Seufert Winery

Wednesday, March 22, 2006


Oregon Viticulture

This is my daily companion lately. This fine book details how to grow grapes in Oregon. It covers everything from site selection to determining when to harvest. Currently, I'm focusing on the pruning and disease/pest management sections.

Why? Well, I'm part way through pruning Sunnyridge Vineyard. This vineyard is cane pruned with vertical shoots. Read the book or search on these terms to better understand what they mean.

I'm a plant person by nature. I love being outside - working with living things. However, I have yet to find a rhythm with the pruning. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy it. I'm just slow.

I plan on finishing pruning Saturday. Let's hope the rain stops by then and that I pick up the pace.

Sunday, March 12, 2006



March snow at Coleman Vineyard

Oregon weather has been a bit strange this winter. The most recent chapter included a dusting of snow - on March 10. This is late for the Willamette Valley. The same storm dumped over 2' in the mountains.

Most vineyards have been pruned by now... but obviously the Coleman's has not been pruned.

Friday, March 10, 2006

I’m almost licensed.

Months after completing the arduous federal and state winery licensing paperwork, it’s nearing approval.

I spent a portion of today with a local TTB field investigator (federal government). We met at the winery, reviewed my application, and clarified a few minor points (for example: what is the name of the local power company? Or: I need a copy of your bank statements.).

Technically, my winery shares an ‘alternating’ premise with Coleman Vineyard. The TTB is very concerned about clear delineation between the winery spaces. They do not want my wine to intermingle with the Coleman’s.

My area was roped off, and we proposed going a step further by using portable office division panels to provide a distinct boundary. The investigator was reluctant to accept this solution, but after discussing the legal requirements we agreed that this was entirely adequate.

He said approval is imminent. Good.

I’ve also been working with the State of Oregon Liquor Control Comission (OLCC). They wanted bank statements too. I also had to disclose a 10 year old traffic ticket. Luckily, I don’t have any additional criminal events to report. I had to get a second bond - ensuring that I'll pay the state alcohol taxes (you guessed it, the first one ensures I'll pay the federal taxes).

Every person that serves alcohol in the state of Oregon must hold an alcohol Service Permit. To get said permit, you must attend a 4.5 hour training course and score at least 70% on a 50 question exam.

As a potential licensed premise owner, I am required to get a service permit prior to the liquor license being issued. I attended a course a couple weeks ago. It was me and five 20-something women – including a first grade teacher that is moon-lighting at a national chain restaurant. The instructor did a great job getting us through the dry material. The highlight had to be the beer goggles used to simulate intoxication. The second-best highlight was the presence of the OLCC evaluator performing his annual assessment of the independent instructor.

I scored 98% on my exam.

One more hurdle crossed.


Malo Lactic (ML) fermentation is complete.

I ran the test, and my Pinot noir malolactic fermentation has finished. This is good because wine is at microbial risk during ML fermentation.

The ML Test:
It’s pretty simple.
1) You take a piece of special chromatography paper and write numbers across the bottom – one for each barrel
2) Place a small drop of wine just above each number – one drop from each barrel
3) Staple the paper into a round tube with the numbers/wine at the bottom
4) Set the paper in a jar, in a small amount of a reactive liquid
5) Over the course of a day, different wine acid types bleed up the paper
6) High tartaric acid concentrations show in the lower 1/3rd of the paper
7) Malic acid travels up to the middle region
8) Lactic acid travels to the top of the paper – showing as a light yellow against a slightly darker background.

Here’s a good detailed explanation of ML fermentation.

Monday, March 06, 2006

Randy Coleman and I tasted through my Pinot noir yesterday.

In short – it’s delicious! OK, I admit that I might be a bit biased.

Here’s the rundown:

I have 5 barrels of Pinot noir, and each one is noticeably different.

First, a brief recap: all of my 2005 fruit came from Coleman Vineyard – half from mature Pommard vines and the other half from younger Dijon clones. I processed these batches separately, and slightly differently. The Dijon batch got a scaled-back version of “Gary’s recipe” while the Pommard saw more traditional treatment.

The Dijon batch is aging in a new Francois Freres ½ barrel from the Allier forest (barrel #1) and a once-used Remond barrel from the Trancois forest (#2). Both are medium toast.

The Pommard is aging in a new Francois Freres ½ barrel from the Allier forest (#3) and a once-used Heavy toast + toasted head Rousseau barrel (#4). The last barrel (neutral) is a combination of both batches (#5).

#1: Bright acidity up front, fruit and oak tannins starting to translate into long finish. Randy: “this barrel would be ready to bottle in 6 months.”
#2: Strong mid-palate. Excellent color (as in all barrels).
#3: Fruit flavors are coming through, can pick up the new oak.
#4: The heavy toast barrel is showing through on this one, resulting in nice “Burgundian” flavors.
#5: Randy: “Great stuff – I could drink this right now.”

The subtle differences are difficult to convey through words, but the diversity is obvious and surprising. When these barrels are blended back together, they will yield a wonderfully intense, complex, yet balanced Pinot noir. I can’t wait.

Want to judge them for yourself? Send me an email to arrange a tasting.


 
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