Braun Grape Hoe Test

Somewhere between putting in our endposts:

• Days of Pounding End Posts
• End Post Pounding Help in the Vineyard
• The End of End Post Pounding

and putting in our earth anchors:

• Augering Anchors
• How Long Does It Take to Put in Ground Anchors

we were able to finally test the Braun Grape Hoe that Hans brought to our vineyard way back in early June.

A grape hoe is one of the essential tools after planting a vineyard because the weeds will come up in no time. We started taking care of the weeds in 2013 using a manual hoe. This is not an option. Then in 2014, we began weed wacking, which is not recommended, but did get the job done. A grape hoe will greatly aid our job of keeping the weeds at bay, so now we will have one more tool in our arsenal.

How Long Does It Take to Put in the Ground Anchors

On the assumption that years from now, or may be even a month from today, it will be important to remember how long it took us to get the ground anchors into the ground, I thought I would put together this blog. On Saturday, December 13th, we hooked up the auger that we borrowed from our friends. Rick mentioned that he bought the auger in 1974 and they have used it since then, that's 40 years ago! Rick also mentioned that when the auger spins, it spews out oil, so stand back!
The first thing that we did was to put a mark on the ground where the anchors will go and then we put the "gizmo" that our other friend, Dave, devised that we used to drive the earth anchor into the ground. The anchor is first positioned into the pipe and there is a pin that holds the anchor in place at the top of the pipe. The bottom of the pipe that gets driven into the ground has a little notch to hold the anchor in place.

We were able to do about 10 of these until we ran into a problem. Rocks! They don't call where we live Stonington, for nothing. We mangled 2 anchors and broke 1 anchor before we decided that the rocks were winning. We remembered that Rick and Russell mentioned that we might have to use the auger and they loaned us two different diameter augers to do the job. So we first augered all the holes and then went back to put in the earth anchors. Doing it this way, we were able to do the south end of the field in 2 days and the north end of the field in two days.

Just in time, it looks like a big rain storm in looming in our immediate future.

Bottling in Seattle

Our son, Brett, and daughter-in-law, Laura, are visiting us, flying out from the West Coast to be here with family for the holidays. They told us stories about how they volunteered to bottle wine in Seattle in October, an activity that we heartily endorse. They went to the Woodinville area where several wineries banded together to contract for a bottling line. Brett mentioned that they worked for Patterson Cellars and Finn Hill. Our son was working on uncrating the pallets full of bottle cases on to the conveyor and Laura functioned in many capacities including uncrating the boxes. Together, they put in 12 hours of work on the bottling line and said that it was a very physically taxing job but they would do it again.
I read more about the wineries on their website: Finn Hill and Patternson Cellars.

Wet Dog or Wet Wool Smell in Wine

Well, it is not so easy to track down exactly what this reaction involves although Tom Stevenson's description in The Sotheby's Wine Encyclopedia 5th Edition of the wet dog or wet wool smell is often quoted on the Internet:
          These aromas are heat-generated volatile sulphur faults involving the           retro-Michael reaction of methional, which is thermally unstable and           evolves rapidly into acrolein and methanethiol, which are responsible           for the so-called wet-dog and wet-wool aromas and a stronger cooked-           cauliflower smell.
And many people reference the following URL for almost the same explanation:
http://www.wine-pages.com/guests/tom/taste.htm
I had no idea that this topic was rampant on the Internet, it is also a reaction involved in heated wort in beer making. I'm interested in seeing the chemistry and not only the description of the chemicals so my search continues, or I could just break out my Organic Chemistry books. But, hubby to the rescue. He looked up from his computer long enough to focus on my problem. To clarify what a retro-Michael reaction is, here is what the chemistry looks like according to Tom Stevenson's explanation:

A retro-Michael reaction is the opposite of a Michael reaction, so the products formed in the retro-Michael reaction can be the starting materials in the Michael reaction, which in this case are acrolein and methanethiol.
Retro-Michael reactions can be catalyzed in either a basic or an acidic medium and since we are now talking about wine, this particular retro-Michael is being catalyzed in an acidic medium, typical wine acidity being between pH 3.3-3.9. The barrier to the retro-Michael reaction occurring is lowered when the temperature is raised, which explains the thermally unstable nature of methional.

