Wine stories from the weekend.
The 2008 Strawberry, 2008 Amarone #2 and the 2009 Pinot Grigio paired well with the pig roast crowd. The Strawberry lasted longer than 3 minutes, but not by much. The rich Amarone was excellent with BBQ food.
The 2009 Strawberry and 2008 Viognier well very well received at Phil and Meredith's Pampered Chef party. The dessert synched up well with the Strawberry wine, which didn't last two hours. The 2008 Viognier has matured so well from an underwhelming wine early on. Good thing I haven't been swilling it.
The 2009 Pinot Noir went into the bottle today. It is a bit hot, but will mellow with some age. It is rich and not overly assertive and should age well.
A new batch of Bordeaux blend was started today. Anurag and I talked winemaking as we bottled one and kicked off another. If these are as good as the 2007's are now in 2011, we will all be very happy!
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Friday, July 24, 2009
Cellar Update
We just racked up about 80 bottles of 2008 and 2009 wines from recent bottlings. Check the slideshows for pictures of the cellar in various states. Good stuff, too.
The Cabs are drinking well, but certainly need more time.
Amarone #2 is better than the first one, but time will help here as well.
Anurag and I are going to start a batch of a nice Southern French red blend this weekend.
I've been watching the Tour de France this month and thinking about making a white Bordeaux style blend. I have had only a few, and most were well worth it.
The new kitchen has wine storage and will be used during the parties and holidays to keep the fridge full. We are so looking forward to sharing these creations with everyone as we host in the coming months. Wait until you see what we are going to have fermenting and aging when you come...
Cheers!
--Jason
The Cabs are drinking well, but certainly need more time.
Amarone #2 is better than the first one, but time will help here as well.
Anurag and I are going to start a batch of a nice Southern French red blend this weekend.
I've been watching the Tour de France this month and thinking about making a white Bordeaux style blend. I have had only a few, and most were well worth it.
The new kitchen has wine storage and will be used during the parties and holidays to keep the fridge full. We are so looking forward to sharing these creations with everyone as we host in the coming months. Wait until you see what we are going to have fermenting and aging when you come...
Cheers!
--Jason
Monday, July 20, 2009
Amarone Update
I returned to Amarone again in 2008 with the award winning 2007 version on my mind. We ended up doing two. I had originally thought two barrels of 50/50 blend, but we held off. The first is a Mosti Mondiale All Juice version with some oak and long aging, almost 1 year. The second version is a Mosti Fresco Fresh Juice product, also with some oak but with two less months of aging.
The 2007 winner had a deep purple color, powerful nose and pronounced banana flavors. It was recognizable from the aroma alone, and did not last long!
The first 2008 batch was tight and focused, but lacked the aromatic punch and flavors of the earlier. It was strong and pleasant to drink so we figure some aging will help. This was bottled in early 2009.
The second 2008 batch is better, with more aromas and the desired banana flavors, albeit not as strong still. The wine is very rich and with some aging will mellow a bit. The high alcohol is there and the wine is very dark. I bottled this on July 19th.
Both wines are going to make for good competition fodder next year and should be drinking well at that time.
Cheers!
-- Jason
The 2007 winner had a deep purple color, powerful nose and pronounced banana flavors. It was recognizable from the aroma alone, and did not last long!
The first 2008 batch was tight and focused, but lacked the aromatic punch and flavors of the earlier. It was strong and pleasant to drink so we figure some aging will help. This was bottled in early 2009.
The second 2008 batch is better, with more aromas and the desired banana flavors, albeit not as strong still. The wine is very rich and with some aging will mellow a bit. The high alcohol is there and the wine is very dark. I bottled this on July 19th.
Both wines are going to make for good competition fodder next year and should be drinking well at that time.
Cheers!
-- Jason
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Triple Threat
Yesterday we ended up opening 3 bottles from the Ancient Fire line, a 2009 Strawberry, 2009 White Blend RG and a 2007 Columbia Valley Riesling. What an amazing flight they ended up making!
The Strawberry was gone in under 3 minutes! This wine is a our flagship wine. This wine is our fan favorite. The smell of the Strawberry wine permeated an area around the folks with cups full. The flavor is subtle, but you sure know what you are drinking.
The White Blend RG, Riseling/Gewurztraminer, was a huge hit as well. We contrasted it with the 2007 CV Riesling which was much drier in its older age. All three went very well with backyard BBQ food on a hot day.
Thank you to Missy and Steve for the great time.
Cheers!
--Jason
The Strawberry was gone in under 3 minutes! This wine is a our flagship wine. This wine is our fan favorite. The smell of the Strawberry wine permeated an area around the folks with cups full. The flavor is subtle, but you sure know what you are drinking.
The White Blend RG, Riseling/Gewurztraminer, was a huge hit as well. We contrasted it with the 2007 CV Riesling which was much drier in its older age. All three went very well with backyard BBQ food on a hot day.
Thank you to Missy and Steve for the great time.
Cheers!
--Jason
Friday, July 17, 2009
The Error Of My Ways
Sometimes we all have to admit that we don't have our eye on the ball.
Not only has it been almost 3 weeks since I last posted, sorry the kitchen re-model is still going on, but I recently brought what I thought were homemade beers to a friend's place only to offer cranberry hard lemonade and root beer. How did this happen?
In 2004 I started this adventure making beer. I quickly moved on to wine and have been consumed by that almost exclusively since. I do make some beer and other fermented beverages each year, but not much anymore. The exception is hard cider, but the way I make it it turns out like a lower alcohol apple wine so the similarities make it work.
The last two years of beer and other products got jumbled up in the basement, mislabeled or not labeled and thus I thought something was one thing only to find out it wasn't. While not the end of the world it certainly made me think I ought to tighten up my game.
I am in the process of sampling each box and determining what the remaining bottles are filled with. For those of you I will be visiting soon, rest assured you will get what I say it is!!
Cheers!
--Jason
Not only has it been almost 3 weeks since I last posted, sorry the kitchen re-model is still going on, but I recently brought what I thought were homemade beers to a friend's place only to offer cranberry hard lemonade and root beer. How did this happen?
In 2004 I started this adventure making beer. I quickly moved on to wine and have been consumed by that almost exclusively since. I do make some beer and other fermented beverages each year, but not much anymore. The exception is hard cider, but the way I make it it turns out like a lower alcohol apple wine so the similarities make it work.
The last two years of beer and other products got jumbled up in the basement, mislabeled or not labeled and thus I thought something was one thing only to find out it wasn't. While not the end of the world it certainly made me think I ought to tighten up my game.
I am in the process of sampling each box and determining what the remaining bottles are filled with. For those of you I will be visiting soon, rest assured you will get what I say it is!!
Cheers!
--Jason
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
On Newsstands Tomorrow!!
I’ve never been interested much in getting in the local news, but with our recent competition successes and overall fun making wine at home maybe I should. Margot facilitated contacting several local media outlets and the Derry News will have an article on the front page of the lifestyles section in tomorrow’s edition.
My early release copy brought me great joy as the pictures and the article were larger and displayed more prominently than I expected. It is a great article and should be a great way to spread the word about the fun we are having and how it represents locally made and grown, a wonderful NH tradition. I will post an online link when it becomes available.
Cheers!
--Jason
My early release copy brought me great joy as the pictures and the article were larger and displayed more prominently than I expected. It is a great article and should be a great way to spread the word about the fun we are having and how it represents locally made and grown, a wonderful NH tradition. I will post an online link when it becomes available.
Cheers!
--Jason
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