Wine making, Vintage 2013. What a great year.

 

 

Looks like being a great year for wine here in Tasmania, ripe fruit, high sugar, even bunches along the vine canes. The year has been very dry, in fact all of Australia has had a strange summer, floods in the north, but hot and dry here in Tassi. We have just finished picking the crop, pressed it, and now have it bubbling away in the fermenting jars. Whether our good crop has anything to do with being a dry vineyard [non irrigated] I have no idea, but I have always believed in the French saying the poor vine makes the best wine. I think that the vine roots have travelled deep into the soil due to the lack of water over the last 25 years. Our vineyard now is mainly medicinal, just enough to ensure good health.

Part of the grape crop awaiting pressing.

 

When we picked the sugar reading was just over 24 degrees sugar, so the wine could be a big one.

After picking we always de-stork the bunches, the reason for this is that over the years we have found that de-storking reduces off flavours in the wine. Often a lot more tannin is extracted from the stork if the berries remain in contact with them for any length of time, such flavours can be quite off putting.

 

After de-storking we tip the grapes into a crusher, a very simple machine not unlike an old cloths wringer as used on wash days years ago. This crushes the grape lightly, and allows a free run off of juice.

 

 

We then use a very old method pressing by foot before they go into the press, soft touch is required here. Years ago I saw a group of Portugese women, arms around each other danceing up and down a large though press port grapes, music playing in the background curtisy of the local musicians.

 

 

The crushed grapes are then placed into our old wine press, that no doubt every one has seen as decor in various wine shops around the world. This is when we extract most of the juice. This press is a very old design that has an interlocking system that slowly applies pressure. It would surprise many people how much resistance an unbroken berry has when it comes into contact with slow pressure. This is why we always use the crusher first, and also we want close contact between skin and juice for colour.

 

 

After pressing, we are left with a compact pile of grape skins, in some countries this is distilled for Sprint, In France I believe people spread it on their bread for breakfast, after all it is still very sweet with grape suga, personally I have not tried it..

 

 

This year we used a special recipe to convert this must into a grape cordial that the children seem to love. This seems to be a better use than sending it all to the compost pile.

 

 

The grape juice is then transferred to our fermenting tank where fermenion starts. It is possible to use the natural yeast on the grape skin, however this can yield unknown results. Most people introduce a wine yeast after neutralising the natural grape yeast. After four days in the large fermenting vat, we rack the juice into smaller glass containing jars until the fermentation stops. The juice is only left on the skins in the large vat for those four days to extract colour. A wine maker could stop contact between juice and skins anytime, depending on the colour of wine they wish to make. Rose wine may not have much contact at all. It is possible to make a white wine from red grapes if you wish. But most of the health benefits of wine drinking are found in red wine, ie from the skin of the red grape.

 

Once fermentation is complete the wine is racked several times to clarify the liquid. It is possible to clarify by the ancient method of using egg white, that some how carries any skin or small fruit samples to the bottom. Finally the new vintage is bottled and ready to drink as new seasons wine which may be very strong. Personally I have found that if you have sufficient stock it is best to age for the next few year. The wine will take on greater character and nobality, no doubt like people. Whether wine making is an art like cooking I have no idea, but it is a great way to spend a pleasant day out of doors with friends. After all they are the most precious thing we have in order to enjoy a pleasurable life.

 

Finally I use Pinot Noir grapes grown here on our property. The pinot is one of the great wine grapes of the world, difficult to grow but worth the task. It is the foundation grape for French Burgundy, where families pass on small acreage from generation to generation, sometimes only a few rows. Why are the vineyards so small? Well blame Napoleon who in his time broke up the large estates to give to his troops and the poor peasants. There you are a perfect peoples drink.

 

I will leave you with one final truth from our old friend Xenophanes 560-470BC

 

"But as for certain truth ,no man has known it,

Nor will he know it; neither of the Gods,

Nor yet of all the things of which I speak,

and even if by chancehe were to utter

The final truth, he would himself not know it;

For all is but a woven web of guesses.