What Makes a High-End Wine?

In the wine world, there are the Two Buck Chucks, and then there are Château Latour or even Domaine de la Romanée-Conti (affectionately known as the DRC). There is a vast price difference between high-end and mass-produced wines, but is there a corresponding difference in taste and quality? Let's consider what goes into a good wine.

Wines of Pauillac

Grapes

High-end wineries are very picky about their grapes. Many will only use grapes from their estate vineyards, where they have complete control on how to grow the best grapes possible. This includes the type of fertilizers used, pest and disease management, canopy management, irrigation (if even allowed), green harvesting, and actual harvesting practices. While controversial, there is the terroir factor - the secret something in the land that gives the grapes or the wine a distinct character. All the above can be costly.

Wineries of mass-produced wines are less fussy about their grapes. Many of them use excess or leftover grapes or juice from other wineries or vineyards. Or they may own inexpensive parcels of vineyards that are not known for quality grapes. These wineries have limited, if any, control or interest in vineyard management. The main goal is to get a large quantity of decent grapes or juice at a low price.

Estate vineyards

Wine Making Practices
Winemakers of high-end wineries are very particular about how they make their wine. Each may differ in his or her own style and philosophy. Some are almost esoteric and minimalist in their approaches. Lalou Bize-Leroy, a firm believer of biodynamic wine making, is almost mystical in the way she guides the evolution from juice to wine. Others apply scientific analysis and use the latest technology to rigorously and meticulously monitor and direct the wine making process. Christophe Perrot-Minot is one such winemaker, who is extremely comfortable with technology and leverages it to produce the best wine out of his grapes.

Cooperage

High-end wineries are also particular about cooperage. The type of oak, grain, toast, and even size of the casks adds flavor, complexity, and mouthfeel to the wine. Some of these wineries even have their own cooperage so that they can control the quality of the barrels.

Makers of mass-produced wine use technology and equipment extensively to produce huge quantities of wine. In fact, these wineries benefited most from the scientific understanding of the wine making process. With more tests and supplements available, the ability to augment lower-quality grapes to produce viable wine has grown exponentially in the last couple of decades.

Add or remove sugar to manage the alcohol level of the final product. Adjust the acid level to achieve the right level of brightness. Use big steel vats that are easily re-usable and less costly and then supplement with oak chips or beans or staves to mimic the wine maturation process that would otherwise happen in an oak barrel.

Consumer's Taste

Ultimately, the difference between high-end and mass-produced wines today is fairly nuanced. If it tastes good and is within your budget, then that is the right wine for you. If you can't really tell the difference but enjoy and are able to afford to drink high-end wines anyways, knock yourselves out and invite some good friends to join you. If you have a palate that appreciates the higher-end wines and your bank account is agreeable, savor an extraordinary bottle. You are blessed!

My Verdict: Personally, I am not a fan of most mass-produced wines. I like my wine to have some complexity in it. Since I also don't drink very much, a nice bottle will last me a few days to a week with my Sharper Image wine saver. Thankfully, the higher-end wines tend to hold up a little longer as well. And when a friend invites me to taste some Bordeaux First Growths, I am most grateful.

Wine Clubs and Member Lists

If you frequent wine country or enjoy winery tours, it is likely that you have been seduced into a wine club membership. The more you drink, the harder it is to resist the temptation.

Truth be told, there are many perks to joining a wine club. There is usually no upfront fee for joining, and you can often terminate membership at any time. You just pay for the wine purchased with membership discount, which is often in the area of 10-20%. The catch is that there is usually a commitment of a certain number of bottles per year and sometimes in multiple releases. Each wine club may vary in the flexibility to mix and match the wines for each allocation, so that is something to which you want to pay attention.

