mumu's 2010 Eagle Point Ranch grenache
Behold the moment that you’ve all been waiting for! Well, at least what I have been waiting for. Last weekend I decided it was go time. Time to bottle my 13 gallons of 2010 Eagle Point Grenache wine and let the chips fall where they may.
But before sealing the deal with a cork, there were a few final steps that I needed to perform. First, a final racking and assemblage were in order. Now you might ask, why are you blending all 3 carboys since they consist of the same varietal?
Very good question. First, upon tasting, I noticed that the wine in my 3 gallon carboy seemed a bit more reductive than the two 5 gallon carboys. Second, when I performed my tests on free sulfur, I wanted to make sure that all 3 vessels were essentially reading the same ppm. Basically, I did not want to perform this test 3 times. And finally I wanted to rack as much of the wine off its lees, as you can see at the bottom of the carboys.
about as scientific as I'll ever get... testing free SO2 by aeration oxidation
After I racked and blended my 3 glass carboys, it was time to test for how much free SO2 I had left protecting the wine. The test, and the resulting number or parts per million (ppm), would allow me to make calculations toward adding the requisite amount of sulfur to protect the wine once it was bottled.
test beaker # 1 acidic
I purchased this eration-oxidation kit from an online wine supply site called More Wine!. In addition to providing just about anything a home winemaker could need, More Wine! Also provides fantastic videos, wine making manuals and step by step instructions for certain tests and procedures. It is truly a fantastic winemaking resource, and I highly recommend it to anyone of you out there interested in making wine for the first time.
test beaker # 2 alkali
Measuring free SO2 by aeration-oxidation is a relatively easy and painless test which takes about 20-30 minutes to perform. If you are interested in the specific materials needed and how to perform the test, please click here.
My test results indicated that I had 16ppm free SO2 in my wine. Since my pH was quite high I decided to bottle with approximately 40ppm free SO2. I wanted my wine to be enjoyed soon and over the next year or so, however with a pH of 3.9 I wanted the wine to be sufficiently protected against premature oxidation.
So I made the necessary adjustments and added just enough SO2 to equal 24 ppm.This 24ppm + the 16ppm already existant would bring me right up to where I wanted to be. Ultimately, at bottling time I would be closer to around 30 ppm anyway.
They don't make 'em like they used to: the indestructible Sanbri hand corker
The following day my good friend Wes came over to help me get the bottling underway. After picking up corks, bottles and a good ol’ fashioned hand corker (thank you Homer!) at Oak Barrel Winecraft we were cookin’ with gas!
Will work for wine: assistant winemaker Wes
Wes started by rinsing out our bottles with distilled water, while I set up our “bottling line”. The goal was to work as quickly as possible in order to mitigate the amount of time that this young Grenache was exposed to oxygen.
feeling pretty good about life! mumu bottling
I was responsible for filling the clean bottles, using a plastic hose, and a nifty bottle filler that shuts off when the desired fill level of a wine bottle is reached. Here I am in the zone and showing how it’s done about 24 bottles into it.
Once the bottle was filled, Wes grabbed a cork, and with a one, two punch inserted the cork snuggly into the wine bottle.
The finish line
And voila! Like an artisanal assembly line, Wes and I bottled 60 bottles of wine in just a couple of hours and change. It was really great to have a friend help out with these final steps. Not only was it more fun, but it cut my bottling time in half.
Gallego's and Grenache!
After all of our hard work, and to enjoy the fruits of our labor, Wes and I celebrated with a super Mexican lunch from Gallego’s in Berkeley.
gamay meets grenache??
I chilled down our bottle for about 15 minutes in the fridge, as I wanted to mitigate the sensation of alcohol (close to 15%) with the spicier qualities of our lunch. The lush cherry nuances and subtle rose hip aromatics worked great though. Stylistically, Wes said it reminded him of a fresh beaujolais. I found it to be akin to a Jurassien Trousseau that got lost, wandered south, and set down roots in the southern Rhone! Regardless, the fact that I made this wine myself and with the help of my friends made drinking this first glass very special to me.
Cheers!
What an exciting journey! Congratulations
Thank you Eric. I’ll be sure to save you a bottle!
Awesome. I found your blog right around the time you were doing MLF. I too was at the same point with my Pet. Syrah. Mine is still bulk aging on the oak and probably will for another 6 months or so. Your granache looks great and I know what you mean about employing friends and family. Cheers.
p.s. – I use the Vinmetrica SC100 for my S02 tests (ripper method) and like it. Jut wondering your any thoughts you have about A/O vs. Ripper. The Vinmetrica gives an accurate result in 5 minutes. Cost my about $190 though. Just tested 15 carboys Friday in pretty quick order.
Hi Jason, Thanks for continuing to read up on my wine adventures. To answer your question, I have not tested for free SO2 using the Ripper method. It seem like either Ripper or aeration – oxidation methods are equally adequate for projects like mine, but that ultimately although fast and easy to produce, neither are entirely accurate. Maybe for my own edification I will try the ripper method the next time around. You might want to check out this article too (look about 2/3 of the way down.) http://www.winebusiness.com/wbm/?go=getArticle&dataId=44897
Good luck with your wine too!
sounds like a delicious wine. It’s great to read about home winemaking from beginning to the final stage, thanks for sharing your experiences
Greg, thank you for reading! It is much appreciated!
Hello Mumu,
Great to see your project completed !!! Congratulations, sure it’s not easy to make wine.
From what I can see it has a very nice color
May I suggest for your next experience: Viognier, I love this grape variety !
Good luck
Jeremie
Looks great!
Drop me an email if you still want to do a bottle swap (I’m the one who made Eaglepoint grenache in 2009).
Ernie
Absolutely. Next time you are in the SF store just let me know. I keep a few bottles in the back and would love to trade with you. Thanks!
Cool! I have business in the city on Thursday afternoon and will stop by.
(How should I ask for you? I suspect “mumu” would draw some blank stares)
just ask for mulan!
Tasting Notes
2010 Mumulesvignes Eaglepoint Ranch Grenache
This was a pretty strawberry red in the glass with just the tiniest hint of cloudiness (which will settle out soon, most likely). On the nose there was the advertised blast of roses and strawberry, but also common Grenache notes of baking spices, orange peel and a touch of forest-floor. These tell me that the wine will develop a nuanced, complex spiciness over time–definitely plan to reserve some for the medium-term.
Light on the palate, delicate flavors of red fruit and berry, well-balanced acidity. I didn’t notice any alcohol heat, but yes, it could benefit from a slight chill. In fact, it reminded me a bit of one of the heartier rose’s, perhaps Tavel or a Bandol. This will make excellent drinking this summer with grilled chicken, dry-rubbed ribs, and of course foraged mushrooms (stuffed giant morels, hmm?).
An outstanding winemaking debut. Thanks!