This map of the Shier shows the vineyard that I am working on. Our neighbor, Bob McCrindle, is clearing a space with his chainsaw and tractor. In early May, I will plant 100 Riesling plants grafted to root stock.
I racked the Riesling over the weekend. In some of the carboys, acid precipitated out, collecting at the bottom along with the spent yeast. The winery temperature sometimes drops into the low 40s during very cold times in the winter. That plus the March snowstorm power outage may explain the acid precipitation, which I generally consider to have a positive effect on the wine. Overall, I am pleased with the progress of the wine.
The All-Wise crew made the trek from Brooklyn up to West Park, New York. They're preparing to ramp up a commercial volume production of mead. Mead is honey mixed with water and fermented with yeast. All-Wise brought a sample of their product, bottled on 9-11-17. I was impressed. My taste in wine tends to be on the dry side, with a preference for complexity over smoothness. The mead was dry, but not overly dry. I would compare it to a complex semi-dry wine. The flavor also retained the yeast, which I understand is a hearty strain, able to ferment the more stubborn (as compared to wine grapes) honey sugar. The mead lends itself to sipping, with a natural peppery spice kick at the end. Some people actually add pepper directly to the mead, though the guys told me they added no pepper to this batch. The mead smells great in the glass. Mr. Sprouse recommended a glass with a narrowed flute to hold in the aroma. It will be great to see how All-Wise develops their commercial produ
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