Crates of wine in storage

The other big draw of a wine club is the limited releases that are offered exclusively to club members. This may happen when the winemakers are experimenting with a new varietal, blend, or way of making wine in small production. In other cases, the winery may keep a library of cellar-worthy wines to be released only to its members in later years so as to showcase the aging potential. Finally, there are special events and release parties, when winemakers unveil new releases with amazing food pairings.

If you don't live close to a wine region, check out your local wine shop to see if it offers a wine club. Our local wine shop, West Seattle Wine Cellars, offers six different monthly clubs, ranging from  easy-drinking to region-specific, like Champagne, Washington, and Oregon. The collective buying power from wine clubs allows the shops to have access to certain wines that would otherwise be hard to come by. Additionally, there is a club member's discount for wine purchases.

Then there are member lists. These are often offered by high-end or boutique wineries to give members first dibs on their wines at membership price before they are released to the secondary market. There is no allocation commitment, but members stay on the list as long as they make purchases. A lapse in purchases within a predefined amount of time, typically two consecutive years, may cause you to be dropped from the list. These wineries are usually not open to the public although some offer tours to members by appointment.

Now the danger of wine club and member list memberships is that you can end up with more wine than you need. At which point, it is time to say goodbye to some of them. In the past decade, I have gone through close to a dozen club and list memberships. Today, I am down to two wine club memberships and one member list. Here's the scoop on what I have.

Brady Cellars vertical tasting

Brady Cellars Wine Club
Kim Brady is a friend and fellow West Seattleite, who started his first commercial release in 2010. I'm all for supporting friends and small wineries, and Brady makes it easy by producing excellent wine at an affordable price point. His club commitment is a minimum of 6 bottles a year. Members get 10% off retail price, and the release parties are a blast, not to mention often a stone's throw away from our house. Tyler Palagi of Radiator Whiskey is always whipping up delicious food pairings with Brady's wines.

West Seattle Wine Cellars Specialty Club

I have been a member of the Specialty Club offered by the West Seattle Wine Cellars for several years. It features a red and a white from literally anywhere in the world at a cap of $90 plus tax. But don't worry, Tom DiStefano, who carefully selects each bottle, has never let us down. You may get some interesting selections from Slovenia and South Africa as well as the classics from Barolo, Burgundy, and Rhone. I always recommend this club to anyone who is looking to expand his or her palate.

Quilceda Creek Release Party

Quilceda Creek Private Member List
Last but not least, the exclusive Quilceda Creek Private Member List. Quilceda Creek produces world-class Washington Cabernet Sauvignon and has a few 100-pointers from Robert Parker's Wine Advocate to its name. There is a wait to get onto the member list. It took me less than a year. Once on the list, you get to purchase three of the four wines initially: the Columbia Valley Red (or CVR, which is an excellent deal!), the Galitzine Vineyard, and the Pelanget Vineyard. After another year or so, I was finally invited to the release party and got to purchase the flagship wine. It is a game of patience, but it is definitely worth the while if you are very particular about your wine. All the wines are divine (particularly the flagship), and the membership price is unbeatable.

My Verdict: Depending on your taste and budget, there is likely a wine club or member list that works for you. Unless you have generous cellar space and/or bank accounts, you may need to break up with some club and list memberships that no longer work for you. You can always share wine club or list memberships with friends. It needs some coordination, but it can also be a win-win proposition.

First Vintage

Last October I posted about my first winemaking experience; well at least from crush through the primary fermentation and press. That was probably the most involved part of winemaking, when twice to thrice-daily punchdowns took place with constant measuring of temperature and Brix. That was when the juice was transformed from 'must' to wine as sugar got fermented into alcohol and carbon dioxide.

Secondary Fermentation

After the press, we moved into secondary fermentation of the wine in air-locked vessels. We used a 5-gallon glass carboy and three gallon jugs to use for top-up (I'll get into that later). This period was generally uneventful and less involved, but there were a few things that required attention.

