Tag Archives: Winemaking

May 4, 2016 · 3:26 pm

The Vincast with Simon Killeen from Simâo & Co.

Simon Killeen comes with quite the pedigree, being a seventh-generation Rutherglen-born winemaker. Growing up in vineyards and cellars very quickly made an impact, he barely entertained any other career apart from wine. After many years of experience in vineyards and wineries around the world, he made the bold decision to start his own project; Simão & Co. It was his intention to champion the Greater North-East of Victoria, purchasing grapes from growers in multiple regions. He joined me on this episode to talk about his journey and how he hopes to change people’s perceptions of this somewhat misunderstood part of the country.

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Simon Killeen from Simâo & Co.

Simon Killeen from Simâo & Co.

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April 28, 2016 · 9:27 am

The Vincast with Neill Robb from Sally’s Paddock

Neill Robb’s father was a pioneer viticulturist and consultant, working in such important wine regions as the Hunter Valley and Pyrenees. It was in the latter region that Neill ended up following his father into the wine industry, eventually purchasing an estate with his wife Sally in 1973. Here they established one of the most important estates in this still neglected Victorian wine (and tourism) region, and this year marks the 40th year of the Sally’s Paddock wines being available both in Australia and beyond. Neill shared his story and insights on this episode of The Vincast.

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Neill Robb from Sally's Paddock

Neill Robb from Sally’s Paddock

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Video

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

Bin X Wine Cake

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April 16, 2016 · 10:50 am
Video

Let’s Taste – Le Timbre Syrah 2015 (magnum)

Good friend and wonderful Melbourne-based sommelier Jasmine Wakely is studying winemaking at Melbourne Polytechnic in Epping. In 2015 she made her first wine, a cool-climate syrah named Le Timbre. She only bottled the wine in magnums, and she generously gave me one to open here on the Intrepid Wino channel. Let me know what you think!

Le Timbre Syrah 2015

Le Timbre Syrah 2015

 

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April 15, 2016 · 1:37 pm
Video

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.

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April 11, 2016 · 5:01 pm
Video

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.

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April 10, 2016 · 12:55 pm
April 5, 2016 · 7:38 pm

The Vincast with Iain Riggs from Brokenwood Wines

Iain Riggs is one of the most respected winemakers in Australia, with decades of experience making wine from regions across the country, as well as a wine show judge. He has been at the helm of Brokenwood Wines in the historic Hunter Valley for some time, elevating them to one of the top producers of semillon and shiraz in Australia. Having worked closely with the likes of Len Evans and his incredible tutorial, Iain took the reigns of this illustrious institution when Len passed away. Iain joined me on the podcast while he was recently in Melbourne, and we talked about his background and his views on Australian wine.

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Iain Riggs

Iain Riggs

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March 15, 2016 · 10:04 am

The Vincast with Judy Chan from Grace Vineyard

For those who weren’t aware, China is now the sixth largest wine-producing country in the world, more than Australia in fact. While many may cynically assume that all the wine made in China is of a poor quality, there are some outstanding examples that also reflect their unique terroir. One such example is Grace Vineyard, found in the Shanxi province. Judy Chan, the owner and operator, was recently in Australia and she introduced a number of Australian wine lovers to her wines who were delighted with them. On this episode of The Vincast we talk about the Grace story and the Chinese wine market.

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Judy Chan from Grace Vineyard

Judy Chan from Grace Vineyard

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January 19, 2016 · 9:00 am

The Vincast Episode with Gilles Lapalus from Maidenii

Gilles Lapalus was “born in a barrel”, as wine is in his family in the Burgundy region of France. After working for many years in different roles he took a trip to the furthest place he could think of, Australia. It was here that he was not only introduced to the “new world” of wine, but also his partner. Gaining experience in South and North America, he pursued further projects in France and Italy before he was lured back to Australia and became the winemaker at Sutton Grange just outside Melbourne. During his tenure he introduced many elements to the brand, and also launched a vermouth to a thirsty Melbourne bar scene.

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Gilles Lapalus from Maidenii

Gilles Lapalus from Maidenii

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January 12, 2016 · 9:00 am

The Vincast with Daniel Fischl from Linnaea Vineyards

Daniel Fischl didn’t find working in laboratories particularly appealing, and whilst completing a PhD in Plant Molecular Genetics at UC Davis (California) he was introduced to viticulture and was seduced with what lay outside. It also helped that the viticulture and winemaking students seemed to have more fun. Fast forward many years of experience consulting as a viticulturist and agricultural scientist, he and his winemaker wife Michelle started the Linnaea Vineyards project with a Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. As he got work consulting in vineyards around the world he and Michelle discovered more terroirs and made more wines, across a number of continents and expressions.

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Daniel Fiscal from Linnaea Vineyards

Daniel Fiscal from Linnaea Vineyards

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