A little late to the party (vintage 2018 is almost over already), but I got there eventually. Here’s the fourth and final video on the 2017 vintage for Vino Intrepido, finishing the wine and getting it into bottle.
The vermentino and nero d’avola components were racked and blended in September 2017, and bottled not long after that. The nebbiolo was racked and blended in October, returned to barrel, then racked and bottled in January 2018.
I was thrilled to host the first ever edition of The Vincast Live in conjunction with the Ear Buds Podcast Network. Joining me as co-host was wine enthusiast, activist and fellow podcaster (Quickie) Nevena Spirovska (who is also the person that invited to me to be a member of the network).
For the first edition of this new and exciting concept, we discussed the topic – “What are the ‘right’ grape varieties for Australian wine?” Not only is the Australian wine industry rapidly evolving with new grape varieties and alternative techniques, but so are the tastes of Australian wine consumers. With so many different options for planting in a multitude of different regions, what are the right choices to keep up with developments and trends when it comes to vitis vinifera?
Joining us were winemakers and former guests of The Vincast; Dan Buckle from Chandon Australia and Circe Wines and guest on Episode 67 (and Episode 117) of The Vincast; and Ben Ranken from Galli Estate and Wilimee Wines, guest on this week’s episode of the podcast. There were wines for tasting relevant to the topic to fuel further discussion. I’m thrilled that we held this event at Noisy Ritual in Brunswick East, owned and operated by another former guest – Alex Byrne from Episode 80 – where I also made my first Vino Intrepido wine.
The Facebook Live video can be seen here https://www.facebook.com/IntrepidWino/videos/1933081903375167/ and the episode will be available on The Vincast soon!
Increasing the volume of fruit for this vintage meant a lot more pressing. Luckily that was largely automated thanks to the pneumatic press, but there was quite a lot of manual labour required, bucketing solids into the press. Six separate skin-contact ferments were all press at different times, and every time the press needed to be cleaned. The pressing program was as follows;
– One of two tonnes of Riverland Vermentino were fermented on skins in two separate ferments. One was pressed immediately after the completion of fermentation, spending a total of nine days on skins. The other was pressed twelve days later, spending a total of three weeks on skins. Both were transferred to neutral white barriques for ageing.
– One tonne of Mildura Nero d’Avola was de-stemmed and split into two fermenters. After only two days of fermentation one half-tonne was pressed and completed fermentation in a stainless steel tank, whilst the other half-tonne completed fermentation on skins but was pressed soon after, a total of 10 days on skins. Each press went to a 300L mature hogshead barrel for ageing.
– Two tonnes of Pyrenees nebbiolo were de-stemmed and split in half. Both finished fermenting on skins. Nothing was added or removed from these ferments. One tonne was pressed after 15 days on skins, the other spent 56 days on skins. They were split between 2010 and 2012 vintage barriques.
Vino Intrepido is a (soon to be launched) brand that combines great Italian grape varieties with great Australian wine regions and growers, experimenting with different winemaking techniques to bring you delicious wine! If you are interested in finding out more, please get in touch via email on vinointrepido@gmail.com
The 2017 vintage was very prolonged, and each of the three varieties finished fermenting before the next one arrived. The fermentations were as follows;
– Two tonnes Riverland Vermentino were split in half – one tonne was pressed and one tonne de-stemmed for skin-contact fermentation. Half of the pressed juice was transferred to neutral barriques for barrel-fermentation, the rest fermented in stainless steel. The two skin-contact ferments had a neutral commercial yeast added to help them through ferment.
– One tonne of Mildura Nero d’Avola was de-stemmed and split into two fermenters. After only two days of fermentation one half-tonne was pressed and completed fermentation in a stainless steel tank, whilst the other half-tonne completed fermentation on skins. Due to the low acids and high pH, tartaric acid was added to help balance the wine.
– Two tonnes of Pyrenees nebbiolo were de-stemmed and split in half. Both finished fermenting on skins. Nothing was added or removed from these ferments.
