Grapevine Rubberbands

So far, our January has been a mild one with the exception of two days in the teens that occurred on January 9th and 10th. The temperatures last week were in the 40's so we took that time to test out some grapevine tethering rubberbands. We are considering these rubber bands which are sold under the name "bandofix" or "stretchlock". Our first iteration at tethering our grapevines to the pencil rod was with the Max Tapener. This was an okay system, but we found that the brisk winds were enough to loosen the plant from the pencil rod and there was a lot of re-tapenering that was going on. With our long rows, we had to have spare tape and staples as well as a small scissors when the tape became jammed in the tapener.

So, while it was a good first iteration, we were looking for other solutions to our tethering situation. We next tried the Prothec System. We used this in the spring of 2016 to tether our canes to the fruiting wire. It is a good solution because the wire is biodegradable. We also used the Prothec wire to secure our young vines to the pencil rod. We secured it in 2 to 3 places and also used the wire for some Vine Chiropractice. Unfortunately, since this wire is biodegradeable, we had to ensure that our vines were still tethered to the pencil rods by continually patrolling the vineyard. (This is really good for Fitbit steps.) My husband is always on the lookout for improvements that could limit the redundant work we end up doing. His search took him to try a few of these rubberbands.

We did receive a sample of all of these sizes of rubberbands from Plantra and determined that we can use the #5 and #8 for our vineyard. The nice thing about these rubberbands is that they will allow the vine to grow in girth, they are UV treated and will withstand cold weather. They are also relatively easy to use. I'll let you know how long it takes us to tether our plants after we receive our shipment.

2012 Vajra Riesling

This 2012 Vajra Riesling is another wine that we purchased from Federal Wine & Spirits. I was shown this wine by Michael and I immediately recognized the name "Vajra" because we have purchased and enjoyed the 2009 Vajra Barolo and 2009 Vajra Barbera d'Alba. We were under the impression that Vajra made only red wines. Wrong! Here was this 2012 Vajra Riesling that was staring at me! I had to have it! Luckily for me, my husband consented because he was the one who had to lug the wine from Boston back to our home. Ha ha.
It did not last for very long in our EuroCav because yesterday, we were the recipients of fresh clams harvested by our generous hunter. I had a broth in mind for these clams. I thought that I would make a Tom Yum soup with fresh lemon grass, ginger, and 2 whole red peppers simmered in chicken stock. After the aromatics had integrated into the chicken stock, I added 2 teaspoons of fish sauce and 1 teaspoon sugar and continued simmering my stock. The simmering time was about 2 hours long. Just before we added the clams, I stirred in a can of coconut milk. This is what the final product looked like:

The Riesling was very pale yellow in color and the aroma was not quite identifiable as Riesling. One sip and we both said, "Whoa!" It was dry and acidic but had a wonderful lemony, honeyed flavor that reminded us of Chenin blanc! It paired very well with this Asian-style clam dish. So, I don't think my husband minded lugging this outstanding Riesling home after all.

More Information:
1. Langhe Riesling `Pétracine`.

2015 Pretiosa Albanello

We were up in Boston this past weekend, visiting our son, daughter-in-law and their new baby. That was the focus of our visit, but since we were in Boston, our son wanted us to visit the places that he had been going to to broaden his wine experiences. One such place was the wine tastings that he was attending at Federal Wine & Spirits, an activity that we heartily approve of. In September, I blogged about 2015 Julian Haart Riesling 1000L, that he bought from Federal Wine & Spirits to share with us. So, on our visit to Boston, we found out how conveniently located the store was relative to his apartment. We went into the wine store from a very inconspicuous entry way. If you didn't know where you were going, you would totally miss this place. If there were 10 people in the store, it would be a crowd. Our son lead us to a stairwell that went downstairs. "Watch your head!" When we landed downstairs, we met Michael who attended to our every need and more!

Our eye first landed on a 2008 Black Label Carema. We had the opportunity to taste a 2000 Ferrando Carema Black Label, so knew that we were in a cave with some special wines. Michael then pointed us to many other wines from Italy. This 2015 Pretiosa Albanello was one that he recommended. It is a disappearing grape variety that comes from Sicily.
That peaked our interest and we bought a bottle to have with a few goat cheeses that we purchased for appetizers. The wine was light, fresh and had a hint of floral quality to it and a flavor unlike any other white wine I've tasted, though it did remind me of a Torontes. I also thought I detected a bit of coconut in the finish. This coconut note is ephemeral and I only detected it on my first sips before I began having the cheeses. It did pair well with both the hard and soft goat cheeses.
Now that I am at home, I turned to Jancis Robinson's Wine Grapes to learn more about Albanello¹: This is a Sicilian variety that can be confused with Albanella (Marche). Albanello is a late ripening variety. In the 18th century, it produced a sweet wine, obtained from grapes that were sun dried on mats for several days. Currently, there are approximately 309 acres of Albanello on the island of Sicily.
It is difficult to find this wine. My husband did a cursory search on the Interet and Federal Wine & Spirits is the nearest place to us that sells this wine. I guess it will be a return trip to Boston, may be in the near future.
References:
1. 1. J. Robinson, J. Harding and J. Vouillamoz, Wine Grapes - A complete guide to 1,368 vine varieties, including their origins and flavours, pg 22, Allen Lane 2012 ISBN 978-1-846-14446-2.
Other resources:
2. Santa Maria La Nave.
3. Federal Wine & Spirits: 2015 Cantine Gulino Albanello Pretiosa

View From Above

Every once in a while, we look at Google Maps to see if they have updated the view of our property from above. We believe that this was taken in the early fall of 2016.

