Italian Grapes

[SiSandrine]

Supertuscan is a good plan. I have done this with the Sangiovese and Merlot in ratio 3:2. I think it is really promising. I'll take a bottle to Grape fest - not sure if you'll make it over Steve but I'll - be great to meet you. If not I bet some people will taste on your behalf. Be better next year though.

[lockwood1956]

I have talked to their head honcho regarding shipping to the UK

we need to have an estimate of numbers before we can get a realistic price. We may be able to have them shipped here without the freezing process which should make it a little more cost effective.

here are video links to their presentation......

Some interesting stuff from the in here

Intro

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L_zBfbFKsdM&feature=relmfu

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I77Yg-SOhCA&feature=relmfu

Winemaking section

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PX7WfItX4Ws&feature=relmfu

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d6gRUcLauno&feature=relmfu

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ts2sE_RgtYw&feature=relmfu

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-003wKnaGKg&feature=relmfu

Question and answer session

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WEymiKCmoM8&feature=relmfu

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E5POC8RqNSA&feature=relmfu

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xAZTeHslDTE&feature=relmfu

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xAZTeHslDTE&feature=relmfu

enjoy

regards
bob

[lockwood1956]

I was hoping for some Nebbiolo, but no such luck.

Nebbiolo and Barbera may be available next harvest (2013) apparently (and from Piedmont no less!!)

[Vino Superiore]

Hello Everyone!

My name is Joe Cuciniello and I am the Brand Principal for Vino Superiore. I had a conversation with Bob and am seeing some great interest in the UK for our Grapes. I wanted to allow this opportunity for the members of this forum to ask questions about anything they want to know regarding Vino Superiore. This is the first exclusive communication that the brand has had with the UK and we are excited to see if we can get the brand over there so that you may make incredible wines just as we are here in the United States. In the mean time here is the brand website:

www.vinosuperiore.com

There is alot of information on there for our winemakers to absorb.

What questions might I be able to answer for you?

Thanks,
Joe

[robwrx]

Hi Joe

Welcome to the forum! I have a few questions for you.

Can you offer fresh grapes or just frozen?
What volumes can you supply?
Are the musts TA and PH tested and supplied on each container?
Are you planning on setting up a UK operation where we could pay in sterling and all import duty will be paid?

I'm sure I will think of other questions but that will do for now.

Cheers
Rob

[Vino Superiore]

Hi Rob,

Those are great questions! As I am answering, keep in mind that my thoughts and strategy for export of Vino Superiore to the UK was initiated by Bob and approximately 1 day old..

Can you offer fresh grapes or just frozen.[/I]
-- We can definitely supply frozen grapes to your market. As for fresh grapes, our Enologist, Federico, is exceptionally picky about quality. I am sure we could supply the grapes fresh from the vineyard with minimal sulfiting, but the real question is whether it is cost effective or not. The grapes are not exactly cheap to begin with and I would be reluctant to send anything with the Vino Superiore name on it if it wasn't the best we could offer. My thought simply is that as long as we can ensure the quality, and the price-point is cost effective, then Yes we should be able to.

What volumes can you supply?
--The grapes are not in unlimited supply as they are commercial grade, DOCG certified, Organic grapes that go into bottled Italian labels like Castello di Gabbiano, Castello di Meleto, ad Villa Antinori. Having said that, we would definitely be prepared to ship 1-2 40 foot containers without an Issue.

Are the musts TA and PH tested and supplied on each container?

---Yes they are, but we recommend that you test yourself before starting fermentation as this is an artisan product and the buckets are filled by hand. There is some variability between buckets. If you are investing your hard earned money into making an awesome, long cellering wine, you probably should take it the extra step to re-check the numbers before your ferment. Having said that, we also supply the customer with notes written by our enologist for each harvest. In it are tips that Federico gives from when he fermented the grapes before we get them.

Are you planning on setting up a UK operation where we could pay in sterling and all import duty will be paid
---As for the UK operation, I haven't thought that far into that yet, but I am the co-owner of a Company called Fantastik Import/Exports LLC and if the demand is large enough, we could evaluate that as an option. I would be willing to work with the UK customers to ensure value.

Question for you Rob, Are you asking these questions from a distributionship perspective or a consumer perspective?

-Joe

[Vino Superiore]

Nebbiolo and Barbera may be available next harvest (2013) apparently (and from Piedmont no less!!)