Controlling the temperature. Malolactic (ML) bacteria, which was added to the juice the day before press, were quietly converting tart-tasting malic acids into fuller-bodied lactic acids. ML bacteria are sensitive to numerous factors (e.g. pH, SO2, and alcohol levels), but the one thing that worried me was my ability to keep the wine within the optimal temperature range (>70 degrees). The carboy and gallon jugs were wrapped in blankets, snugged in cardboard boxes, and gently warmed by a heating pad. My biggest fear was stuck fermentation since there were no easy tests to perform at home or measurements to track progress. I resorted mostly to prayers.

Lees left behind from racking

Racking, racking, racking. Even though most of the solid remains of the grapes and yeast (also known as pomace or marc) were removed during the press, there were still some remaining in the wine as it went through secondary fermentation. These are called the lees. Decomposing yeast in wine could cause off flavors. In order to remove the lees, we did multiple racking of the wine during secondary fermentation. Racking is the process of siphoning wine off of dead yeast into new containers.

We siphoned a total of four times; the first time was 24 hours after press, the next two were a week apart, and the final one was a month out.

Racking also has two other advantages:

• It clarifies the wine. You could literally see that the juice got clearer after each racking. In many cases, clear wine is just a matter of aesthetic. If the wine tastes good, cloudiness may not indicate flaws.
• When done correctly, racking can introduce controlled amount of oxygen into the wine. During the early part of secondary fermentation, oxygen has positive effects on unfinished wine by stabilizing the color and tannins. It allows the wine to mature gracefully and become more complex. In the later part of the secondary fermentation, caution is needed to minimize oxygen contact. If acetic bacteria is exposed to wine and oxygen, it will turn the juice into vinegar (acetic acid). 

It is important to note that you will lose wine during racking due to spills and as you avoid siphoning lees. The loss of wine during racking may increase the air space between your wine and the airlocks. You can top up the carboy with wine from the jugs or similar store-bought wine (preferably same varietal and AVA). Alternatively, you can add sterilized marbles into your containers to raise the wine level. I personally put some of my top-up wine into a sanitized plastic container, squeezed out as much air as possible, and capped it. It worked!

Final Testing

After more than three months of secondary fermentation, we performed the final testing of our wine to check on sugar, acidity, and ML fermentation. During the primary fermentation, which lasted less than two weeks, I was constantly monitoring and measuring progress. For the much longer secondary fermentation, I really had no idea what to expect. But I was pleasantly surprised by the outcome.

• Residual sugar was at 0.3%. This was probably the least of my concern since we pressed the wine at a really low Brix. Residual sugar over 0.6% is a concern for still red wine as it may cause re-fermentation in the bottle.

Measuring residual sugar in the wine

• pH was 3.78. This was slightly higher (or less acidic) since harvest, which was at 3.53. But it was still within the normal range.
• Titratable acidity (TA) was 7.3125. TA measures the amount of total acids and was higher than our reading during harvest, which was 7.125. It was a bit higher than I like, but not bad.
• ML fermentation appeared to have completed. While not the most accurate way to test the concentration of malic acid, the chromatography test is cost-effective. The solvent used for the chromatography is extremely toxic, and the test takes several hours. After putting dots of wine sample onto a piece of chromatography paper, it was left in a big glass jar with the solvent and the lid closed tight. 

With one exception, most of the wines appeared to have completed ML fermentation. Yellow patches indicated presence of acids. The top row of yellow revealed the presence of lactic acid, which is the goal of the ML fermentation. The bottom row of yellow revealed the presence of tartaric acid, which is also what we expected. Any yellow in the middle role revealed the presence of malic acid, which would indicate that ML fermentation has not completed. This would show that the wine has not stabilized and will need more time for ML fermentation to complete.

Chromatography test revealed that one of the wines still had malic acid

Bottling

Once the wines had passed all the tests, they were ready to be bottled. We got the bottles that we have saved up, cleaned, and sanitized. (We recycled bottles. If you buy new bottles, you can skip the above steps.) Sulfites were added to the wine just before bottling. Sulfites are a preservative and will keep the wine fresh. They are also anti-oxidants and will protect the wine from oxidation.

