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November 5, 2006

Viogner Bottling

This morning we bottled the last of the Viognier we harvested back in August.

Check out the pics!

In order to experiment with different styles, I created three different types (suitably named with musical terms of course!)

All three exhibit similar citrus bouquets, pink grapefruit being most prevalent. They all also have high alcohol content and seem a little "hot", however this is consistent with the 24 degrees brix at harvest which roughly translates to 13.5% alcohol. Maybe they just need to mellow in the bottle for a few more months - we'll see.

The dolce blend has the floral notes consistent with the addition of the Gewurtztraminer and a hint of sweetness on the palette. Down the road I'll probably add in more Traminette and increase the the residual sugar a bit (maybe a 60/40 blend) - not really my favorite style of wine but that will sell like crazy on hot summer days! The oak blend should probably have been bottled a week or two ago - I think the oak bouquet is quite nice but a bit strong in the finish. Perhaps it will settle down in the bottle, or perhaps I just screwed it up (more likely...)

So there it is. In just over four years we somehow managed to go from an absurd notion to bottling our first vintage. There is just too much going on right now for me to really let that sink in, but for the brief moments when I try to ponder it I have trouble believing it has actually happened. Holding one of those bottles in my hand is just an amazing feeling.

My goal this harvest was just to get something bottled - not necessarily to make a great wine, but rather to just get a wine with no obvious mistakes. I think however, that we did far better than that. Shannon and I have been to a lot of wineries during the last four years, tasting, experimenting, evaluating. Perhaps we're just biased, but we both feel very encouraged at the results of our efforts. I sincerely believe I have paid $20 for worse-tasting wine in the store, and I KNOW I have tasted much worse at some of the wineries we've visited. Winetasting is entirely subjective, and that will be something that I will struggle with for the rest of my life. Some people will love our wine, some people will hate it. So regardless of what I think this vintage tastes like, one thing is certain - our Christmas shopping is done!

Posted by Stephen at November 5, 2006 10:59 PM