I learned a lot of interesting factoids while surfing the Internet. For example, methional is the notable flavor in potato based products like potato chips. Acrolein is a colourless liquid with a piercing, disagreeable, acrid smell and methanethiol is a colorless gas with a distinctive putrid smell.
Reference:
1. All structures were drawn by the freely available drawing program from ACD Labs called ACD/ChemSketch Freeware.

The Sotheby's Wine Encyclopedia 5th Edition

A couple of years ago, our Greek friends gave us this book for Christmas. It is a huge tome written by Tom Stevenson and I found some information on Wikipedia. It weighs in at 5 pounds 11 ounces, so it's really not a book you want to read at night in bed and it is required reading for the Master of Wine, Master Sommelier and Cape Wine Master examinations.
I picked it up a few weeks ago and began thumbing through it and stopped at the comprehensive Tastes and Aromas section which contained a listing of aromas and their chemistry beginning with acacia and ending with yeast-complexed. A while back, I put together my own list of Post-Bottling Aroma Defects, which now seems very incomplete. But what caught my eye was the description under Wet Dog or Wet Wool which went:
          These aromas are heat-generated volatile sulphur faults involving the           retro-Michael reaction of methional, which is thermally unstable and           evolves rapidly into acrolein and methanethiol, which are responsible           for the so-called wet-dog and wet-wool aromas and a stronger cooked-           cauliflower smell.
My husband, in a former life was an analytical chemist so I asked him about the retro-Michael reaction. He said "Blah, blah, blah", so today, I'm doing the research on what exactly is a retro-Michael reaction. Stay tuned since I'm being pressured to get dressed for working in our vineyard. We are still putting in our ground anchors.

Greeks Bringing Wine: 2011 Uranos and 2012 Kyklos

This past weekend, we had our Greek friends over for a distinctly Greek dish made with quince and lamb which I tasted for the first time at their home. The quince were a gift to us from the Holmbergs, of Holmberg Orchards, who have the best apples in the area. We secured these quince when we returned their Extreme Drive post pounder which we borrowed for most of the month of November. The quince is an extremely aromatic fruit that looks very much like a yellow pear. We were told, however, that they cannot be eaten raw because it is just like eating a green olive, it will make your mouth pucker for days because of its astringency. But when it is cooked in butter and then braised with lamb, it is a marriage of flavors that is amazing. We also made some Ellinikos Lemoni Patatas (Greek Lemon Potatoes) and horiatiki, Greek Salad, although when one of us forgets to put the Kalamata olives in the salad, how Greek can it be?

Our friends who live in Boston for part of the time, brought 2 bottles of Greek wine, from a wine store near them that carries a huge selection of wines from Greece. They brought 2 bottles, one was a 2011 Uranos made from the Xinomavro grape and the other was a 2012 Kyklos made from the Agiorgitiko grape. They both went with the food and we thought that the Xinomavro had a little more complexity and depth of flavor, which was contrary to what the sales person told our friends. I found this very interesting article about the winemaker, Apostolos Thimiopoulos. Xinomavro means "sour black" and the Uranos wine made in Naoussa has a natural acidity, tannin structure, aromatic flavour profile.
The other wine that we enjoyed with our meal was the 2012 Kyklos Agiorgitiko made by winemaker Yannis Voyiatzis in the Peloponnese. More about the Agiorgitiko grape to come.

Augering Anchors

Mother Nature has been giving us some days off beginning with last Saturday when we had 2-1/4 inches of rain and then on Tuesday and Wednesday when the cumulative total was 2-3/4 inches of rain, so in one week's time, we have had 5 inches of rain. I know that this is nothing compared to what California has been having but this is a lot of rain in a short time for us. Our fields have been so dry that the soils have soaked up this rain and our tiling has removed what was in excess of field capacity.
Nice days are back again, beginning with yesterday when the temperatures were in the 30's with no wind so, it was a work day for us. Now that the end posts are in the ground, we need to think about putting in the ground anchors.

