Wine 2025 – Update #02
18 July 2025
Shannon, Eric, & I have discussed various options, and things are still in flux, meaning we have ideas but nothing is firm.
Side Note: I like re-reading these planning posts, as it’s interesting to me how things change over the course of a year. Some changes are due to interests, others to new ideas, and at ordering time we may find that grapes we want are not available. I find that where we start is rarely where we end up. It’s an interesting journey.
Reds
Eric & I taste tested the Pinotage. We liked 2 of the bottles, while the third (lowest cost) was harsh. However, we are fine with going ahead with Pinotage. This, of course, assumes that Pinotage is available to us.
If it’s not, Montepulciano is high on our list. If that isn’t available? We’ll look at what’s available and make a decision. I doubt this will be a problem.
Beth (owner of the VA vineyard) and I have discussed what will be available this fall. Although it’s early in the season, the prognosis is that whatever we want to fill a barrel (roughly 250 lbs of grapes) will be available.
I’m leaning towards Marechal Foch, with 10%-15% Leon Millot, Chancellor, or DeChaunac. This is a change from January, when we were considering doing another Chambourcin or Chelois blend.
Why? Both the Chambourcin and Chelois barrels are aging nicely. However, I am leaning towards a 90/10 blend of both wines, meaning reserving 10% of each barrel and adding it to the other wine. That provides more body and depth. Note that exact percentages will be determined by taste testing in November.
So we want to do something totally different, and Foch is it.
For the third barrel, we’ll probably buy juice buckets again to ferment with the pomace from either of the first two barrels. What juice? Eric’s girlfriend likes Montepulciano, and that’s a good enough reason for me to use that juice.
Whites
Usage of Lalvin 31 MLB really changed the character of both the Chardonnel and Vidal. The 2023 Vidal required some backsweetening to balance the acid. OTOH, both the 2024 whites were bottled bone dry.
The Chardonnel was fermented in 2 batches with 71B and QA23 yeast, respectively. Both have honey notes, but the 71B has much stronger notes, so Shannon and I want to make it again fermented only with 71B.
We are also discussing buying white juice buckets — Chenin Blanc and/or Verdicchio.
Over Production
We WAY over produced in both 2023 and 2024. In 2024 we attempted to cut back, but achieved much higher than expected yields from the French-American hybrids, so we produced about 20 gallons more than expected. We had a brief scramble for containers in November, finding room to put it all
The red production is targeted to fill each barrel, provide sufficient topup, and have a bit extra. Ideally we’ll net 6 cases from each of the three.
White? We are still figuring that out. Shannon and Eric don’t drink as much white so the two cases each got from 2024 is a lot for them. In another month or so when the whites have gotten over bottle shock, we need to all taste them and decide how much to make in October.