Adding sulfites to wine

Siphoning wine into bottles

Corking wine bottles

Finally, five months after harvest and crush, our first vintage was bottled and proudly named Abscession - a joke, as my husband was recovering from an abscess the day of the harvest. Special kudos go to my partner-in-wine, Alisa. That's her work on the label, making an access look classy. The wine will officially be released in the summer, so check back later.

Abscession 2016 Syrah

My Verdict: I am having so much fun learning about winemaking. It gave me a greater appreciation for wine. I don't think going commercial is my calling, but I'm planning for my next vintage already! 

Wine and War

My husband celebrated his birthday in Europe last year. We split the time between Belgium and France so that we each got our fair share of beer (for him) and wine (for me). Aside from the festivities, we also visited World War I and II sites and museums. I learned more than I wish about both world wars, the rise of Hitler, and the Nazi regime. Even as we toured wineries in Champagne and Burgundy, the long intricate underground cellars whispered stories of wars and resistance.

Moet et Chandon's cellars span 17 miles underground

Drouhin caves were an escape route from the Gestapo

Recommended by one of the tour guides, I downloaded Wine and War: The Battle for France's Greatest Treasure by Don and Petie Kladstrup onto my Kindle. The book retells stories of wine families from five prominent wine regions during the Nazi occupation: Champagne in the north, Alsace that borders Germany (and was in the past part of Germany), Loire that is south of Paris, and the two grand regions of Burgundy and Bordeaux.

Behind newly built walls were hidden wines 

The Nazi invasion of France would also mean taking over the country's prized possessions - the vineyards and the wines. Although Hitler was a teetotaler whose habit of adding sugar to his wine would annoy any serious wine drinker, it did not stop him from amassing the best of Bordeaux (Rothschilds, Lafites, Moutons, Latours) and major Champagne houses (Krug, Bollinger, Möet, Salon) to his mountain-top retreat, known as the Eagle's Nest. Needless to say, there were rare Burgundies like Romanee-Conti, Cognacs, and ports that were recovered after the fall of the Nazi regime.

The French survived and resisted the Nazis in ways that only the French knew how. They hid the best of their wines in secret caves and ponds and blatantly showed off the lesser wines to sell to the Germans. (One story involved children collecting spiderwebs to make a new wall look old! It worked as the Germans walked past the wines hidden behind that wall.) Several winemakers were actively part of the resistance, operating from their own cellars. Others negotiated charmingly and formed relationships with more sympathetic German officials. A few families risked their own lives to hide and protect their Jewish friends and American allies.

Whether they were trapped in war prisons or free in the vineyards examining the damage caused by artillery and lack of care, the health of their vines was constantly in the minds of the French winemakers. Many prisoners-of-war were kept strong by memory of their beloved wines. In fact, a gastronomic guidebook, Le Maître de Maison by Roger Ribaud, was conceived in one of the POW camps.

French vineyards now vibrant were in a state of disrepair during the war

History has a strange way of reminding us that if unguarded, humankind has a tendency to blame our misfortune on and target our discontent at those who are different from us. Thankfully, we are comforted by the fact that the human race also has the ability to correct the course, protect those in need, and resist tyranny.

The next time I open a bottle of Joseph Drouhin or Huet Vouvray, I will remember Maurice Drouhin who engaged in resistance activities from his cellar and Gaston Huet who survived five years as a prisoner of war. I will remember we can correct the course.

My Verdict: The book is a great read for wine geeks. The style unfortunately has a little awkwardness in the flow as the authors tried to weave in the various stories they collected. Still I enjoy being delighted by the history behind some of the wines I have tasted or cellared.

