Loire Sauvignon blanc

For a change from New Zealand Sauvignon blanc, try one from the Loire.
La Demoiselle de Bourgeois Pouilly Fume
Color: Light yellow
Aroma: Pear
Flavor: Tart, lemony
Mouthfeel: Well balanced, crisp and slightly acidic

Test Vineyard on Virgin Land

Last year, my husband cleared some land and trenched it for tiling. He did the clearing so late in the year that he wasn't able to finish the tiling and this is the result after a winter of unbelievable amounts of snow and a spring that has been incredibly windy and rainy so far. Needless to say, the test vines haven't been put into the test vineyard, the good thing is that they haven't been ordered yet. However, at this rate, the vines will probably end up in the ground next spring, 2012.

Article on Closures

Practical Winery and Vineyard recently had an article on different closures that have always been a topic of discussion on our forums.
Factors Affecting Wine Closure Selection
Will this article put a closure on closures?

Post to Classmates

Hi All,
If you would like me to post any question to our classmates on this blog, please don't hesitate to send me an email and I can post your question. I've also found out that I can add people to the list of people who can directly edit the blog. If you would like me to add your name to the list (at the moment, the list consist of only me!), then let me know.
I started this blog as an "easy" way for all of us to stay connected, share problems, experiences and learn together.
I've also been adding some "me-centric" blog posts just to keep things a little interesting, hopefully.
Cheers (with a glass of good wine)!
Gayle

Southeastern New England AVA

I didn't know until I took the UC Davis Viticulture course that there was an AVA for the eastern shoreline of Connecticut called the Southeastern New England AVA. The shoreline states of Massachusetts, Rhode Island and eastern Connecticut are part of this AVA, established in 1984. The Atlantic Ocean exerts a modifying influence on the climate of these shoreline communities, extending the growing season enabling Vitis vinifera to grow and even thrive in this AVA.
In pursuit of furthering our education of the wineries that belong to this AVA, we recently visited Stonington Vineyards and did a tasting. Unfortunately, we missed their daily 2 p.m. tour, but we were able to taste 7 wines. They did have a tasting fee of $10.00 per person, with an additional $2.00 charge to taste their Riesling. The tasting included the following wines:
2007 Sheer Chardonnay
2008 Chardonnay
2008 Vidal blanc
Seaport White
2099 Riesling
2008 Triad Rose
2007 Cabernet franc
For more information, click on the following link to: Stonington Vineyards
I'll be updating this post as we visit more Southeastern New England AVA wineries. Stay tuned!

Close Encounter with Tall/High Grafts

Today is a gray, dreary, Connecticut spring day. We decided to take a road trip to a Vineyard/Winery in Massachusetts where we know the viticulturist is using tall grafts for his vineyard. (He wanted to remain anonymous and I am honoring his wishes). This is his experiment to see if tall grafts are a protection against crown gall that can afflict vines in this cool climate viticultural area. The way that crown gall infects our area vines is that we must hill the graft union to protect it during the winter. During the spring, we unhill the soil around the graft union and this activity can frequently cause damage to the vines. The damaged vines are susceptible to infection by Agrobacterium vitis. A tall or high graft will avoid the hilling and unhilling.
Since it is raining, I unfortunately cannot get a picture of the vines with tall grafts. He has Chardonnay growing on tall grafts. It’s such a raw day that we hastily beat a retreat to the tasting room. Three years ago when we visited the winery, we were very impressed that he could make red wines in this area. We especially remembered the Petit Verdot. This time, we drank Chardonnay, Vidal blanc, a white Merlot, Cabernet franc and Cabernet franc/Merlot blend. Although all the wines were made with the varietal typicity, and were yummy, honest wines, what blew us away was a barrel tasting of 2010 Chardonnay. The nose was a perfume of fruits and the flavor was astoundingly delicious with fruits and acids in a wonderful balance. This Chardonnay was waiting to undergo malolactic fermentation, but it was good as it was.

What is everyone drinking these days?

My husband and I had some friends over for dinner last night. He made a smoked beef brisket and sausage and we had a 1994 Philip Togani Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon as one of the three reds we drank last night.
Color: Deep purple
Aroma: cherries, leather
Taste: cherries
Mouthfeel: well-balanced, but could be cellared longer

Drylands New Zealand Sauvignon blanc
Color: Very pale yellow
Aroma: Lemon, pears and grassy
Taste: Passion fruit
Mouthfeel: well balanced
Drylands is a typical New Zealand Sauvignon blanc with a grassy nose, but with a passion fruit flavor. It is well balanced and easy to drink especially because it has a screwcap! I did taste a little bit of salt and I'm wondering if it is coming from over fining with bentonite?

Question regarding ethyl acetate

Does anyone know how ethyl acetate can be formed in barrels? Is there a difference between French barrels versus American barrels for this type of VA problem?

Furmint question from Richard Lucal

Anyone,
Does anyone know the hardiness limit of Furmint? I've looked through the National Grape Registry and the FPS websites but there doesn't seem a mention of it. I am guessing it is somewhere around 5, but would like to be certain.
Thank you,
Richard

Let's stay connected

I created this blog so we can stay connected. It's a test.