Some people can tell it is summer by which flowers bloom, or how much daylight we get…but we can always tell it is summer the first time we open a bottle of the previous years Sauvignon Blanc. This year was no exception…yesterday we opened our 2014 Turtle Vines Sauvignon Blanc ! We think it is our best vintage yet.
What happens when a friend you have not seen in 7 years is wine tasting in a town 30 minutes away…invite him over! So why so many glasses? He said he was with his wife and 12 friends…so they all came over for a vineyard tour and wine tasting. Was a great time with Doug and Jenny Lucken and all of their friends!!!
We just returned from a lovely vacation in South America. We began our travels in Buenos Aires, Argentina and caught an Azamara Cruise ship to Uruguay and then ended up in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil!
So…if you are in Buenos Aires you have got to do three things…eat beef, drink the wine and bring $USD (or $Euros). Why the last one…the official exchange rate is 8.5 pesos to the dollar but you can find everyone wanting $USD for 10 to 14 pesos to the dollar. La Cabrera (steak) was wonderful, but a little touristy. We took a tour of the city one day and our tour guide stopped at a local lunch place that had great wine, steak and empanada’s. By the way, the best restaurant experience we had was in a Seafood Restaurant, Crizia in the Palermo Soho district. This is the Viognier we had that was recommended by the sommelier.
We next went to Uruguay and visited Varela Zarranz. It is the 4th largest winery in Uruguay, but comparatively speaking, not so large. Similar to a mid sized winery in Sonoma. The picture at the beginning of the post is from their cellar. We are standing in front of a 2,500 gal oak barrel that was made in 1903 and is still in use! The one surprise was a grape variety we had never tried, tannat. This is a very tanic grape that is normally mixed with cab or merlot. We elected to taste and then purchase some to bring home. My guess is we will need to age it several years and then it will be a lovely wine.
Next was brazil…They are not know for wine, so we had to sample their beers and rum! The pictures below are from a Cachaca distillery in Paraty. It was interesting to see the equipment and process in different countries. I found it interesting that the flavors and oak aging were similar to Tequila, in that you oak age to drink on the rocks and leave it plain to put in drinks.
For those of you thinking of traveling to South America…get on a plane, spend time with locals and drink the local beverages!!!
What a year 2014 was for grapes.
– We picked 1.2 tons (75 cases worth) of Pinot Noir for our Turtle Vines label. We are keeping the Pommard and 667 Clones seperate until bottling. We may end of with 3 different kinds depending on how they age…one of each and then a blend. We will know more in July when we taste/blend and bottle.
– We sold almost 2.6 tons of Pinot Noir to Horse and Plow Winery.
– We received a case of 2013 Pinot Noir from Horse and Plow from Turtle Vines Grapes.
– We picked 9 cases worth of Sauvignon Blanc and will bottle in April.
– We picked 4 cases worth of Merlot and will bottle in July.
Lastly, I took a 6 week winemaking class from Vinquiry which will help with my winemaking in 2015.
We just received a case of “The Gardener” 2013 Pinot Noir made from Turtle Vines grapes.
We sell excess grapes to Chris Condos and Suzanne Hagins, of Horse and Plow, and they make a Vineyard Designate wine. This is a big honor in the wine business. We like working with them, because as far as I know they only buy organic grapes. This agrees with our principles!
We can’t wait until we open this bottle and compare it to our very own “Turtle Vines” 2013 Pinot Noir! Of course, support Turtle Vines Winery first, but consider getting a bottle from “The Gardener” with our grapes as a second choice.
Looking for a Turtle Vines gift item? I have a limited number of these beauties available for purchase on my website or you can get them directly from Terrior by the Sea, a lovely company that contacted us a few months ago to add our logo to her Winery series of kitchen towels.
This multipurpose eco-friendly flour sack kitchen towel is made of cotton specially grown in India. It has a beautiful, natural, soft feel with a pre-washed, vintage look. Flour sack is definitely a one-of-a-kind deal being that it is extremely durable, super absorbent and lint-free. It is also iron-free and can be used for cleaning up spills or simply just dusting around the house. The dimensions are 17.5” x 27.5”. The fabric has been washed and pre-shrunk, which minimizes the amount of shrinkage and fading that could occur with home-washes.