My Top 10 Walla Walla Wineries

We fell in love with Walla Walla Valley when we first visited it in 2007. The beautiful wine country was a 4-5 hours' drive from Seattle and about an hour by flight. In the hot Mediterranean-like summer, the vineyards in Walla Walla are vibrant with Palouse hills and Blue Mountains in the backdrop. However, the valley can get below freezing in the winter as the vines are wrapped in snow and silent beauty.

Walla Walla vineyards in the summer

Walla Walla vineyards in the winter

Five years ago, we were fortunate to find the perfect second home in Walla Walla, which we also made into a vacation rental. This led to many more trips shared with friends and family, tasting new wines and stocking up old favorites. For this post, I want to share with you my top ten wineries to visit in Walla Walla.

My Top 10 Walla Walla Wineries to Visit (in somewhat geographical order)

• Woodward Canyon (west) - Second winery in the valley and famous for their Cabernet 

  

  Woodward Canyon

  Sauvignon and Chardonnay, but my new favorite is the Rhone-style Erratic.
• LE'cole (west) - Third winery in the valley, you can't miss the school house building next to Woodward Canyon and famous for their Bordeaux-style wines, especially the Apogee and Perigee.
• Gramercy Cellars (west) - Founded by Master Sommelier Greg Harrison, the winery creates amazing Syrah.
• Abeja (east) - Rather exclusive, you need to either stay at the beautiful inn or be a mailing list member to taste at the exquisite winery. Abeja makes some of the best Cabernet Sauvignon in the valley. It will be interesting to see what the 2015 departure of John Abbott (formerly Abeja winemaker who helped launch Abeja) does to future vintages.

  

  Abeja

• Revelry Vintners (east) - I discovered this winery through a friend. Revelry was launched by former Whitman grad, Jared Burns, in 2005. My favorites are the Aerial Series that focus on terroir-driven wines.
• Spring Valley Vineyard (north/downtown) - Free tasting is getting rarer these days, not to mention free tasting of very high quality wines accompanied by the story of the winery and its wines. Spring Valley always ends the tasting with the Syrah, named Nina Lee, paired with custom-made Syrah-infused chocolate truffles. Delicious! Besides Nina Lee, my other favorites are Frederick and Uriah, both Bordeaux-style blends.
• Rotie Cellars (north/downtown) - Winemaker and owner Sean Boyd makes some of the most compelling Rhone-style wines in the valley. The two popular ones are the Northern Blend (Syrah-Viognier) and Southern Blend (Grenache-Syrah-Mouvedre). I also love the Homage, a Mouvedre-based wine, and the Swordfight, a Mouvedre-Syrah blend that is a collaboration with El Corazon Winery.
• Amavi Cellars (south) - Probably the winery with the best view from the tasting room and located in the most scenic part of Walla Walla. Winemaker Jean-Francois Pellet also manages sister winery, Pepper Bridge. The wines tend to be big and quite extracted with aging potential.
• Va Piano (south) - Another beautiful winery in the midst of vineyards, this is also another must-visit. Va Piano owner and winemaker Justin Wylie makes delicious Syrah. The new Black Label wines are vineyard-designated and are my favorites. 
• Northstar Winery (south) - Also located in the midst of vineyards, Northstar is the winery  hat helped me appreciate Merlot the most. And if you feel like splurging, the Premier Merlot is something else. You can also order the wine and cheese tasting and enjoy it in its beautiful tasting room. 

Northstar Winery

Some thoughts on Accommodation

Accommodation was challenging in Walla Walla when the wine industry first exploded several years ago. Hotels and inns would be booked up way in advance during peak season. Some visitors had to stay as far as Prosser and make day trips into Walla Walla. This propelled alternate lodging arrangements, such as vacation rentals, which work out well for those who travel in groups and who prefer the comfort and convenience of an entire property over a room.

