My 2012 Vintage

[Howie Hart]

The overall growing season was very good in the area and I was fortunate to acquire grapes from my two favorite growers.
From Don DeMaison, owner of Long Cliff Winery:
34 gallons of Pinot Noir - 22.2 Brix, .67 TA, 3.5 pH. I plan on aging this for 2 years in my now 2-year old Hungarian oak barrel.
13 gallons of Pinot Gris - 21.2 Brix, .72 TA, 3.2 pH.
15 gallons of Riesling - 19.0 Brix, .89 TA, 2.9 pH.
15 gallons of Lemberger - 21 Brix, .71 TA, 3.28 pH.
From Bruce Giles, a grower I've been buying from for over 25 years:
13 gallons of Cayuga - 18 Brix, 9.0 TA, 3.26 pH - Most of this will become part of this year's sparkling cuveé - will probably blend in some Vidal.
15 gallons Steuben - 19.5 Brix, .45 TA, 3.12 pH - This will become rosé.
12 gallons Vidal - 20.5 Brix, .81 TA, 2.93 pH
From my back yard, my first ever estate wine!
6.5 gallons Chambourcin - 15 Brix, 12.0 TA, 2.89 pH. I panicked and picked these early as I was worried about birds and was leaving for a week-long trip to Maine. I chaptalized (added sugar) to 22 Brix and added some potassium bicarbonate to adjust the acidity.
At this point, fermentation is complete on most of the wines and I'm about to perform the first racking.

[David M. Bueker]

That's a lot of wine Howie!

On the Chambourcin, did you get full veraison at 15 brix?

[Howie Hart]

That's a lot of wine Howie!

On the Chambourcin, did you get full veraison at 15 brix?

Yes - it has good color. I tasted it last night - lots of fruit at this point. It's just starting malo-lactic fermentation.

[JuliaB]

The overall growing season was very good in the area and I was fortunate to acquire grapes from my two favorite growers.
From Don DeMaison, owner of Long Cliff Winery:
34 gallons of Pinot Noir - 22.2 Brix, .67 TA, 3.5 pH. I plan on aging this for 2 years in my now 2-year old Hungarian oak barrel.
13 gallons of Pinot Gris - 21.2 Brix, .72 TA, 3.2 pH.
15 gallons of Riesling - 19.0 Brix, .89 TA, 2.9 pH.
15 gallons of Lemberger - 21 Brix, .71 TA, 3.28 pH.
From Bruce Giles, a grower I've been buying from for over 25 years:
13 gallons of Cayuga - 18 Brix, 9.0 TA, 3.26 pH - Most of this will become part of this year's sparkling cuveé - will probably blend in some Vidal.
15 gallons Steuben - 19.5 Brix, .45 TA, 3.12 pH - This will become rosé.
12 gallons Vidal - 20.5 Brix, .81 TA, 2.93 pH
From my back yard, my first ever estate wine!
6.5 gallons Chambourcin - 15 Brix, 12.0 TA, 2.89 pH. I panicked and picked these early as I was worried about birds and was leaving for a week-long trip to Maine. I chaptalized (added sugar) to 22 Brix and added some potassium bicarbonate to adjust the acidity.
At this point, fermentation is complete on most of the wines and I'm about to perform the first racking.

"And who will help me to drink the wine?", asked the Little Red Hen.

[Brian Gilp]

I would be interested in how the chambourcin turns out. I did not pick my cab this year because the brix stalled at around 16. The CS did not taste bad but I just wasn't sure about it at such low sugar levels.

Not a good year for me. Lots of bird damage and rot. Best of the lot looks like it may be the Aglianico which came in at 21.5 brix, 3.7 pH, and 0.78TA. Still took a huge sort to get about 40% of a normal year. Will get a better idea when it finishes MLF.

The Barbera came in at around 19 brix. Never took a hydrometer reading so going off of the refractometer. Yield was 10% of normal due to rot. I waited two weeks for the sugar to rise which it did not and lost probably 50% by doing so. With so much rot, decided to get it off the skins quick so made it a rose.

[Howie Hart]

Brian - there are increasing plantings of vinefera here in Niagara County, NY, however, the Niagara Escarpment cuts the county in half. All the vinefera is planted below the escarpment, North, towards Lake Ontario. I happen to live 5 miles above the escarpment, where vinefera would be very risky, so I planted hybrids. Chambourcin seems to be being the best.

[Victorwine]

Hi Howie,
Good luck with the wines and congratulations on your first “Estate Grown Wine”!
The MLF was it “spontaneous” or “inoculated”?

Hi Brian,
Sorry to hear about your harvest. Best of luck with the Barbera!

Chambourcin is affectionately known as the “East Coast Red Zinfandel”.

Salute

[Howie Hart]

MLF is innoculated - I'm using the same strain on all me reds.

[Florida Jim]

I look at your brix and pH numbers and compare them to the stuff I see in the winery and I wonder at how large a range of styles there are to wine.
Next time you see 30.0 brix and 4.2 pH, let me know.
Best, Jim

[Howie Hart]

Jim - High Brix and low acid are usually not problems here. I've had a few late harvest whites (Vidal and Delaware) that have been around 28 Brix, but they still had good acid numbers.

[Paul B.]

Congrats on all that Howie!

I'm delighted that you're working with your own Chambourcin. I completely sympathize with the bird problem - some kind of physical barrier, such as netting, is usually a must. Bird pressure seems to be worse in dry summers: the critters likely understand that by eating grapes, they're going to get water too.

All in all, sounds like you have a lot of stuff a-brewin'

[James Roscoe]

The overall growing season was very good in the area and I was fortunate to acquire grapes from my two favorite growers.
From Don DeMaison, owner of Long Cliff Winery:
34 gallons of Pinot Noir - 22.2 Brix, .67 TA, 3.5 pH. I plan on aging this for 2 years in my now 2-year old Hungarian oak barrel.
13 gallons of Pinot Gris - 21.2 Brix, .72 TA, 3.2 pH.
15 gallons of Riesling - 19.0 Brix, .89 TA, 2.9 pH.
15 gallons of Lemberger - 21 Brix, .71 TA, 3.28 pH.
From Bruce Giles, a grower I've been buying from for over 25 years:
13 gallons of Cayuga - 18 Brix, 9.0 TA, 3.26 pH - Most of this will become part of this year's sparkling cuveé - will probably blend in some Vidal.
15 gallons Steuben - 19.5 Brix, .45 TA, 3.12 pH - This will become rosé.
12 gallons Vidal - 20.5 Brix, .81 TA, 2.93 pH
From my back yard, my first ever estate wine!
6.5 gallons Chambourcin - 15 Brix, 12.0 TA, 2.89 pH. I panicked and picked these early as I was worried about birds and was leaving for a week-long trip to Maine. I chaptalized (added sugar) to 22 Brix and added some potassium bicarbonate to adjust the acidity.
At this point, fermentation is complete on most of the wines and I'm about to perform the first racking.

"And who will help me to drink the wine?", asked the Little Red Hen.

And you call me a moocher?