Here is a quick video of what the Sauvignon Blanc grapes look like after they have been pressed and I raked the 18 tons in the bin….I felt my age the next morning!
I have been asked many time how is wine made and this is the key to starting the fermentation process, inoculation is when you activate the yeast to start it’s magic of converting the sugar in the juice into alcohol.
I made a video so you can see what it looks like.
It is kinda like tempering eggs (if you cook), you have to wake up the yeast by warming it up a bit and then you introduce it to the pressed juice which is only about 45 degrees…so you slowly add a bit of the juice until they are about 18-20 degrees apart in the temperature…if you added the yeast straight to the juice it would be too cold and the yeast would probably just die.
I hope this video shows you something you did not know before.
Enjoy!
While cruising on Highway 29 through wine country I see a massive castle…seriously a castle. I remembered seeing on tv a segment about a dude, with a crazy love for castles and more money than just about anyone and he bought it. Then he hired folks to take it apart piece by piece and then bring it to California and put it back together in the middle of the vineyards.
It really is spectacular…put it on your list of stuff to do when you visit the Napa area.
After personally doing this task about a million times, I am in awe of this young man named David…he makes short work of cleaning and moving this 200+ pound bin.
I am in the middle of harvest right now and so far we have picked and pressed Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay, we still have toms of each to press but the Cabernet Sauvignon is still getting it’s sugars on!
Here is a quick video of myself showing you another way I can tell if the grapes are ready to pick.
Enjoy!