We marked where all of the ground anchors should go and then went to Gales Ferry to borrow an auger from out friends.
Today, we are hooking up the auger to our Landini:

Health Concerns and Wine

Health Information
• Do you have feelings of inadequacy?
• Do you suffer from shyness?
• Do you sometimes wish you were more assertive?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, ask your doctor or pharmacist about Cabernet Sauvignon.
Cabernet Sauvignon is the safe, natural way to feel better and more confident about yourself and your actions. It can help ease you out of your shyness and let you tell the world that you're ready and willing to do just about anything.
You will notice the benefits of Cabernet Sauvignon almost immediately and, with a regimen of regular doses, you can overcome any obstacles that prevent you from living the life you want to live.
Shyness and awkwardness will be a thing of the past and you will discover many talents you never knew you had. Stop hiding and start living.
Cabernet Sauvignon may not be right for everyone. Women who are pregnant or nursing should not use it. However, women who wouldn't mind nursing or becoming pregnant are encouraged to try it.
Side effects:
Side effects may include:
Dizziness, nausea, vomiting, incarceration, loss of motor control, loss of clothing, loss of money, delusions of grandeur, table dancing, headache, dehydration, dry mouth, and a desire to sing Karaoke and play all-night rounds of Strip Poker, Truth Or Dare, and Naked Twister.
Warnings:
• The consumption of Cabernet Sauvignon may make you think you are whispering when you are not.
• The consumption of Cabernet Sauvignon may cause you to tell your friends over and over again that you love them.
• The consumption of Cabernet Sauvignon may cause you to think you can sing.
• The consumption of Cabernet Sauvignon may create the illusion that you are tougher, smarter, faster and better looking than most people.
Please feel free to share this important information with as many people as you feel may benefit!
Now just imagine what you could achieve with a good Shiraz ...............
Our friend sent us this in an email and it was just the right thing to brighten up a soggy day in the Northeast!

2010 Richard Leroy Noëls de Montbenault Chenin Blanc

We recently had this "mystery wine". My husband was testing my knowledge of wine varieties. My first taste of this wine had me totally confused, I thought the wine was very disjointed. Although the nose was very fragrant, I tasted a bit of oxidation. My second guess was Chenin blanc and I was rewarded with a nod from my husband. This is another one of the white wines that we received in our case of wine from Weygandt Wines, courtesy of Warren Leonard. The wine was initially a bit on the cold side and as it warmed up, the fragrance from the glass was incredible! I detected some "ume-shu" (plum wine) which took me back to when my Aunty in Japan made her own plum wine from plums growing in her yard. There is a decided pineapple aroma and also some anise. In other words, the nose on this wine just goes on and on. The flavors become more integrated as the wine warms up so this is one of those wines that you want to savor and drink very slowly.

Getting Ready to Use the Grape Hoe

In looking at my own blog posts (this is a good reason to write a blog), it appears that Hans and Doug of H&W Equipment for Vineyard and Winery, came in early June to drop off the grape hoe for us to test. But using the grape hoe presented us with a Grape Hoe: Catch-22 because we needed to get our line posts into the ground.
We soon learned that pounding in our line posts was going to take a good portion of the summer as we rotated the Atlas Copco post pounder with our Rears Pak Tank and our Ferri mower on to the only narrow tractor that we own, our trusty Landini. That is how summer slipped away.

We now have most of our line posts in the ground and have even finished putting in our end posts, so ready or not, we must use the grape hoe!
Today, my husband was busy configuring the grape hoe so that he can use it, which meant that he had to properly connect all of the hydraulic lines including two lines that go back to the front of the Landini which returns the hydraulic fluid to the sump, which will cool the heated hydraulic fluid in the lines. Using the grape hoe also required that he modify his Landini a little bit. He put in a 12-volt fused outlet for the electric overhydraulic valve switch, also known as the panic button. The panic button is used to complete the circuit to the valve that controls the weeding knife. I don't quite understand all of the mechanics and my husband is currently plugged into his laptop so I'll report on the details later.