In December, 2015 I blogged about this view of our North Field:

Although these are slightly different views, it's good to see the overview from time to time. Next---hoping to get some drone pictures!

Red Wines from Domaine Richou

During the winter months we continue our education in wine appreciation (this doesn't stop, we do it all year long). This week, my husband anted up a couple of red wines that he bought that come from the Loire Valley. We are interested in wines from the Loire because we believe that the climate here in southeastern Connecticut is very similar to that of the Loire Valley. I was able to locate some information on the Internet about Anjou Villages Brissac. The Anjou Villages Brissac is about 210 acres with vines growing on gray schist and quartz.
This past year, we planted approximately 400 Cabernet Sauvignon and 400 plants of Cabernet Franc so we are interested in the potential flavor profile we may be able to achieve.
2011 Domaine Richou Anjou Villages Brissac: This red wine is a 50-50 blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc from the Anjou region of the Loire Valley. This wine is stored in tanks for around eighteen months before bottling. The wine is a dark inky purple. Upon first tasting, I thought it had notes of camphor and was slightly medicinal. This is a dry wine, not jammy in flavor but with a hint of fruit. We thought that this would be a wine that would stand up to a hearty meal. We paid $22.00 for this wine.
The next wine that we tasted was also from Domaine Richou.
2013 Les 4 Chemins Anjou was a little less inky in color than the 2011 Anjou Villages Brissac. Also less hefty tasting, but still flavorful and it paired well with hand crafted Bob Burgers located on Long Pond South, topped with cheese. Delicious! We paid $14.00 for this wine. Both are very good values.

Phenolics: Location and Attributes in Grape Berries

After getting the Parts of the Grape Berry straight, I thought I would tackle the importance of grape phenolic because:

Grape berry phenolics¹:

• contribute to organoleptic properties
• color
• aging properties
• protection against environmental challenges

(In the table below, clicking on the blue highlighted compounds will lead to a blogpost containing the chemical structures.)

Phenolic Compound	Attributes
Hydroxycinnamates acid esters of tartaric acid	→Hydroxycinnamic acid esters of tartaric acid form the predominant phenolic components of the pulp →Caftaric acid at 77% is the most abundant, followed by coutaric and fertaric acids →Caftaric acid is found in the pulp as well as in the skin in a white grape, so it is the most abundant phenolic in white wines →The level of hydroxycinnamates declines significantly during ripening →The major decline begins just before veraison and is virtually done by the second berry growth phase
Anthocyanins	→Only the epidermis and first hypodermal layer of the skin of red varieties is normally darkly pigmented →The next two hypodermal layers may contain smaller amounts of anthocyanins, and subsequent layers tend to be sporadically and weakly pigmented. Pigmentation seldom occurs deeper than the sixth hypodermal layer →Anothocyanins are responsible for the color in red wines
Flavan-3-ols	→Flavan-3-ol are primarily seed compounds with none found in the pulp and very limited quantities found in the skin →Catechin and epicatechin are the dominant flavan-3-ols found in grapes →The skins contain relatively low levels of catechin and epicatechin →Free catechin and epicatechin lie outside of the true seed coat which is comprised of lignin →Catechin and the epicatechin in the seeds show a very steady decline during ripening →Catechin and epicatechin have been shown to impart bitterness
Tannins also called Proanthocyanidins	→Polymeric flavan-3-ols are condensed tannins and are also referred to as proanthocyanidins →Tannins can be composed of four different subunits: catechin, epicatechin, epigallocatechin, and epicatechin gallate →Tannins are responsible for astringency →Tannins are found both in the skin, as well as in the seeds →Skin tannins are very different in character from seed tannins begin greater in size than seed tannins →Polymerized skin tannins can be as long as 40 or 50 units mDP (mean degree of polymerization) of catechin, epicatechin, gallocatechin, epigallocatechin, and/or catechin-3-O-gallate →Tannins are made very early in berry development; nearly all of the tannin that’s going to be present at ripening at harvest is already present in the skin of the grape at veraison →Tannins in the skin do not change significantly during berry ripening →Tannins in the seed show a very dramatic decline during ripening

References:
1. Douglas O. Adams, "Phenolics and Ripening in Grape Berries", Am. J. Enol. Vitic., 57:3 (2006).
2. Douglas Adams, VI257, Lesson 8, pg. 1-50.
3. Illustration from Vintage Direct 2.10 Making Sparkling Wine (Methode Champenoise), Dunsford, P.A. and Sneyd, T.N. 1989. Pressing for quality. In: Proceedings of the Seventh Australian Wine Industry Technical Conference.
4. António Teixeira, José Eiras-Dias, Simone D. Castellarin, and Hernâni Gerós, Berry Phenolics of Grapevine under Challenging Environments, Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2013, 14(9), 18711-18739.

