A Rose is a Rose
on October 6, 2010
The harvest is late. Later than usual that is. I would normally have already piked the Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc by this point, but with the extremely cool weather this summer, I’m two to four weeks behind. Two weeks ago, I picked the Pinot Noir for the last time. As stated previously, it will [...]
When to Graft
on September 7, 2010
Step 1. Find bud wood. Step 2. Hold the bud wood through the winter. It seems these are the first steps to getting the bud wood I need to graft the Grenache and Syrah. JG (my winemaker friend) has already found Syrah bud wood, and is now looking for Grenache. Next step is to figure [...]
Out with the Old, in with the GSM
on August 3, 2010
I had a revelation the other day driving home. Given that I have three distinct varietals planted, and never shall they find themselves in the same barrel, I’ve decided to chop the tops of the Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir vines, and graft in Grenache and Syrah. Why? This will allow me to field blend [...]
What I’ll Do Different This Year
on April 8, 2010
After another unsuccessful wine competition, I’ve got yet another few key things I need to keep an eye on for this year’s harvest. Now that the garage is mostly insulated, I’m going to try fermenting outside of the wine cellar, and thus at a higher temperature (at least for the Pinot). Before insulation, temps got [...]
Spring in the Vineyard
on April 1, 2010
Well, the crush came and went. The holidays. The new year, and not much from the Giraffe winemaker. So let me see if I can catch you up. Pruning happened sometime in January, early February. I took each cane down to a spur with two buds. In hindsight, and talking to a fellow winemaker, I [...]
Bottling 2008
on August 31, 2009
Finally got a chance to put the 2008 Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc into the bottle. Two cases of each was the pull from last year’s light harvest. Ron and Dave came over to perhaps help with this year’s harvest, but the brix didn’t move as much as we expected. SB was at 20 and [...]
Ve-ra-sion
on July 27, 2009
It’s Happening… http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veraison
Sonoma Comes to Atlanta
on April 28, 2009
A friend of mine and I were discussing the friendly rivalry between Napa and Sonoma. While Napa may make some great cabs and chardonnay, we both agreed that the diversity and local food available gives Sonoma the upper hand. As I mentioned the fact that Napa seems to have more international brand recognition, he mentioned [...]
More Mourvedre Pt II
on April 23, 2009
The second round of Mourvedre is in the ground. After taking down the trellis system we put up last year, and drilling some new holes with the help of a friend and the neighbor’s tractor, the next 25 Mourvedre vines are in the ground and happy. I went like this. Drill holes, plant vines, install [...]
Pruning Time Again
on January 19, 2009
I started pruning the vines during the holiday break, getting through about three of seven rows. The Stive kids were there to help move some of the pruned canes to the trash pile. Interesting how some vines look their age (over three years) versus others that are just getting started. The plan is to finish [...]