Merry Christmas to all!!!
I’m toasting to all of you for a wonderful holiday season! What am I drinking? Just did a barrel sample of our 2014 Pinot Noir, and it is wonderful. Nice deep color and I think a little more complex than in previous years…will have to see what it tastes like in the spring. It gets racked Monday/Tuesday, sulfured and then I will leave it alone for 5-6 months…except for a little cold treatment in January.
We had a bottle of the 2013 Pinot Noir at Thanksgiving and I think it will be ready for release in a few months.
This was a very good year for different wines at Turtle Vines. Not only are we going to have 3 different Pinot’s (see previous post), but we ended up with 21 gallons of Sauvignon Blanc and 9 gallons of Merlot. The Merlot is from rogue plants in the Pinot vineyard.
The Pinot is now put to bed in our outdoor wine room as it has finished malolactic fermentation. However, since we picked the Sauvignon Blanc and Merlot in October, and it takes 4-6 weeks to finish ML, I moved them into the house until Thanksgiving. At that time, I’ll rack, adjust the pH/TA, remove the oak from the Merlot, and sulfur them.
One last note…we tasted the Merlot and think it will turn out great…so good in fact that I may not graft them out of the Pinot vineyard, but live with the hassle while we farm.
This time of year the vineyard is losing its leaves, the wine has finished primary fermentation and you get a small break to catch your breath and find out if your wine is ready to age. What does that mean? Well, first you have to see if the malolactic fermentation is complete. Then determine the acid profile (pH/TA). Get an alcohol content to pay taxes to the Feds. Finally, taste the wine and see if the oak has incorporated into the wine and you are ready to rack, sulfur and put the wine to sleep until spring.
We are sending off samples this week and will find out our status and make adjustments if necessary. We did a taste taste last night and it is so interesting that the Pommard and 667 clones are so distinct in taste. We think some of it is due to the clonal differences, some from the fact that the Pommard was riper with more raisin’ed berries, and some that the Pommard looked to start fermentation prior to our inoculation with Assmanhausen yeast. The best news is both taste great at this point in time and we will find out in 9 months which is better for the 2015 vintage! I’m guessing for 2014 we will make three Pinot’s…Pommard, 667 and a Reserve wine that is a blend of the two clones. We are really looking forward to our blending party in August!
I moved the wine into our new temperature controlled wine room anticipating the ML had finished.
Wine room temperature/humidity.
Garage temperature.
What’s in your Wine?
Even if you’re not a vegan you may not relish the idea that the wine you are drinking was mixed with gelatin from pigs, cows, and fish bladders, egg whites, and other distasteful animal ingredients, during the wine making process. And for those of you who are lactose or gluten intolerant, you may be concerned that milk protein and wheat gluten may also have been used.
Why is this done?
Many wineries have a formula for making wine that produces a consistent product from year to year that is less dependent on the quality of the grapes they use. The commercial process that is used to create a clear and stable wine or to fix defects is calling “fining”.
Fining
Fining is the operation of adding one or more compounds to wine to bring it into balance and keep it there. Many of these compounds are from animals, gluten and other surprising materials. Although these compounds are filtered out of the wine before it is bottled and sold, there potentially could be some residue in the wine, albeit very minuscule amounts. Here’s are some examples:
* Isinglass (fish bladder) is used to clarify wine.
* Gelatin (pork, cow and fish skin and bones) clarifies wine and removes excess tannins.
* Plant proteins (either green peas or hydrolyzed gluten) is used to clarify wine and remove excess tannins. Pea protein is appropriate for vegan wines.
* Egg albumin is used to clarify wine and remove astringencies in red wine.
* Potassium caseinate (milk protein) improves aromatic defects and treats oxidized wines.
* PVPP (plastic) is used to treat bitterness.
* Bentonite (clay) is used for rapid clarification and to treat protein-unstable wines.Bentonite is appropriate for vegan wines.
Is Fining Necessary?