Vino Intrepido is a (soon to be launched) brand that combines great Italian grape varieties with great Australian wine regions and growers, experimenting with different winemaking techniques to bring you delicious wine! If you are interested in finding out more, please get in touch via email on vinointrepido@gmail.com
To say that the 2017 vintage was different to the 2016 vintage would be one of the biggest understatement ever. Just speaking personal circumstances, this year not only did I finish up with my employer of over three years and start with a new importer/wholesaler, I also welcomed the arrival of my first child! Considering the location I made my wine at this year is a lot further from home than last year, I wasn’t able to be at the winery as much this year. Then I ended up increasing production from one tonne to five tonnes! I also worked with three new varieties; vermentino, nero d’avola and nebbiolo. Finally, the 2017 vintage was late and long; first grapes arrived on the 19th of March and last were the 24th of April!
On this Part One video I process all the fruit. Processing involves the intake of grapes, and making the first decisions for the wine (whether to press, whether to de-stem, whether to do neither). This is all before the fermentation begins and it transitions towards wine.
Vino Intrepido is a (soon to be launched) brand the combines great Italian grape varieties with great Australian wine regions and growers, experimenting with different winemaking techniques to bring you delicious wine! If you are interested in finding out more, please get in touch via email on vinointrepido@gmail.com
It was a distinct honour and a privilege to be named the third fellow for the Australian Alternative Varieties Wine Show. What an incredible insight into one of the most forward-thinking initiatives in the Australian wine scene today! Here are some of the amazing experiences that came with such an honoured award, I was truly humbled. Many thanks to the AAVWS for the opportunity to attend as the 2016 Fellow, I heartily encourage everyone to consider applying for this years show!
Without question, the most fun part of the Australian Alternative Varieties Wine Show calendar is the famous Long Lunch where the trophies are announced. The five-course menu is designed by none-other than Mildura institution Stefano Di Pieri, with a selection of wines from the previous years show, many of them trophy winners. The festivities are emceed by the Chair of the AAVWS, which this year was former guest on The Vincast wine podcast and all around lovely guy, Ashley Ratcliff. Have a watch, then head to the show website to find out all of the trophy winners. Don’t forget to let me know what you think in the comments below, like share and subscribe, and be sure to visit my website and follow me on social media. Many thanks to the AAVWS for the opportunity to attend as the 2016 Fellow, and also for the use of some pictures from the Facebook page.
On the second part of a series looking into the Australian Alternative Varieties Wine Show, I look at one of the most valuable events of the week – particularly for the producer exhibitors – Talk & Taste. These seminars provide a forum for guest speakers, some of whom are on the judging panel, to discuss topics very pertinent to those working with alternative varieties in Australia. This year panels covered three areas, I took some (very amateurish) footage from the front row, here are a few talking points. Many thanks to the AAVWS for the opportunity to attend as the 2016 Fellow, and also for the use of some pictures from the Facebook page.
I was honoured to be named the 2016 Australian Alternative Varieties Wine Show Fellow, given an in-depth behind-the-scenes look at the show and the events run around it. Heading up several days early and offering to steward a few days, I took the opportunity to learn more about the show, and how it improves the quality of Australian wine made from emerging grape varieties. Here is the first video in a short series on the show, outlining how the show is run. Please let me know if you have any questions, feel free to make comments below!
The final stage of the winemaking is the bottling (labelling and selling isn’t winemaking as far as I’m concerned), and I was so grateful to have extra pairs of hands to help and make things smoother. Let me know what you think in the comments below, and get in touch if you’d be keen to buy a bottle or 12 😉
The Vincast - a Wine Podcast with The Intrepid Wino
Wine - Wine People - Wine Culture
A podcast about wine, wine culture and wine people. Every week a different guest from the wine industry joins host The Intrepid Wino (aka James Scarcebrook) for a casual chat about the world of wine.
All content on this podcast remains the sole property of the author unless otherwise acknowledged and appropriately credited. Unauthorised use and/or duplication of content without express and written permission from the author is strictly prohibited. Content may be used for reproduction provided that full and clear credit is given to James Scarcebrook and/or The Intrepid Wino with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.