Trying out our NEW Vinmetrica
look what Santa brought!
We are so excited! Santa bought us a Vinmetrica for Christmas! Now we can test SO2, TA and pH much faster. Hopefully this will also lead to better winemaking. Thank-you Santa!
Tag Archive for: winemaking
October 2013 Malolactic Fermentation Completion Test
On Thursday, October 17, 2013, we ran malolactic testing on our 2013 wines. We were unable to find our capillary tubes, so our dots are too big and a bit sloppy. For some reason, our control acids do not show. I think you can still see though, that it appears that the malolactic bacteria have nearly completed their job in all of the wines except the BRV red. The malolactic bacteria were added to the chardonnay 3 months ago and the temperatures have been plenty warm, so it looks complete. The reds received their inoculation of bacteria about 6 weeks ago and may not be totally complete, but they are close.
Harvest is Done!
we survived the wasps & bees!
Finally, we’ve finished harvesting our two tons of grapes at our Salado Vineyard. Here is the Labor Day crew after destemming & crushing the cabernet sauvignon. Now on to fermentation!
Here are some statistics though to keep you entertained while the yeast does its job making wine…
2013 harvest (latest ever)
chardonnay 871 lbs
merlot 1000 lbs
sangiovese 842 lbs
cabernet sauvignon 1287 lbs
2013 Cabernet Sauvignon Harvest Saturday, August 31
We’ve double netted the cab sauv to keep out deer and birds!
Saturday & Sunday August 31-September 1, 7:00-11:00 am
<<<<<<<<<<I underestimated the crop! We’ll continue picking on Sunday morning, SEP 1 at 7AM>>>>>>>>>>
Latest harvest ever! This is your last chance in 2013 to take part in harvesting grapes in Salado. There are only 3 1/2 rows left, so I expect this will only take one day.
If you have favorite pruners, bring them, otherwise we have extras for you. Please wear a hat, sunscreen, bug spray, and sturdy shoes. (I like to wear old sneakers and socks so that the pigweed doesn’t get me). Some folks like to wear light cotton gloves, but they are not necessary. Beware of the wasps, fireants, mosquitos, and be prepared for the heat. Watch out for the mean old mockingbirds who think they own the vineyard! I haven’t seen any snakes this year, but there’s always a first.
Also, Saturday afternoon and the days following harvest are the best times to visit the winery and see the wine making in action. We can always put extra hands to work, so if you don’t like to get up early in the morning, come by in the afternoon and be part of the bucket brigade.
The vineyard is at 21724 Hill Road, Salado, TX 76571. Feel free to send me an email to june @ saladowinery.com. If you are lost the morning of harvest, call/text us on cell phone, (254) 466-5813.
Stop by for Punch Down
sangiovese to the left and merlot to the right
I think this is the best time of year at the winery–FERMENTATION! Every few hours we punch down the cap to mix up the wine and ensure that the yeast gets access to all the good bits of grapes. It’s a great workout for my arms, shoulders, & back, but I’m happy to “share” the fun! Come on by and I’ll let you stir too 🙂
We have over 200 gallons of sangiovese, malbec and merlot must fermenting. We’ll be pressing in several days when fermentation is complete. The merlot is giving off a great purple color, but the sangiovese is much lighter. I’m sure we’ll make a rose with the sangiovese again. The cabernet sauvignon is still on the vine. We double-netted it to keep the mockingbirds out. Hopefully the nets will work and then we’ll marry the merlot with the cabernet.
Hoping for great wine and now it’s time to punch again…
Red Grape Harvest MOVED to August 17-18, 2013
picking grapes is so easy–even a one year old can do it!
After test #4, we’ve decided that the red grapes will not be ready until August 17. So the next chance to harvest is Saturday & Sunday, August 17 & 18 at 7 am.
We usually pick grapes until 11 am and you’re welcome to come for as little or as long as you like. Come for the fun and camaraderie! Kids welcome.
