "3-tier" system (producer sells to distributor, who sells to consumer) was defeated this week by a somewhat narrow margin.  It is good to see that voters are challenging some of these laws that date back to Prohibition!  The Federal government allows the states to create monopolies in liquor distribution that can often lead to less selection and higher costs for consumers when there are additional layers in the supply chain.  Layers that are essentially unnecessary.

Here is a link to the article:
http://www.peninsuladailynews.com/article/20101103/NEWS/101109974/0/news/i-1100-fails-state-remains-your-liquor-dealer

So has your 2010 wine gone south?

It happens.  Maybe you had H2S issues you couldn't recover from.  Maybe too much oxygenation.  Maybe your primary didn't complete and you can't restart.  Here are a few options if your wine from this fall's grapes has become undrinkable:

Chile-  Chile will be experiencing their grape harvest about time it is spring in the US.  April or May.  You can get fresh grapes from a few suppliers or order frozen must fresh from the 2011 spring harvest.  Check my references/tools page for more information or send us an email.

Frozen pails from the US-  There are a few suppliers that stock frozen must available year-round.  No matter where you live they can ship it to you, overnight.  It may involve a trip to the airport to pick it up, but that's about it. 

So how is 2010 CA vintage looking?

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times."  That is really what you hear when people talk about California's wine grape harvest 2010.  It was much cooler and wetter than normal, leading to very late ripening and some that were ruined by the late rains that came in October.  But on the other hand, the grapes that were harvested were excellent.  I was very happy with mine. There is a very deep, inky color in my wine I haven't seen in a Cabernet.  Less harvest quantities are supposed to mean more concentration of flavor and acids in the grapes that make it.   We'll see!  But I think 2010 is already shaping up to be a great year......