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Monday October 06, 2008 - Tasting Notes
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Fruit Wines and Fruit Winemaking ? Part 2 of 2
I hope that this summer was a pleasant one for you and a productive fruit wine season. Here in Western New York the availability of summer tree fruits like apricots and peaches is winding down. For berries, cultivated blackberries and blueberries are still available, and locally grown blueberries will be available until the first frost. This year I managed to get strawberries, mulberries and blueberries for winemaking.
There is a terrific website that can aid you in locating pick-your-own farms across the country, and even in other parts of the world along with fruit availability and picking tips. Go to www.pickyourown.org. There is even a section of unusual fruit, their characteristics and availability. This resource is updated daily, and I?ve found U-pick places locally that I never knew existed. So, if this year was a wash because you weren?t quite sure where to pick, you can plan for next year.
I took a bronze for my 2005 semi-dry blueberry in the 2006 Western New York Home Wine Competition at The Niagara County Fair on August 6th. My sincerest gratitude goes out to my fianc?e Patty Gniazdowski and my future mother-in-law Donna Hanel for the perennial help they offer me with harvesting, cleaning and crushing fruit. They are my right arm and make the whole experience more of a family outing. Kudos also goes out to Tom Chiappone of Chiappone Cellars Winery of Newfane, New York for hosting the event at his winery. If you visit his winery, try the Traminette, its awesome!
The recipe for this wine was a very basic one that I had found several years ago on Jack Keller?s Winemaking Homepage winemaking.jackkeller.net, a resource every home winemaker should utilize. I picked the berries at Childs Blueberry Farm in Humphrey, New York just south of Franklinville. Good wine always begin in the vineyard, orchard and field. The Childs family offers a superior product and this is attributed to their philosophy and methodology in cultivating blueberries. I encourage you to check out their web address, www.childsblueberries.com and visit their farm.
Below is the anaerobic fermentation presented in graphical form. A prototypal BubbleFlo was used with non-prototypal airlocks. After the wine finished the primary fermentation and was put in carboys, the degradation of the secondary fermentation by number of CO2 discharges per hour was closely monitored. I used Lalvin 71B-1122 (Narbonne) to ferment the wine.
As with any winemaking sanitation is the first concern. When underway, temperature control plays a large role in the quality outcome of the wine. This wine was fermented in a temperature range of 730 to 740 Fahrenheit, a temperature range many would say is a bit high for anaerobic. I won?t argue with that, but more importantly most winemakers have found that maintaining a consistency in fermentation temperature leads to a better outcome. Blueberry wine is usually a long fermenting wine regardless of the type of yeast used to do it. This one logged 863 hours (nearly six weeks) in anaerobic. It was the long, seemingly unending fermentation of blueberry wine that inspired the concept of the BubbleFlo.
We are heading for the grape harvest and locally the weather last April dealt a harsh blow to Western New York wine grape producers. A late spring freeze last April devastated wine grape crops locally. Last May the Amherst Times reported the losses in the affected counties.
Below are the estimated crop value losses for each affected county:
Estimate of -
County Total Acreage Affected Acreage Estimated Loss
Chautauqua 17,877 5,000 $7,000,000
Cattaraugus 517 414 $496,800
Erie 1,661 1,293 $1,552,000
Niagara 901 90 $108,000
Estimated crop value losses $9,156,800
Not to end on a sour note but, if you source your juice locally you may want to contact your supplier and find out if they were affected by the freeze and if it will impact your winemaking plans for this year.
Andre Pazik, Executive Vice President & CTO, is a former teacher with a passion for fine food and wine. During his successful careers in criminal justice and education, Andre?s interest in winemaking continue to grow. His experiments in monitoring fermentation led to the invention of the BubbleFlo? system.
A Short Tasting Notes Summary
Fruit Wines and Fruit Winemaking ? Part 2 of 2
I hope that this summer was a pleasant one for you and a productive fruit wine season. Here in Western New York the availability of summer tree fruits...
Click Here to Read More About Wine ...