If you have favorite pruners, bring them, otherwise we have extras for you. Please wear a hat, sunscreen, bug spray, and sturdy shoes. (I like to wear old sneakers and socks so that the pigweed doesn’t get me). Some folks like to wear light cotton gloves, but they are not necessary. Beware of the wasps, fireants, mosquitos, and be prepared for the heat. Watch out for the mean old mockingbirds who think they own the vineyard! I haven’t seen any snakes this year, but there’s always a first.
Also, Sunday afternoon and the days following harvest are the best times to visit the winery and see the wine making in action. We can always put extra hands to work, so if you don’t like to get up early in the morning, come by in the afternoon and be part of the bucket brigade.
The vineyard is at 21724 Hill Road, Salado, TX 76571. Feel free to send me an email to june @ saladowinery.com. If you are lost the morning of harvest, call/text us on cell phone, (254) 466-5813. More harvest updates will be available, and they are tentatively listed on our homepage under “vineyard” or on ourfacebook page http://www.facebook.com/SaladoWinery.
Test for harvest #3
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While we picked the chardonnay, I was quite struck by how far behind the reds seem to be. So time to run the tests again:
Merlot 19.8 degrees Brix, 3.55 pH, 7.5 TA (bland-no flavor)
Sangiovese 18.3 degrees Brix, 3.29 pH, 9.0 TA (strawberry-slightly tart)
Cabernet Sauvignon 16.8 degrees Brix, 3.04 pH, 10.5 TA (TART!)
Based on these numbers, I am predicting that harvest will be Saturday, August 10 & 11, at least for the merlot and sangiovese.
We also tested the grapes from Belle Crest Vineyard:
Malbec 20.3 degrees Brix, 3.55 pH, 6.0 TA (fig)
Tempranillo 22 degrees Brix, 3.74 pH, 4.5 TA (pear)
Cabernet Sauvignon 19 degrees Brix, 3.29 pH, 7.5 TA (nectarine)
Their cab sauv looks to be a bit higher than ours, but their sample is not a true random sample since it did not include the green grapes. For our sample, we tried to make sure that we had a truly random sample and included green berries.
<<<<<<<<<UPDATE: RED harvest at Salado Vineyard MOVED to AUGUST 17 & 18 after test #4>>>>>>>>>
New Release–Diamond Back
It’s finally here! These grapes were harvested AUG 2009. It is a blend of grapes from Central Texas including our 2009 Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot. Vanilla notes and hints of raisins.
New Release–Rootin’ Tootin’
Rootin’ Tootin’ 2011 is now available for sale! …only 5 cases made..!
This is a sweet red wine made from the sangiovese grapes grown in our vineyard in Salado. It is light & fruity a touch tart and hopefully this year it won’t re-ferment in the bottle (although some of you loved that bubbly effect).
2012 Salado Winery Harvest Statistics
time to ferment
Our BIGGEST year yet!
We’ve processed quite a few grapes this summer, in fact, we made wine from 9 tons of grapes, all from central Texas.
Our vineyard here in Salado grew one ton of Sangiovese, a half ton each of cabernet sauvignon and merlot and more than a half ton of chardonnay. That means we have over 160 gallons of Rootin Tootin for next year! As well as 85 gallons of chardonnay and 150 gallons Wild Hare (cab + merlot).
From our friends in Belton, we harvested 4 tons of Blanc Dubois and Black Spanish! These grapes were new to us and presented us with many winemaking challenges do to the thick skins and tough nature of the grape.
The Black Rock Vineyard co-op brought in a ton of white and red grapes, mixed varieties and we hope to make some sparkling white from some of the white grapes.
From Belle Crest Vineyard had almost a ton of tempranillo, malbec and cabernet sauvignon. They had so much fun at harvest, they even stomped on their grapes! (see story)
So there you have it, in total we made about 1400 gallons of wine for the 2012 vintage. And don’t forget, one exceptionally cute baby (I’m obviously un-biased).