Friday, October 2, 2009

Pancakes and Wine


I came in this morning to a lot of activity in the barrel room. I guess it is going to be a busy day for the boys! Stephen came into the tasting room this morning to say good morning and he had a whisk and a large bucket filled with what looked like pancake mix. But alas, we were not having a team breakfast at work... Stephen was actually about to add yeast to the Touriga and Syrah! They have been sitting in the large stainless steel tanks for the past few days and today is the day Stephen is adding the yeast... Let the fermentation begin! Stephen explained that he was heating the must before adding the yeast to the tank. This way the yeast are quite active and prepared to turn those sugars into alcohol.

As for harvest, we are officially at the halfway point... All of the whites have been picked and the reds are moving quickly! We have plans to pick the Cabernet Franc on Sunday and then we will only have Cabernet Sauvignon, Chambourcin, and Norton left on the vines.

And I'm not sure if I am supposed to tell you this in case there is some superstition behind it, but Stephen said that 2009 might be the best year Keswick Vineyards has seen thus far! I can't wait to see these wines age and develop... I'll be sure to keep you updated

It seems like a busy day today and I have a sneaking suspicion I'll be back with another update shortly. I heard some talk about processing the Merlot and Petite Verdot we brought in yesterday...  How exciting!

must - grapes and juice prior to or during fermentation

1 comment:

  1. Welcome to Keswick, Lauren! Can't wait to hit the tasting room this Sunday, hope to meet you then!
    Jen Ott
    Ashburn, VA

    ReplyDelete