Ripening: Changes in the Grape Berry

The weather outside is frightful! We have had two days of temperatures in the teens following a snowstorm that brought between 4-6 inches of snow in our area on Saturday. So, today finds me toasty and warm, reading an article that appeared in the online journal, ScienceDaily called On the scent of a wine's bouquet¹. The article mentions that the majority of wines are produced from about 20 different types of grapes that each possess their own aroma profile.
Aroma compounds accumulate in the ripening grape skin and are comprised of terpenes. There was a beautiful photo of the ripening grape shown here:

The above photo reminded me of what I was reading about grape berry growth and the process of ripening which is associated with:²

• tissue softening
• a decrease in acidity
• the accumulation of sugars
• the synthesis of anthocyanins (in red-skinned varieties)
• the acquisition of aroma compounds

The ripening stage can last from 5-8 weeks.

References:
1. ScienceDaily, On the scent of a wine's bouquet, Technische Universitaet Muenchen, October 2, 2014.
2. Ronald Jackson, Wine Science Third Edition, Elsevier, 2008, pg. 75.

Conditions Influencing Inflorescence Differentiation

In reviewing my blogposts that I posted in 2016, I realized that I had not completed the discussion I began on June 17, 2016 regarding understanding Grapevine Inflorescence, so I hope to continue today. I must confess that in looking through my photos, I absolutely love spring and budbreak and the pink and greens that young buds bring to the vineyard.
I have written about my initial inability to grasp The Mysterious Life of Grape Buds and delved into inflorescence formation in two subsequent postings that were rather technical and complex in Grapevine Inflorescence Formation---Parts 1 and 2 and Inflorescence Formation Part 3.
Although Mother Nature has the upper hand in inflorescence induction, it is important to understand the conditions that lead to fruitfulness that occur in the spring and summer of the previous year¹:

• The induction of inflorescence differentiation generally coincides with blooming and the slowing of vegetative growth.
• Induction is particularly sensitive to water stress, and its occurrence during blooming can severely reduce bud fruitfulness.
• Induction usually occurs about 2 weeks before morphological signs of differentiation become evident.
• A period of several weeks may separate the initiation of the first and second inflorescence primordia (anlagen). This period tends to correspond to growth stages 13 to 18 of the Eichhorn and Lorenz (E–L) system.
• Warm conditions (77–95 ^oF) promote cytokinin synthesis, which favors inflorescence differentiation.
• Cool conditions favor gibberellin synthesis, which promotes vegetative growth and limits nutrient accumulation.
• Optimal nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus supplies also promote the synthesis and translocation of cytokinins from the roots.
• Factors such as high vigor, defoliation, or untimely drought, which disrupt carbohydrate accumulation, can interfere with inflorescence initiation.
• By midsummer, when branch initials have developed, the anlagen (primordia) become dormant.
• Differentiation recommences in the spring when the buds begin to swell and individual flowers form.
• Sun exposure is generally more important than day length in inducing fruit-bud development in vinifera cultivars.
• Fruitfulness is primarily associated with the primary bud. The fruitfulness of secondary buds is generally important only if the primary bud dies.

Reference:
1. Ronald Jackson, Wine Science Third Edition, Elsevier, 2008, pg. 68.

Happy New Year 2017!

Happy New Year! On one of my friend's blogs, I read that 2017 will be a restart year because the numbers 2+0+1+7=10=1. I'm all for this. We had some friends over to help us celebrate New Year's Eve. On that day, my husband and I went to Matunuck Oyster Bar in Rhode Island and picked up 3 dozen oysters. The perfect pairing with oysters (besides our favorite white wine, Chenin Blanc) is Champagne, and our friends generously provided this libation.

We began our revelry around 7 p.m. and paced our food and wine intake. The next course came from our Thursday excursion to Firefly Farms LLC where we met Beth and her son Dugan. Dugan explained to us how grass fed beef gets it's marbling and Beth provided us with an array of steaks to choose from.

My husband smoked the steaks low and slow on our grill after we had polished off the three dozen oysters. The meat was juicy and tender and deliciously smoked. We paired that up with a medley of roasted mushrooms, chick peas, grape tomatoes and fresh rosemary.
During the main course, we managed to drink three bottles of red wine shown below:

After the entree, we cleansed our palate with an arugula, lemon and pomegranate salad. Then it was on to cheese and desert. We finished in time to welcome in the new year! Wishing you all a Happy New Year!