The rewards and frustrations of home winemaking

Monthly archive: 09 2010

Carmenere WE Limited Edition 2 1/2 Year Tasting Note

It has been about 6 months since we broke out a Carmenere, which is over 2 years post bottling now. There are no more soapy aromas or flavors! It has big aromas of ripe red fruits, spice, and brambles. Big, bold flavors of roast cherries, plums, currants, and mild spice with hint of burnt toast […]

Pressing the 2010 Syrah

Our 2010 Syrah from Live Oak Vineyard in Fallbrook fermented fast, and the brix were below 5 by the next week.ย  We decided to go ahead and press out the wine before it was completely dry so that we could do it on a weekend day. We took a quick brix test and an obligatory […]

Syrah Harvest 2010 at Live Oak Vineyard

We got up at 5 AM today to drive up to Fallbrook to harvest syrah at Live Oak Vineyard.ย  The weather has actually been very nice, it was a nice brisk morning drive up.ย  We had several friends meeting us there to help out with harvest. We did not have any major heat waves like […]

Visit to Bernardo Winery

We have lived in San Diego for about 10 years now, and I can’t believe I didn’t know about Bernardo Winery until now. It is the oldest winery in San Diego (actually in southern California), and is truly a unique venue. The winery tasting room is located on the original winery property, and is now […]

“Belmont Park” Merlot 1-year Tasting

It’s a little early to be tasting this wine, but all of my fellow winemakers have all but demolished their stashes, so I thought I’d give it a try.ย  I did not decant, but poured directly into a Riedel Bordeaux very sweet aromas, not unlike a sherry.ย  Wine is not clear, but this is not […]