• Walla Walla Vacation Rentals - We are partial to Walla Walla Vacation Rentals, locally owned and operated by Alexa Palmer. Alexa operates over 30 properties, including our very own Jasper's by Pioneer Park. She is very resourceful and is happy to answer any questions. Look for pet-friendly properties or if you want a pool or hot tub.
• Fat Duck Inn - If you prefer a room and good food to boot, try the boutique inn. Located in a residential area within walking distance to downtown, Fat Duck Inn is beautifully and lavishly decorated yet comfortable and welcoming.

If you are looking for hotels, there is the historic Marcus Whitman Hotel as well as the usual chain hotels, such as Marriott Courtyard, Holiday Inn Express, Hampton Inn, and so forth.

My Verdict: Spend a few days in Walla Walla and enjoy the wineries. There are many high quality wines that are considered a steal. Prepare to spend up $10-$25 for your tasting. It is still less spendy than Napa, Sonoma, or Willamette.

Raiding the Cellar - Thanksgiving 2016

Thanksgiving can't come soon enough!

Besides preparing my favorite dishes, I absolutely love wine pairing. This year, however, I will not be shopping for Thanksgiving wines. Thanks to numerous winery visits, too many wine club memberships, and an excessive wine buying habit, my wine cellar is overflowing. So my challenge is to pick a few bottles from my collection for the big meal:

Thanksgiving wine pairings - Cava, Riesling, Grenache, Burgundy

NV Castell d'Or Cava Flama d'Or Imperial Brut 
(Retail: $10)

OK, this is an easy one. You can't go wrong with sparkling wines. They go with everything; as an aperitif with cheese and crackers, a complement to the roast bird itself, or even a digestif with pumpkin pie. In addition, you could concoct all kinds of cocktails - a splash of orange juice, a splash of Campari, and/or a splash of St Germaine. It is like a party in a flute.

I love to indulge in a good grower's champagne or one from a high quality champagne house, like Veuve Clicquot and Möet et Chandon. I love the dry taste of dough and fruit, the weightlessness brought on by a million bubbles.

However, there are many budget-friendly options: like a Crémant or a Cava. Both are sparkling wines made the same way a Champagne is made, but outside of Champagne: in France and Spain respectively. Known as method champenoise, these sparkling wines go through a secondary fermentation in the bottle. This is accomplished by adding a mixture of sugar and yeast, called the liqueur de tirage, to the still wine. This secondary fermentation creates the bubbles in the sparkling wine as carbon dioxide is released.

While I am out of Champagne right now, I do have a couple bottles of NV Castell d'Or Cava Flama d'Or Imperial Brut. The sparkling wine is made of a blend of Spanish grape varietals - Xarel·lo, Macaque, and Parellada. It is probably my favorite budget-friendly Cava, and it will be a great way to start the celebration.

2013 Brady Cellars Grenache
(Retail: $37)

If you prefer a red for Thanksgiving, Grenache is an excellent choice. It is medium-bodied, fruity, and vibrant; a great accompaniment to turkey, ham, and all kinds of Thanksgiving sides.

Old world Grenache-based wines, like Chateauneuf du Pape and Priorat, have a smokey and earthy profile that make great pairings for dishes that are spiced with sage, rosemary, and thyme. New world Grenache is even more fruit-forward and can be very aromatic and easy to drink.

My pick for the meal is the first vintage of Grenache by Brady Cellars.  A relatively young winery that has been focusing mostly on Bordeaux grapes, Brady took a stab at making Grenache in 2013 both as a rosé and a red. Both were wildly popular. The red won him a gold medal at the 2016 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition. Very shortly, they were all sold out. I'm lucky to have a bottle of the 2013 Grenache left. Unfortunately, he didn't make a 2014 vintage. But his 2015 vintage Grenache is really promising based on last month's barrel tasting.

The 2013 Grenache is extremely aromatic, floral, and delivers delightfully on the palate. The blend of fruit and spice is elegant. It is going to be perfect with the meal.

