The Bonded Winery Area



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Fall at Shier Winery...The Adventure Begins Again

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It is still warm, but the leaves are turning at the Shier Winery.  Almost time to start the winemaking process all over again.  In order to clear space in the tanks for this year's Riesling, I had to bottle 35 cases this past weekend.   For those out there that have never used a hand corker or lifted and carried 5 gallon carboys, it is a little bit of a workout.  But the worst part is breathing all of the sulfur dioxide that keeps the whole operation sanitary.  Luckily the exhaust fan that I installed to pull out the carbon dioxide also earns its capital investment by clearing the SO2 cloud. 17 of these carboys filled 35 cases of 2012 Riesling.  99 cases of bottles.
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Vines On The Hill

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We laid black plastic, cutting holes for the vines. Then we added wood chips over the plastic. It was grueling, but Bob McCrindle and I put in the first posts.  The end posts are nine feet long and buried three feet down.  The center posts are eight feet long and buried two feet down.  We tied a 16 gauge wire across the posts.  The support wires will be 12 gauge galvanized steel. The vines are growing fast.  This one is almost five feet tall.
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Brix Fermentation Curve for 2011 Finger Lakes Riesling

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The number one search that brings viewers to the Shier Winery blog is "brix fermentation curve."  One of the great benefits of the WinePod is the real-time sugar sensor.  Similar charts available in books and journals are nearly all made with discrete measurements taken throughout the fermentation process using a hyrdrometer. The real-time sensor shows the value to temperature control on the fermentation process.  Fermentation without temperature control results in increasing temperature at the outset (fermentation is exothermic), followed by a temperature drop once the bulk of the sugar has been consumed.  With temperature control, you see a relatively stable temperature and a more gradual sugar consumption (brix curve).    
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