96 replies to this topic

[mvcrews]

Results are in : http://winemakermag....on/past-winners

With much pride I not so humbly annouce that I got my first gold for a 2010 Cab Sauv made with Napa Valley grapes from the Oak Knoll Discrict (Shroff Vineyard), purchased from Peter Brehm. With much sadness I announce that I cannot purchase those grapes this year because the grower's price has more than trippled . doh. The cab market is crushing my soul this year.

[Juniper Hill]

Great job Mike! Please describe how you crafted this wine.

[mvcrews]

Hmm. I don't keep very detailed records of what I do . I'm going to try use a digital fermentation/ winemaking log this year, suggestions? The past couple years I've basically been crushing with the rollers off, doing a 5%-10% bleed, fermenting with BDX or Rockpile, standard GoFerm/Fermaid K additions, twice daily punchdowns, pressing when dry with a water powered bladder press, settling the gross lees for 24 hours before racking into a neutral oak barrel for MLF and then racking in and out of the barrel for about a year of aging (and trying to monitor S02's which is very difficult with a large family that likes to do barrel tastings). This wine was mostly cab with smaller amounts of merlot, cab franc, and malbec blended in. The Cab Franc was my favorite wine I made that year and it didn't place, so it's pretty possible that what I'm doing (or at least trying to do) is irrelevant at impressing judges.

[Knucklehead]

Congrats! That's outstanding! Am I to understand you didn't oak this wine much? I saw the neutral barrel for MLF.

[tonyt]

Last year I got a bronze with a Wine Expert Petit Verdot LE. This year a silver with the Wine Expert Montepulciano. Can't wait to see the judges comments. Next year perhaps a gold with one of the the Wine Expert grape pack kits, the Sicilian Nero d' Avola I started back in January and will bottle in August. It's already very good in carboy should be gold by next June.

Congrats to everyone else that did well. How about some comments from folks that attended in person. How were the sessions and workshops?

[mvcrews]

Congrats! That's outstanding! Am I to understand you didn't oak this wine much? I saw the neutral barrel for MLF.

The Malbec and the Cab Franc that got blended in both came from new Vadais, so overall it was about 15% new oak.

[Leo Sperrazza]

Congratulations!
We're you at the conference? It was a great time, lots of great seminars and interaction with other winemakers.
I won a gold also (red Bordeaux style blend)

[WineMan2008]

Last year I got a bronze with a Wine Expert Petit Verdot LE. This year a silver with the Wine Expert Montepulciano. Can't wait to see the judges comments. Next year perhaps a gold with one of the the Wine Expert grape pack kits, the Sicilian Nero d' Avola I started back in January and will bottle in August. It's already very good in carboy should be gold by next June.

Congrats to everyone else that did well. How about some comments from folks that attended in person. How were the sessions and workshops?

I have made wine from fresh juice but never a kit wine, maybe I'll try one after I've seen how many medals they win. Making wine from fresh grapes is quite laborious yet gratifying, at the end of the day. What I don't understand is how they can judge Kits against fresh grapes,

Steve

[tonyt]

What I don't understand is how they can judge Kits against fresh grapes,
Steve

I don't know but given how many kits win golds in these blind tastings there must not be too great a difference. Perhaps someone who has acted as a judge before will weigh in.

[Crazy Run Ranch]

I assumed they judge the kits against other kits and wine from grapes against wine from grapes and then merge the results. How else can it be explained that there are so many kits scoring well? I've never drank a kit red but I never heard anyone that has suggest they are better than grape wines. Its the only competition I've seen with kits wines in it at all.

[tonyt]

Its the only competition I've seen with kits wines in it at all.

In adition to the Wine Press competition I have entered competitions in Pennsylvania, California, and Missouri. All amature wine making competitions and all welcome kit wine. I have been very pelased with my results, three medals out of 5 bottles entered. The judges comments have been very helpful in improving my kit wines. People scoffed at the light bulb and Penicillin too. But by your own admission you haven't tasted kit wine. I've tasted amature wine from grapes and commercial wine that were not as good as some folks kit wine.

[kakeeler]

Results are in : http://winemakermag....on/past-winners

With much pride I not so humbly annouce that I got my first gold for a 2010 Cab Sauv made with Napa Valley grapes from the Oak Knoll Discrict (Shroff Vineyard), purchased from Peter Brehm. With much sadness I announce that I cannot purchase those grapes this year because the grower's price has more than trippled . doh. The cab market is crushing my soul this year.

Congratulations on your medal and congrats to everyone who won! Having made wines the last couple years, I have a new-found respect for people who even make just okay wines, so to win medals, you should all be really proud of your accomplishment. Way to go!

[kakeeler]

Results are in : http://winemakermag....on/past-winners

With much sadness I announce that I cannot purchase those grapes this year because the grower's price has more than trippled . doh. The cab market is crushing my soul this year.

I saw you're up in Davis, so you probably have grapes everywhere around you, but we're down near Paso and a lot of the growers do sell grapes and juice. If it's any help, as a resource, there is a listing in the independent grape growers website: http://www.pasoroble...lassifieds.html

[Crazy Run Ranch]

People scoffed at the light bulb and Penicillin too. But by your own admission you haven't tasted kit wine. I've tasted amature wine from grapes and commercial wine that were not as good as some folks kit wine.

I never said kit wine couldn't be good. But most consider it moving up to go to fresh grapes. But more importantly, I don't think they should be judged in the same class.

[rock]

In adition to the Wine Press competition I have entered competitions in Pennsylvania, California, and Missouri. All amature wine making competitions and all welcome kit wine. I have been very pelased with my results, three medals out of 5 bottles entered. The judges comments have been very helpful in improving my kit wines. People scoffed at the light bulb and Penicillin too. But by your own admission you haven't tasted kit wine. I've tasted amature wine from grapes and commercial wine that were not as good as some folks kit wine.

Do whats right and not easy?Well Kit wines sound pretty easy!!!Most ive tasted were not as good as grape wines.But i guess these judges maybe onto something.