2008 Joseph Drouhin Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru Les Damodes 
(Retail: ~$80)

The other red that is often selected for Thanksgiving is Pinot Noir. It is often the no-brainer pairing. Like Grenache, Pinot Noir is often medium-bodied, very aromatic and vibrant with fruit, spice, and earth. A good Pinot Noir also offers a bright acidity that increases its aging potential.

Famous Pinot Noir comes from Burgundy, where the wines are prized for their elegant and complex expression of the terroir. This is particularly important because Pinot Noir is a finicky varietal. It thrives where there is the perfect combination of climate, soil, and topography. Even within Burgundy, you can absolutely taste the subtle differences in the wines from the different subregions.

There are also good Pinot Noirs from the new world, such as New Zealand and the United States. In fact, Pinot Noir from the Willamette Valley in Oregon is often regarded as a nod to Burgundy in terms of acidity and flavor profile.

The pick for the meal is the 2008 Nuits St. Georges Premier Cru from Joseph Drouhin. The Les Damodes vineyard is located near Vosnes-Romanee with an east exposure. With a mix of clay and limestone in the soil, this is a promising wine of great finesse, befitting the special occasion.

2010 Selbach-Oster Zeltinger Sonnenuhr Riesling 'Rotlay' 
(Retail: $55)

Riesling is the Thanksgiving meal's best friend. The high acidity and minerality of a dry Riesling pairs well with turkey and refreshes the palate as it cuts through the rich gravy. A sweeter Riesling is perfect with pumpkin pie topped with a dollop of vanilla whipped cream.

Known as the noble grape from Germany, the best Rieslings come from the Rhein and Mosel regions.  As one might expect, the Germans have a very organized way of classifying Riesling to help consumers, but sometimes confuse them instead. One of the classifications is based on the increasing ripeness of grapes during harvest; from Kabinett (or cabinet) to Spätlese, Auslese, and all the way to Eiswein (or ice wine). The riper the grapes during harvest, the more sugar will be in the juice.

Unlike many cheap sweet wines, a good German Riesling is complex, with delicious minerality and bright acidity. You can also find wonderful Rieslings in Austria and in the United States, particularly Washington state.

This year, I'm picking the Rotlay from Selbach-Oster for dessert. A wonderful producer, Selbach-Oster defies the traditional practice by combining grapes of varying ripeness levels from the Rotlay parcel into a single wine. As a result, this Riesling cannot be classified although it is closest to an Auslese. A few notches below the Eiswein in terms of sweetness, the Rotlay contains just enough sugar to please the palate and make for a delightful finale.

My Verdict: These are the picks from my cellar. I have updated the notes after opening all of them up. What are your picks? Ultimately, the best wines are the ones you enjoy with people you love. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

First Crush

It was a breathtaking drive from Seattle to Snoqualmie that sun-soaked September afternoon. I was exhausted and a bit cranky, having to juggle work and taking care of a sick husband and an injured dog.

However, mother nature had chosen the harvest date, and then we were given but a few days notice to get ready for the crush. I left my invalid family members in the good hands of our house guest, packed the primary fermenter, towels, and rubber boots into the Forester, and headed out to the crush facility. My excitement grew as I approached the facility - my first crush!

Crush Day

Our Syrah grapes were picked earlier that day from Chandler Reach Vineyards, technically considered to be in the Yakima Valley, but within close proximity of the Red Mountain AVA. My partner-in-wine, Alisa, and I decided to share 100 lbs of grapes between us, which would make us about two cases of wine.

At the crush facility, the winemaking class instructor, Steve, showed us how to set up the crusher and de-stemmer. All equipment were rinsed appropriately before we proceeded. Working in a group, we gently dropped bunches of grapes into the machine, which quite efficiently removed the stems and lightly crushed the grapes into the primary fermenter. But just in case, there were two of us who manually picked out stems that were missed by the machine.

