Category Archives: Making Wine

So, my 2011 Suisun Valley Montepulciano has not gone through malolactic fermentation despite two separate inoculations and the addition of Leukofood. The cellar temperature has been above 70°F for some time and the pH is 3.4 (and change), so temperature … Continue reading →

I intended to make this a sparkling wine. Despite my attempts to preserve some yeast activity and add a dosage at the time of bottling, I was not very successful. The wine is still. Aromatically, the wine smells a bit … Continue reading →

Through a friend at the L.A. County Arboretum, I was introduced to Chuck Lyones – Public Relations Director at the San Gabriel Mission. I’ve always been curious about Mission grapes and the wine made from them. Sure, there are a few producers … Continue reading →

This morning, I peeked in (read: “removed stoppers and sniffed the wine”) on my 2011 Montepulciano and I am hard pressed to say there was any sign of Volatile Acidity. In a few days, after the lees settle some more, … Continue reading →

It’s been some week. The Fiano is slowing down. As of this posting, the Montepulciano will be in a carboy. But more on that long story later. I floated a hydrometer in the Finao and it zeroed out. As it’s … Continue reading →

Previously, I wrote a little about YAN levels and their relevance to successful, clean ferments. I left that subject uncertain how nutrient additions should be adjusted based on the YAN level. It was later in the week that I spoke … Continue reading →

It’s that time of year: The fruit is in, the rains have started and the wines are starting to ferment. It all started, for me, in late September, when my son and I picked and crushed the Aglianico from the … Continue reading →

I ran out of time to test out ways to achieve a zero malolactic conversion and 1.5% residual sugar white wine by the time my Finao fruit was ready. Fiano would go well with my other two red Italian varieties … Continue reading →