Category Archives: OENOLOGICAL ODYSSEY

Follow my fall into wine making here. With no training, I craft horrible wines to better understand the process that confects grapes into alcohol.

SECOND.SHOT.

Posted on December 13, 2011 by waywardwine

Clearly I can’t multitask. Last week’s post proved that babbling on camera and racking wine don’t mix… Self-reflexive! For those out of the loop, since October 23rd, I’ve been fashioning wine out of Vidal Blanc juice, which I bought from … Continue reading →

Posted in CABERNET CRISES: MY FOURTH WINE, OENOLOGICAL ODYSSEY | Tagged drink, Food, New York, Rack, Recreation, Shopping, Vidal Blanc, wine | 2 Comments

END.GAME.

Posted on November 28, 2011 by waywardwine

The end is nigh. Fermentation has slowed in my six gallons of vidal blanc juice. Less than a week has expired since I picked up the juice. Last night’s reading (below) was a call to arms (and racking siphon tubes). … Continue reading →

Posted in CABERNET CRISES: MY FOURTH WINE, OENOLOGICAL ODYSSEY | Tagged Business, carboy, Clarification and stabilization of wine, Cold Stable, fermentation, Grape, racking, siphon, stabilize, Vidal Blanc, wine, winemaking, yeast | 3 Comments

WORK.WINE.WORK.

Posted on November 21, 2011 by waywardwine

Work. Wine. Work. Wine. Work. Wine. The days blur my routine of tests and checks, morning and evening with my time at work. Selling and making the stuff eats my hours. But soon fermentation will stop. Soon all I will … Continue reading →

Posted in CABERNET CRISES: MY FOURTH WINE, OENOLOGICAL ODYSSEY | Tagged alcohol, Beverages, Fahrenheit, fermentation, Finger Lakes, Food, home winemaking, homemade wine, Must weight, racking, Sugar, Vidal Blanc, wine, yeast | 4 Comments

BUBBLE.BUBBLE

Posted on November 14, 2011 by waywardwine

I’m not worried. Some yeasts take days to wake up. My blueberry wine, although crap, took days before fermentation started. So I don’t expect the vidal blanc that I bought 24 hours ago to have begun. Still exhausted from my … Continue reading →

Posted in CABERNET CRISES: MY FOURTH WINE, OENOLOGICAL ODYSSEY | Tagged Australia, brix, California, Fahrenheit, fermentation, Must weight, Temperature, Texas, vidal blank, wine, yeast | Leave a comment

TIRED.TESTY.TROUBLE

Posted on November 7, 2011 by waywardwine

I top off my fermentation tank to six gallons and save the extra gallon: with which to sweeten, make sparkling, or do whatever the heck else strikes my various fancies. Last year’s vignoles wine was fine. I learned gobs of … Continue reading →