The fifth part of the Intrepid Winemaking Project 2016 was not one that I necessarily planned on. I was however encouraged by a few people to consider blending Bin X and Bin Y, in an effort to get more of one wine rather than make people choose, and also to combine the positive attributes of each component. Let me know if you have any questions about this step in the winemaking story!
Tag Archives: Sangiovese
Let’s Taste – La Maschera Rosé of Granaxia 2016
On part two of three, I taste another rosé wine from the Hill-Smith Family Vineyards portfolio, this time the La Maschera Rosé of Granaxia 2016. This is a blend of Grenache and a splash of Sangiovese, and came from the Barossa Valley. Let me know what you think in the comments below!
La Maschera Rosé of Granaxia 2016
November 2, 2016 · 9:04 am
Let’s Taste – Yalumba ‘The Y Series’ Sangiovese Rosé 2016
The wonderful Pippa from Hill-Smith Family Vineyards sent me a care package of samples, including three different rosé wines from the portfolio, so I decided to do a three-part series. This is part one, and is for the Yalumba ‘The Y Series’ Rosé 2016. The Y Series was always a great value option back when I worked in wine retail. Let me know what you think in the comments!
Yalumba ‘The Y Series’ Sangiovese Rosé 2016
November 2, 2016 · 8:54 am
Intrepid Winemaking 2016 Part Three – Pressing
Part three of The Sangiovese Project is all about pressing the two bins and transferring them into their vessels. If you haven’t already seen part one and two, I recommend watching them before this video.
Bin X of the Heathcote Sangiovese that was foot-stomped and plunged daily, took about 10 days to finish its fermentation on skins. The skins were quite broken down and plenty of colour had been leached into the wine. The original 500kg of grapes fit into one basket press, and produced just over 300 litres of wine. It settled in a tank for two nights then was transferred into a seven-year-old hogshead (300L) barrel for its elevage.
Bin Y was left as whole berries after de-stemming. It went through a mostly carbonic maceration, and was not handled until pressing. Any juice in the bin was fully fermented, but there was still a lot of juice inside intact berries that was not fermented yet. Pressing included two top ups of the press, as the berries took up much more space. The wine was darker and fruitier. It was transferred into a 300L stainless-steel tank and a 34L demijohn to finish fermentation, and it will stay there.
Please note that the memory card was full towards the end of pressing so I missed a bit.
I hope you enjoy this next part of my first winemaking journey, thanks again to Alex for the advice and the help processing the wine. If you have any questions please feel free to ask them in the comments below.
Bin X Wine Cake
April 16, 2016 · 10:50 am
Intrepid Winemaking 2016 Part Two – Fermentation
If you haven’t watched Part One of The Sangiovese Project (processing the fruit), I suggest watching that first.
Part Two is all about fermentation. Two days after receiving the fruit, fermentation was under way in Bin X. It was important to plunge the cap of skins (and some berries) every day, partly for the gentle extraction of colour and tannin from the skins into the wine, but also to keep them wet to avoid spoilage.
Bin X converted the sugar into alcohol at a rapid pace. It went from 13 degrees baumé to one or two in the space of three days. By the fourth day you can see that there is a lot less activity in the ferment. With some advice I gave the bin a few more foot-stomps to squeeze more juice out of the remaining berries, which extended the ferment a few more days and extracted a bit more colour and tannin. After 10 days the ferment was finished, but daily plunging continued until pressing on the 22nd of March.
Bin Y had CO2 pumped into the bin and it was covered by cling-wrap. It was checked each day simply by smell, giving off a slightly candied fruit aroma. The weight of the berries gradually crushed the berries at the bottom of the bin, and the juice fermented dry. It was very crunchy and bright to taste.
The next part will focus on the pressing of the two bins, and their subsequent transfer into their vessels. Feel free to ask me any questions in the comments below.
April 11, 2016 · 5:01 pm
Intrepid Winemaking 2016 Part One – Processing the fruit
If you haven’t already seen me share it on social media, I started my first winemaking project, tentatively called The Sangiovese Project. The idea was to purchase some sangiovese grapes from the Heathcote region that were of exceptional quality, and try some experimenting with it. This video, the first of several parts of the journey which I will be sharing, chronicles the processing of the fruit.
Two bins totalling one tonne of hand-picked grapes were delivered on a rainy Thursday evening (10th March). The fruit was grown by viticulture legend (and guest on Episode 65 of The Vincast wine podcast), Mario Marson. In this video you will see how the fruit was prepared for fermentation.
April 10, 2016 · 12:55 pm
Let’s Taste – Vinea Marson Sangiovese 2010 & 2011
After recording this week’s episode of The Vincast wine podcast with Mario Marson, he gave me a bottle each of his Vinea Marson Sangiovese 2010 & 2011 vintages. Here are my impressions of the wines, and be sure to listen to the episode of The Vincast with Mario here.
Vinea Marson Sangiovese 2010 & 2011
August 28, 2015 · 12:31 pm
The Vincast with Adam Foster of Syrahmi and Foster e Rocco
To say that Adam Foster has had an interest in food and wine for a long time is an understatement. Having grown up in Bendigo and beginning his career as a chef, a love of wine and a desire to make it himself led him to studies, travel and working vintage in numerous regions in Australia and France. When he began to make his own wine he worked as a sommelier to support himself, working at the famous Lakehouse in Daylesford, but now his winemaking is his full-time job. Three varieties have captured his attention; syrah for his Syrahmi project, sangiovese for his Foster e Rocco project, and grenache for his L’Imposteur project in France.
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Adam Foster
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