It's nearly time!
After a disappointing, wet and cool September, the vineyard is back on track with harvest planned in the next week to ten days. Even though the Wahluke Slope is more than 500KM south of British Columbia, tensions were high last Tuesday when the US Weather Service issued an early frost warning. Even mild frost kills the leaves of the plant and would have necessitated early harvest, low maturity, inadequate sugar levels, and disappointment overall. Yet now, with several weeks of warm, sunny weather predicted at the vineyard, it looks like we will hit optimum maturity and have an outstanding crop. Such is the risky nature of agriculture and winemaking.
On that note, we'll need some club members at Fort Langley to help in the crush, when the grapes arrive. I will provide more details when the dates firm up. So, if you're up for an afternoon and evening working with the fruit, please let me know.
We are still mired in government and logistics, at this point. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency, changed its processes and regulations significantly this year. In order to get a ministerial exemption to bring our fruit into the country, I had to personally get letters of "supply shortage" from the BC Wine Grape Council and Provincial Government. On top of that, the agency is still trying to decide whether or not we need a new Safe Foods for Canadians license (absolutely endless phone calling with little results). Then there are also trucking and brokerage issues to resolve. I think we will need another model for fruit importing, next year.
2018 Syrah
Last Sunday was racking day for the Syrah. Every four to five months, the wine is transferred out of the barrels into stainless steel tanks and then back into the barrels. The general idea is to provide some limited exposure to oxygen, which is required for aging, and give me an opportunity to clean sediment from the barrels. It is a slow and quiet process that fills the cellar with soft aromas of oak, fruit, and spices. I am very happy to report that the 2018 will be ready for pick up this spring. It is rich and purple, has notes of pepper, and a very fruit forward cherry tone. It is a lovely expression of Syrah from central Washington.
Below, a few pictures of the racking and a bit of trivia for your edification.
 |
| Setting up the "Bulldog Pup" an argon gas pressure pump that gently moves the wine from the barrel to tank. Does anyone know why we use argon and not CO2? |
 | |
|
 |
| The Syrah temporarily taking up residence in a 200L stainless steel tank - it was racked back into the barrels about an hour later. |
3 comments:
Trivia Answers
1. Why do we use Argon instead of C02 for pushing wine out of the barrel with the Bulldog Pup? Although both are essentially inert, CO2 is soluble in water (wine) and Argon is not. Using C02 to pressurize wine would result in a fizzy soda pop-like drink.
2. Why does the Bulldog Pup have restraining strap on it? The answer is safety to person and property. Years ago, my father-in-law and I were transferring wine from one barrel to the next using a Bulldog Pup and Argon gas. A regulator device keeps the pressure consistent, and you only need 2-3 pounds per square inch to move the wine efficiently. Well, as we watched and the process proceeded, a pressure relief valve opened on the Bulldog Pup and started whistling away merrily. I had a split second to realise that the relief valve opening meant we were at more than 50 pounds per square inch and that the regulator had failed. With a massive bang (much like a shotgun blast), the Pup launched like a missile, flew straight up, and punched right through the ceiling. The shock wave dislodged 500 bottles that were stacked against the wall, and we narrowly dodged a river of glass that quickly flowed down towards us. And, there were at least 20-30 litres of wine spewed everyone in the cellar. I still have purple splotched bottles that bear witness...
The industrial stove has various applications, demonstrating that the equipment may be used for more than just cooking. The tool's industrial applications include screening, drying, annealing, processing, preheating, decontaminating, healing, powder finishing, and heating. You may utilize the device for various purposes, ranging from reducing moisture in materials to eliminating microorganisms. industrial powder coating oven.
Simply put, craps considered one of ์นด์ง๋ ธ ์ฌ์ดํธ the|is among the|is probably one of the} most fun video games stepping into any brick-and-mortar on line casino. The many guidelines usually mean that gamers are delay from making an attempt their luck. However, craps provides one of the lowest house edges comparability with} other on line casino video games. The don’t pass/don’t come bets have a house fringe of only round 1.4% and are a great way|a good way|an effective way} for beginners to wager.
Post a Comment