Featured Tasting Notes Items
The FTD Classic Rose Bouquet
Our most popular rose bouquet. 2 dozen sumptuous roses with greens in a glass vase. Available in red, pink, yellow, white or peach. Prices may vary in some locations. D6-2978
Price: 189.99 USD
News about Tasting Notes
Yangarra McLaren Vale Old Vine Grenache 2004 Wine Review (NW)
Sun, 05 Oct 2008 10:12:00 PDT
Tasting notes: Big aromas of raspberry jam and custard on the nose Rich and mouth-filling on the palate Smooth finish loaded with crushed berries and surprising nuances of tea, cocoa, and earth Australian red wine might be dominated by Shiraz, but don't miss the exciting Grenache. This wine has the big fruit you'd expect from an Australian red, but it also has some surprising layers that round out the flavor profile and make it very interesting. At $22 or so, it's not in the bargain bin. How
Inniskillin Vidal Icewine 2004 Wine Review (NW)
Sun, 05 Oct 2008 09:57:00 PDT
Tasting notes: Nose of peach, apricot, and lime Rich, sweet core of fruit on the palate Finish of tangerine, apricot, and honey This wine is a nice little treat. It's fairly complex and interesting, and cures the sweet tooth after a meal. Prices keep climbing, though, and this one will run you at least $55 for a half bottle. Is it worth the money? Once in a while. Just remember, for the same price, you can also get a world-class half bottle of Sauternes or Vintage Port. Raise a glass!--A Revi
Best Foot Forward (The Santa Rosa Press Democrat)
Sun, 05 Oct 2008 07:24:52 PDT
Reality TV is all about pushing the limits, so when Food Network fixture Bob Blumer hit town last week, he knew he'd need to strip off his shoes and socks and get down to work.
Pumpkin Dip Recipe ♥
Sun, 05 Oct 2008 05:49:13 PDT
Today's vegetable recipe: An easy-easy recipe for pumpkin dip, just cream cheese, pumpkin and spices. As dips go, unusually healthy with high proportion of pumpkin to cream cheese and sugar. Low carb. October 1, my hometown farmers market makes a magical transformation: the row of farmstands becomes a pumpkin patch playground, the perimeter lined with hay bales. Little ones play bumper tractors as the moms and grandparents look on, often recording the squeals of delight. Out front is a pile -- m
Hacking the 2008 UK Ironman: Kick to Kill
Sun, 05 Oct 2008 05:19:10 PDT
I completed another full distance triathlon last month. And consistent with my tradition I barely trained, barely survived, and barely remember what happened. I’ve organized this blog post into three parts; funny stuff for the casual reader; practical stuff for the Ironman hacker; and finally; specific notes about the UK Ironman. On the Lighter Side I was feeling unusually relaxed the night before the race – so relaxed that I decided celebration was in order. For starters I had two g
Back to basics at Lowcountry Gourmet (Savannah Morning News)
Sun, 05 Oct 2008 04:54:04 PDT
I certainly wasn't the first person to visit Lowcountry Gourmet Foods, but I was apparently one of the first to take the new store seriously as a "tasting room."
Orange Muscat
Wine Gifts | Wine Glass
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Fruit Wines and Fruit Winemaking ? Part 2 of 2
I hope that this summer was a pleasant one for you and a productive fruit wine season. Here in Western New York the availability of summer tree fruits like apricots and peaches is winding down. For berries, cultivated blackberries and blueberries are still available, and locally grown blueberries will be available until the first frost. This year I managed to get strawberries, mulberries and blueberries for winemaking.
There is a terrific website that can aid you in locating pick-your-own farms across the country, and even in other parts of the world along with fruit availability and picking tips. Go to www.pickyourown.org. There is even a section of unusual fruit, their characteristics and availability. This resource is updated daily, and I?ve found U-pick places locally that I never knew existed. So, if this year was a wash because you weren?t quite sure where to pick, you can plan for next year.
I took a bronze for my 2005 semi-dry blueberry in the 2006 Western New York Home Wine Competition at The Niagara County Fair on August 6th. My sincerest gratitude goes out to my fianc?e Patty Gniazdowski and my future mother-in-law Donna Hanel for the perennial help they offer me with harvesting, cleaning and crushing fruit. They are my right arm and make the whole experience more of a family outing. Kudos also goes out to Tom Chiappone of Chiappone Cellars Winery of Newfane, New York for hosting the event at his winery. If you visit his winery, try the Traminette, its awesome!
The recipe for this wine was a very basic one that I had found several years ago on Jack Keller?s Winemaking Homepage winemaking.jackkeller.net, a resource every home winemaker should utilize. I picked the berries at Childs Blueberry Farm in Humphrey, New York just south of Franklinville. Good wine always begin in the vineyard, orchard and field. The Childs family offers a superior product and this is attributed to their philosophy and methodology in cultivating blueberries. I encourage you to check out their web address, www.childsblueberries.com and visit their farm.
Below is the anaerobic fermentation presented in graphical form. A prototypal BubbleFlo was used with non-prototypal airlocks. After the wine finished the primary fermentation and was put in carboys, the degradation of the secondary fermentation by number of CO2 discharges per hour was closely monitored. I used Lalvin 71B-1122 (Narbonne) to ferment the wine.