Yes.. It is true that we are offering 3 new varietals for the 2012 Harvest. We are offering Barbera d'Alba, Dolcetto d'Alba, and Nebbiolo d'Alba. We are very excited as these grapes are not only from Piedmont, but from Alba itself. Grape supplies are somewhat limited though.

[Cellar_Rat]

Do you have any indicative prices please?

[robwrx]

Joe, thanks for answering my questions. I have had a look at your website and I am very impressed by what I read. The quality looks great and I'm very excited at the thought of getting access to some of the grapes you have.

Apologies for not asking a question clearly, what pail/bucket size do you supply, would have been better. Your website says 19 litres only.

My interest is as a consumer only.

Regards

Rob

[Vino Superiore]

Joe, thanks for answering my questions. I have had a look at your website and I am very impressed by what I read. The quality looks great and I'm very excited at the thought of getting access to some of the grapes you have.

Apologies for not asking a question clearly, what pail/bucket size do you supply, would have been better. Your website says 19 litres only.

My interest is as a consumer only.

Regards

Rob

These grapes are amazing. I made 2 barrels myself!

The bucket size that we supply is a 5.5 gallon bucket. This is because it is the size that is most mobile. Each bucket contains approximately 50 pounds of de-stemmed and lightly crushed grapes. We are also working on winery size containers and 55 gallon drums for individuals making barrels. These are custom orders and are pretty heavy to move around without a forklift.

I would recommend that anyone interested "like" us on Facebook and twitter. On there you will find a lot of the pictures of what the buckets look like and plenty of pics of my making wine with these grapes. The facebook link can be accessed via the vinosuperiore website as there is a twitter and facebook button on the home page. By clicking on it, it will take you right to the site.

Here is the link

https://www.facebook.com/vinosuperiore

[Vino Superiore]

Do you have any indicative prices please?

Unfortunately I do not have any indicative pricing yet as I am working with Bob to get a better understanding for the 2012 harvest. One thing I can offer is the 2011 harvest that we brought in to the US. If anyone is interested in trying the grapes and we can put a pallet or 2 together, I could export it frozen to a location from here.

[NorthernWiner]

The bucket size that we supply is a 5.5 gallon bucket. This is because it is the size that is most mobile. Each bucket contains approximately 50 pounds of de-stemmed and lightly crushed grapes.

Just for clarity's sake, the buckets Joe mentions are measured in US gallons. In Imperial gallons, it will be 4.6 gallons. Each bucket of this size makes 2-2.5 Imperial gallons of finished wine (depending on skin-to-pulp ratio, berry size, and other factors).

I've made a lot of wine from frozen grapes over the years, and this is a relatively standard size - at least in the US. I actually prefer frozen grapes to fresh ones. First, they are flash frozen, so in most cases there is no need for sulphite and they won't be mouldy by the time you get them. Second, as they thaw you get a nice cold soak, which gets a jump on color extraction. The freezing process also helps break down the cell walls of the fruit. In my opinion, the frozen product makes a finished wine as good, if not better, than the fresh equivalent.

The only grapes I'm buying this year are frozen.

[Vino Superiore]

Yes, Thank you Steve. I am sorry about that mis-communication.

The buckets each are yeilding approximately 2.5 - 3 Imperial gallons (3.0-3.5 US Gallons) of finished depending on a number of factors like whether you are using enzymes, how hard you press etc..

One other piece to clarify is that Federico did add a low amount of Sulfite to the bucket to help protect from oxidation during freezing. It also helps to protect the grapes as the bucket thaws to ward off native yeast during the "built-in" cold soak period.

Steve is also right about mitigation of the mold issue. Within 1 hour of being picked, the whole grapes clusters were being processed and frozen. We are able to bring the grapes from ambient Tuscany summer temperatures to -5 degrees C in approximately 20 seconds. This preserves the grapes in a "just Picked" state. It took us 2 years to develop that process.

[Cellar_Rat]

It took us 2 years to develop that process.

Yeh - I know Software developer like that

In my opinion, the frozen product makes a finished wine as good, if not better, than the fresh equivalent.

My (limited) experience is the same.

[robwrx]

If anyone is interested in trying the grapes and we can put a pallet or 2 together, I could export it frozen to a location from here.

I'm interested in about 4 pails, subject to price. How many pails to a pallet?

If it is a group buy, would it make sense collecting at Grapefest? Just a thought.

Rob