vino time part 2

This on is for P.

Take one wine press (the same one P gave you for Christmas).
Take your fermented crushed grapes that have been sitting doing their thing all week.
Get into that barrel and go after those grapes.
Add the grapes to the press.
Start pressing and keep pressing. You've got to work for that vino.
Keep a demi-john (now what is the etymology of that word!) handy to transfer your newly pressed juice. Make sure you strain it through a fine sieve as well.

Open up the press to reveal the "cheesecake" (as sis calls it).
Have an inspector look it over.

Remove all the skins, seeds, stems from the press and loosen it all up.
Have the second inspector look it over before putting it back into the press.
Press it again. Yes, again! You need that extra bottle to be squeezed out of those grapes. You'll be glad you did later.

Watch it trickle into the container. Let it rest. Crank it again. Let it rest. Have a beer. Finish filling the demi-john(s) and six months later open it up and drink.

it's vino time!

What do you do after you run a marathon and your partner runs a half? You make wine of course!
Last year we didn't get the opportunity to make wine because we were doing the big move. Over the winter db made wine from a kit which actually wasn't too bad. However, nothing compares to making it from the grape yourself. db is very knowledgeable about winemaking. Not only is it a family tradition for him (I made a film about it once) but he's also read tons and has always experimented with technique to get a particular flavour from his wine. Since we've been together I have to say that his wine keeps getting better each year.

It took a bit of work to find a good supplier here. We thought grapes would be a little easier to find being so close to California. db eventually found a supplier who happened to be marking down all the California grapes to clear them out making room for the incoming Washington grapes (we'll have to try those next year. MMmmm Pinot). No grapes seem to come in from the Okanagan and I'm not sure why. Anywho...we got some old vine Zinfandel for next to nothing and some quality Merlot.

The challenge is making this stuff in your laundry room instead of the garage we use to have. It's a challenge, but we're managing. It should be interesting to see how the pressing goes next week.