There was a certain rhythm to crushing grapes that relaxed me. It was almost therapeutic! This was the first crush for most of us, and we were eager to learn and to help. As we got the hang of it, we moved faster through the bins of grapes. Our sticky grape stains were evidence of our achievement that day.

Gently dropping grapes in

Crushed and de-stemmed

More stems manually removed

Must in primary fermenter

The freshly crushed grapes, also known as must, smelled terrific. Sulfite was added to remove any wild yeast and bacteria from the must. After crushing nearly a ton of grapes (literally) and cleaning up all the equipment, it was time to take some measurements before we took the must home.

• Brix, which measures the sugar content of the must, was at 26 degrees. It was higher than the desired range of 22-25. A higher than desired Brix might lead to high alcohol content before fermentation could complete. This could result in a stuck fermentation.
• pH, which measures acidity, was at 3.53 and was within the desired range of 3.5 and 3.8.
• Titratable acidity (TA), which measures the amount of all the combined acids in the must, was at 7.125g/L and was slightly higher than the desired 4-6g/L.

The adjustment to the must needed was thankfully simple enough. To correct the Brix without adversely impacting the pH and TA, we diluted the must with water with precise measurements that Steve provided.

Alisa, my partner-in-wine, and I with our must

Primary Fermentation

A full day after the crush, we introduced re-hydrated yeast into the must and proceeded with the twice to thrice-daily punch downs. Punching down is a process to keep the juice and the crushed grapes, particularly the skins, in contact during primary fermentation. As must ferments, the crushed grapes tend to rise to the top forming what is known as the cap. Pushing the cap down into the juice allows for flavor extraction and also prevents unwanted bacterial activities.

A pack of nutrients were added to the must two days later to feed the yeast, and a second pack was added after another two days. The must was bubbling happily and got hot (around 75 to 80 deg F) with yeast activities. Unfortunately, I never got to the desired temperature range of 80 to 90 deg F. But the house smelled like a winery during primary fermentation so I took that as a good sign!

Yeast hydrated in must and warm water

Must bubbling during fermentation

In less than a week after the crush, the Brix had dropped to 6 degrees. Twice-daily punch downs continued, and four days later, the Brix measured at -1 degree. The must was then inoculated with malolactic (ML) bacteria as we prepared for the press the next day. The ML fermentation process allowed for a controlled conversion of the tart-tasting malic acids to softer lactic acids, which would hopefully enhance the body and flavor of the wine.

Press Day

To prepare for the press, all equipment needed to be sanitized. It was not the most interesting part of winemaking but very necessary to ensure that no wild strains of yeast or bacteria would enter the juice. ML bacteria was added a day before the press so that it could benefit from being evenly distributed in the juice during the pressing process.

Sanitizing 

There were three batches of must at Steve's house that day, ready to be pressed. Steve pulled out his beautiful press from the turn of the 20th century. It belonged to his grandfather and was quite the treat!

Our must had been in primary fermentation for about ten days at that time. We poured the must into the wine press and let the juice flow into a container at the bottom of the press. This is what is known as the free run. Following that, we placed heavy blocks of wood onto the crushed grapes and exerted pressure to press the remaining juice out. The unfinished wine went into the sanitized carboys and gallon jugs, that were then air-locked.

Beautiful wine press and free run

Pouring pressed wine into carboy

The day ended with a quick sampling of the three different juices. Within only ten days, you could already taste the difference among them. Some of us (not me) had clearly done a better job with punch downs and keeping the temperature at the higher and more desired range. Those juices showed a bit more tannins and structure. My juice, which was fermented cooler and with less intervention, was more fruit-forward. I can't wait to see how our wines will continue to evolve.

My Verdict: I was a skeptic when it came to winemaking. Given the abundance of great wines available, there is hardly any need to make my own wine. However, I've been having great fun so far. I've also learned a lot about what goes on in a wine. Stay tuned for my post on secondary fermentation and bulk aging.