As with any winemaking sanitation is the first concern. When underway, temperature control plays a large role in the quality outcome of the wine. This wine was fermented in a temperature range of 730 to 740 Fahrenheit, a temperature range many would say is a bit high for anaerobic. I won?t argue with that, but more importantly most winemakers have found that maintaining a consistency in fermentation temperature leads to a better outcome. Blueberry wine is usually a long fermenting wine regardless of the type of yeast used to do it. This one logged 863 hours (nearly six weeks) in anaerobic. It was the long, seemingly unending fermentation of blueberry wine that inspired the concept of the BubbleFlo.
We are heading for the grape harvest and locally the weather last April dealt a harsh blow to Western New York wine grape producers. A late spring freeze last April devastated wine grape crops locally. Last May the Amherst Times reported the losses in the affected counties.
Below are the estimated crop value losses for each affected county:
Estimate of -
County Total Acreage Affected Acreage Estimated Loss
Chautauqua 17,877 5,000 $7,000,000
Cattaraugus 517 414 $496,800
Erie 1,661 1,293 $1,552,000
Niagara 901 90 $108,000
Estimated crop value losses $9,156,800
Not to end on a sour note but, if you source your juice locally you may want to contact your supplier and find out if they were affected by the freeze and if it will impact your winemaking plans for this year.
Andre Pazik, Executive Vice President & CTO, is a former teacher with a passion for fine food and wine. During his successful careers in criminal justice and education, Andre?s interest in winemaking continue to grow. His experiments in monitoring fermentation led to the invention of the BubbleFlo? system.
A Short Tasting Notes Summary
Fruit Wines and Fruit Winemaking ? Part 2 of 2
I hope that this summer was a pleasant one for you and a productive fruit wine season. Here in Western New York the availability of summer tree fruits...
Click Here to Read More About Wine ...
Featured Tasting Notes Items
The FTD Classic Rose Bouquet
Our most popular rose bouquet. 2 dozen sumptuous roses with greens in a glass vase. Available in red, pink, yellow, white or peach. Prices may vary in some locations. D6-2978
Price: 189.99 USD
News about Tasting Notes
Yangarra McLaren Vale Old Vine Grenache 2004 Wine Review (NW)
Sun, 05 Oct 2008 10:12:00 PDT
Tasting notes: Big aromas of raspberry jam and custard on the nose Rich and mouth-filling on the palate Smooth finish loaded with crushed berries and surprising nuances of tea, cocoa, and earth Australian red wine might be dominated by Shiraz, but don't miss the exciting Grenache. This wine has the big fruit you'd expect from an Australian red, but it also has some surprising layers that round out the flavor profile and make it very interesting. At $22 or so, it's not in the bargain bin. How
Inniskillin Vidal Icewine 2004 Wine Review (NW)
Sun, 05 Oct 2008 09:57:00 PDT
Tasting notes: Nose of peach, apricot, and lime Rich, sweet core of fruit on the palate Finish of tangerine, apricot, and honey This wine is a nice little treat. It's fairly complex and interesting, and cures the sweet tooth after a meal. Prices keep climbing, though, and this one will run you at least $55 for a half bottle. Is it worth the money? Once in a while. Just remember, for the same price, you can also get a world-class half bottle of Sauternes or Vintage Port. Raise a glass!--A Revi
Best Foot Forward (The Santa Rosa Press Democrat)
Sun, 05 Oct 2008 07:24:52 PDT
Reality TV is all about pushing the limits, so when Food Network fixture Bob Blumer hit town last week, he knew he'd need to strip off his shoes and socks and get down to work.
Pumpkin Dip Recipe ♥
Sun, 05 Oct 2008 05:49:13 PDT
Today's vegetable recipe: An easy-easy recipe for pumpkin dip, just cream cheese, pumpkin and spices. As dips go, unusually healthy with high proportion of pumpkin to cream cheese and sugar. Low carb. October 1, my hometown farmers market makes a magical transformation: the row of farmstands becomes a pumpkin patch playground, the perimeter lined with hay bales. Little ones play bumper tractors as the moms and grandparents look on, often recording the squeals of delight. Out front is a pile -- m
Hacking the 2008 UK Ironman: Kick to Kill
Sun, 05 Oct 2008 05:19:10 PDT
I completed another full distance triathlon last month. And consistent with my tradition I barely trained, barely survived, and barely remember what happened. I’ve organized this blog post into three parts; funny stuff for the casual reader; practical stuff for the Ironman hacker; and finally; specific notes about the UK Ironman. On the Lighter Side I was feeling unusually relaxed the night before the race – so relaxed that I decided celebration was in order. For starters I had two g
Back to basics at Lowcountry Gourmet (Savannah Morning News)
Sun, 05 Oct 2008 04:54:04 PDT
I certainly wasn't the first person to visit Lowcountry Gourmet Foods, but I was apparently one of the first to take the new store seriously as a "tasting room."
Orange Muscat
Wine Gifts | Wine Glass
Labels: Pot Rack
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