What's going on in your winery today..

[robwrx]

Racked a Selection Original Pinot Noir off the gros lees last night and noticed that the airlock was barely moving this morning. Thinking I had a stuck ferment I checked the SG and discovered it is down to .993 already

Also racked the Selection Estate New Zealand Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc which has finished and is now bulk ageing. I'm going to try and be good and leave it for at least 6 months before bottling any of it.

[RTPFUN]

The white Beaverdale kits a Pinot and a White Burgundy have cleared and they’ve been filtered and bottled. The Argentinean Torontes Chardonney is now finished degassed and finings added. The Beaverdale Rioja was filtered into a glass carboy and topped up with 2/3rds of a bottle of decent shop bought rioja. That’s now off to bulk age. The wine number one with the dried elderflowers has at last finished. Sorbate (as I’m probably going to sweeten it a little) and sulphite added. Have to say the little sample tasted very nice. Made a nice new wine rack from an IKEA shelving unit. Enough for 100 bottles and two carboys on the floor underneath it. Put on a wine number one as per recipe and an experiment based on wine no 3 using strawberries. Nice productive day off and at this rate we should be self sufficient by summer.

[RTPFUN]

another busy day! picked up the Limited edition Selection kits today and WOW 5 packets of oak in the Washington Meritage anyway they're underway. Labels are OK but not as nice as the Kenridge speaking of which, filtered the Torontes Chardonnay put it a glass carboy to bulk age as it wasn't one of the best wines I've tasted at this stage but I'm sure it will get better Racked off a wine number one that had dried elderflowers added. Very dry it will need sweetening at some point. Dry and flowery doesn't work for me but it's full of promise and then there's washing bottles and more bottles.

[goldseal]

After a few weeks of work-enforced inactivity, I have spent the last hour drawing up a to-do list.

It covers 4 pages, so I'd better crack on

[mark g]

Organic Beetroot juice wine.
ingredients makes 1 gallon.
1lt-organic beetroot juice.
1lt-red grape juice.
1kg-sugar.
half tsp-Marmite,optional
1tsp-GP yeast compound.
water.

[ToulouseLePlot]

Just planted extra 2 each: blueberries. blackcurrants, redcurrants and two scented yellow roses. 3 Merlot vines just budding in their pots, waiting for me to get a pergola-type structure up, the other two in the garden are just budding too, as are the damson, quince and mulberry (though someone said I'll have to wait 40 years for the latter). A pint of cider (first time I've tried ale-yeast, this is Much better than champagne yeast, soft & fruity) to celebrate picking up 21 demijohns on eBay (the listing said 10 or 12)... meanwhile, in the winery, Rioja needs capping & labels, currant needs finings and 21 dirty demijohns and a week's worth of bottle-crop from pubs need washing-up.

I think I'll just open another cider and think about it.

[Emeraldclaire]

Spent the day in the garden tending the fruit bushes, then spent the evening racking 15 demijohns of various wines (and having a quick sample. Sweet sloe coming along nicely). Chose 5 wines to bottle another day. Awaiting delivery of beer kits. Not even having a drink tonight!

[robwrx]

Spent last night racking the Grapefest 2011 Merlot. It was the first opportunity to have a little taste since fermentation finished and all I can say is it tastes fantastic already.

[Cellar_Rat]

I have been drinking the merlot for a while - close to be best is cellar.

doh. I'm drinking 2010.

[RTPFUN]

Well got back from holiday to a busted thermostat on the brewing cupboard but after a quick dip of the thermometer the panic was over as the wines had just gone up to 26c not ideal but not enough to kill off the yeasties. Everything had fermented out just a lot faster then they would have at 20c. Racked them all off. Lots to do over easter

[Rich]

Waited in today for a delivery from Karl. So sorted out some bottles for a bottling session either tonight or tomorrow.

Parcel has now arrived, 2 ltd kits also chatted to the delivery driver who wanted to know if it's difficult to brew, so pointed him to the forum and sent him away with a couple of full bottles.

[lockwood1956]

Top Banana

[Rich]

This morning I've filtered and bottled 10 gallons of second run wine from GF11. 6 inches of snow overnight has put a stop to doing much outside apart from going sledging.

[spritzer]

I haven't logged on for yonks !!
But I have done a few bit and bobs over the last couple of months
Nothing done today..
But I am all set to bottle a raspberry I started a good while back....
And a merlot too ... in the morning

[lockwood1956]

A Merlot in the morning............


what could be finer?

sounds like a song title or the name of a west end show!