8 replies to this topic

[tala]

I am pretty excited because today I secured 750 lbs of Zin from the RRV. I am looking forward to the process of determining ripeness & using that to influence the style of wine I wish to make.

Please bestow upon me the questions I should be asking, what I should be looking for, etc.

If anyone in the northern part of CA is looking for any Zin, the grower I am working with has a little less than a half ton left for sale. PM me if interested.

[Knucklehead]

Well, to start you like to be able to trust all growers. But last year I went to pickup some Viognier, the grower told me it was26 brix. It ended up being 30 brix when I got home. I didn't have a refractometer, but I do now! Get one. You need to share with the grower what your goals are. Brix, pH and TA. The grower will only really be able to control the brix. But he should be able to share with you where the pH and probably TA.

[tala]

Well, to start you like to be able to trust all growers. But last year I went to pickup some Viognier, the grower told me it was26 brix. It ended up being 30 brix when I got home. I didn't have a refractometer, but I do now! Get one. You need to share with the grower what your goals are. Brix, pH and TA. The grower will only really be able to control the brix. But he should be able to share with you where the pH and probably TA.

I went with the guy specifically because he seemed honest and truly passionate about grape farming and wine making.

I've never used a refractometer but I understand how they work conceptually. Can you recommend a good one?

Thanks Bill!

[croat]

Can you ship me a pail of that juice please

[Knucklehead]

Also, congratulations on securing your grapes! I picked up the $59 Refractometer with ATC from MoreWine. As often as I'll use it, it will be great. I just use it in the vineyard. When I get it home and crushed I switch to my Hydrometer. I brought my pH meter and TA stuff to the last harvest. It was probably overkill.
On a side note, most of Sonoma (as well as Napa and parts of Solano County) is still under the EGVM (European Grape Vine Moth) Quarantine. I talked to the Sonoma County Ag folks a month or so ago. Basically, they don't want whole grapes leaving the quarantine areas. If you crush onsite and just move the Must out of the area, they are OK. Last year it was the same thing. We crused onsite and put the must in three 50 gallon food grade barrels. I tossed some Sulfite tablets in with the must and we took the hour long trip to Dixon. My source was south of Petaluma, but I'm pretty certain the RRV is under quarantine as well. The ag folks said that the problem is just about eradicated and they believed that the quarantine will be lifted next year.

[tala]

Thanks for the congrates! I heard about the grape moth thing but not sure about this site. Last year I took my whole clusters of Syrah from Dry Creek without any issues. My Zin guy does have a crusher/stemmer on site and I planned to use it anyway so I don't have to worry about renting one. I will bring K-Meta, my primary fermenters to crush directly into and a cooler full of dry ice with me. I couldn't fit a macro bin into my truck anyway.

[Crazy Run Ranch]

On a side note, most of Sonoma (as well as Napa and parts of Solano County) is still under the EGVM (European Grape Vine Moth) Quarantine. I talked to the Sonoma County Ag folks a month or so ago. Basically, they don't want whole grapes leaving the quarantine areas. If you crush onsite and just move the Must out of the area, they are OK. Last year it was the same thing.

No, whole grapes can leave the quarantine area (which includes the RRV). You need to sign a compliance agreement with the county and follow some simple instructions. Load must be covered, unfermented plant parts (stems) need to be dumped in a green waste can to go to a county composting facility. Sonoma County will email a compliance agreement to you and technically you need to check with SF county Ag to see if they have specific disposal instructions

[Crazy Run Ranch]

Hey Tala, I looked back at my notes to get you some numbers for the last 2 years. Other than trellising style, my vines are pretty similar in climate to the site you are buying from. 2010 and 2011 were cool years so this year may be different and hopefully earlier. In both years, I picked at 23 brix in early October. Both times, sugars "soaked" to 25 Brix 3 days after harvest. This is very common in Zin, it tends to have sugar solids that don't show on the refractometer until they rehydrate. You can imagine what happens if you don't pick until 25 brix. Anyway, a good way to predict what will happen is to save your berry samples as you approach harvest. I pick the sample into a Ziplock and re-measure at 2 and 3 days after picking giving it a chance to pick up the sugar. You might check with your grower and see if he has observed this before. Not everyone bothers to check but this is one reason I like to cold soak my Zin. Or just don't worry about it after picking but be aware this might happen. Now for some better news. I have never had to adjust acid levels in my RRV Zin. In '10, the pH was 3.57, TA 7.13 g/l (prior to MLF). In '11, pH was 3.50, didn't bother measuring TA. in both cases I find that the natural acid balance of these wines is perfect. This year being warmer may require an acid addition, hard to say. And it will probably bring us harvest 1-2 weeks earlier.

[Knucklehead]

No, whole grapes can leave the quarantine area (which includes the RRV).

You are probably right. I was working with Solano County Ag as the destination was Dixon in 2011. They were NOT amenable at all to our bringing whole fruit out of the quarantine area. After working with them I finally suggested we just bring the must and they were all for it. Sonoma Ag was much less concerned. Sonoma Ag, in fact, thought the Solano County ag folks were a little over zealous. This year I just went with the Must to avoid any issues. I'm sure there won't be a concern with the SF Ag board! Sorry! I didn't mean to mislead. It was just much easier for us to move Must to avoid the bureaucracy. I didn't need any paperwork or a compliance agreement according to Sonoma Count.