Our Turtle Vines Pinot Noir is not fined or filtered. No animal products, plastic, or gluten is used in the production of our wine. It is simply not necessary.
To achieve clarity, we “rack” our wine. Racking is the process of letting the wine settle and then siphoning it into another vessel. This is done three times. Occasionally there is a bit of residue at the bottom of our bottles but that doesn’t bother us – it’s better than adding these odd and distasteful compounds listed above.
To balance our tannins, we “cold soak” our destemmed (and about 5% whole-cluster) grapes for five to ten days before fermentation to bring out the beneficial, water soluble skin tannins.
We prevent excess tannins by ending fermentation and pressing the wine before the wine goes completely dry. This controls excess tannins from the grapes seeds by limiting how long they soak in the fermented wine.
Tannins can also seem out of balance if the acidity and alcohol levels are inappropriate. Acid levels are controlled by measuring and adding tartaric acid when necessary. Correct alcohol levels are controlled by picking the grapes when their target sugar content (and flavor) is achieved. With the proper acidity and alcohol levels, fining is not necessary to adjust tannins.
All these methods of carefully balancing tannins prevents having to deal with astringencies and bitterness.
Controlling aromatic defects is much easier to control when you grow and hand-pick your own grapes. At Turtle Vines we examine every grape cluster continually throughout the growing season, discarding any that have mold or mildew or that are not ripe enough to pick. Many large wineries machine-harvest their grapes allowing more bad grapes to end up in the fermentation tank.
The Importance of Organic Grapes
When you go grocery shopping for grapes, many of you buy those that are organically grown. Every year table grapes are listed as one of the Environmental Working Groups “Dirty Dozen“. Their 2014 audits showed that table grape samples has residue of at least 15 pesticides. But when you buy a bottle of wine, most people don’t even think about whether or not the grapes used to make the wine are organic. Conventionally grown wine grapes can be treated with synthetic pesticides, fungicides, insecticides, and fertilizers.
According to the California Department of Pesticides Regulation, 25 million pounds of pesticides were applied to conventionally-grown wine grapes in California in 2010. These wine grapes had far more pesticides than table grapes. According to the USDA Pesticide Data Program, there are up to 34 different kinds of pesticide residues found on conventionally-grown grapes!
Our grapes at Turtle Vines Vineyards are certified organic by the California Certified Organic Farmers Association. It is not only important for our wine to be free of these toxins to protect you, but we did not want ourselves, our workers, our neighbors, or wildlife to be exposed or subjected to these harmful chemicals.
We do not, however, make organic wine. The difference between organic wine and wine made from certified organic grapes is that organic wine does not allow for the addition of sulfur dioxide. Since sulfur dioxide prevents bacterial spoilage, very few wines are made organically as they have a short shelf life. We feel that the majority of benefits to the consumer are obtained by wine being vegan and made from certified organic grapes.
Is Wine Raw?
During fermentation, temperatures rise but generally stay below 85 degrees so, from that standpoint, wine is considered raw. However, some winemakers add sugar during the wine making process to achieve their target alcohol content (not to make the wine sweeter). Unless the sugar used was raw sugar, some would consider this wine not to be raw.
This process of adding sugar to wine is called “chaptalization” and it is generally done in regions that have poor climate and produce grapes with low sugar content. This practice is illegal in Argentina, Australia, Austria, California, Italy, and South Africa. So you can be assured that wines from these regions were not made with sugar. Our California wines have plenty of sunshine and ample sugar content and don’t need this added sugar.
Our 2012 Turtle Vines Pinor Noir is Now Available
If you are interested in purchasing our Pinot Noir, please go to our main page and send me a note for delivery.
Our wine is raw, vegan, unfined, unfiltered, gluten-free, and made with our hand-farmed organic grapes.
The 2012 Pinot is about 80 percent Pommard and 20 percent 667 with a lower alcohol content of 13.0%. This produces a feminine style wine with a taste of ripened strawberry, currant, and cassis. It is a very versatile and food friendly wine which complements almost any dish from pasta to chocolate truffles!
If you mention Foods For Long Life, you will get additional 10% discount. Stock up for the holidays!
