Every child has a wish list for Santa. They think and plan for months before Christmas. “I too have a wish list, however my list concerns the next grape harvest – Fall of 2020.” Below are the items on Frank Renaldi’s wish list.

First, I always plan on the wine I want to make in the fall. I usually make 5 reds and one white. I chose my grape selection carefully. Why? I am a big red blending guy. So I choose the grapes I want to use to make one or two nice blends with. I wish all my selected grapes are available. If all of those grapes don’t show up or are not to my approval, that throws my plans into panic mode. I may have to choose a different grape and adjust my game plan. It has happened to me in the past, but I have made it work.

Second, I wish all my grapes to have the perfect Brix level. I want my reds to be between 24 and 26 and my whites to be between 21 and 23 Brix. This means no sugar additions or reductions – one less concern. A perfect Brix means a good fermentation and good final alcohol.

Third, I wish for a perfect pH and TA value for my grapes. This is key to a balanced must for my fermentation. This means two things – the grapes are perfect and no work for me. A perfect pH for my reds is 3.5 and for my whites is 3.2. A perfect TA for my reds is 0.6 and for my whites is 0.8.

My fourth and final wish will never happen. I wish instead of picking up my $60 case of Lodi cab, the order got mixed up and they gave me $240 case of Napa Cabernet. I would love one chance to make wine from the best grapes in the world. Maybe someday!