Wine Blend Spotlight: Mettler Ranch GSM
A beautiful blend of three Rhone varietals: Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre. All three of these varietals trace back to the Mediterranean coast and thrive in the Lodi climate. They blend poetically together, each bringing a different flavor profile. Grenache adds a fresh raspberry flavor. The Syrah brings savory dark fruit flavors and a velvety mouth-feel. Mourvedre adds a nice tannin structure and herbaceous aromas. A delicious wine to try!
You can ferment it a number of ways. You can do what is called a “field blend” and blend everything at crush. Or you ferment each varietal seperately. Either way makes a great wine. It all comes down to the equipment you have and the amount of time you have. If you don’t have a lot of storage vessels then doing a field blend is the way to go.
Field Blend Fermentation:
- Crushing and Fermenting: After harvesting, co-ferment the grapes together in the same fermentation vessel. This means that the Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvèdre grapes are all mixed together from the start. The co-fermentation process allows for the blending of flavors and characteristics at the earliest stage.
- Temperature Control: Control the fermentation temperature carefully, as each grape variety may have different requirements. Find a temperature that works well for all three varieties to ensure proper extraction of flavors and tannins.
- Taste and Adjust: Monitor the fermentation process and taste the wine to assess the development of flavors. Make any necessary adjustments, such as adding yeast or adjusting the temperature, to achieve the desired characteristics.
- Aging: After fermentation, age the wine in suitable containers, such as oak barrels or stainless steel tanks. Aging allows the flavors to meld and develop complexity.
- Bottling: Once the wine has aged to your satisfaction, bottle it. Label the bottles with the vintage and the type of field blend GSM.
- Enjoy: Once the wine has aged to your satisfaction, bottle it. Label the bottles with the vintage and the type of field blend GSM.
Creating a field blend GSM wine is a unique approach that requires careful planning and execution in the vineyard. It can result in a wine with distinctive characteristics that reflect the terroir and the synergy of the three grape varieties grown together.
Fermenting the Grapes Seperately:
- Fermentation: Fermenting each grape variety separately helps control the extraction and balance of flavors. Add yeast to start the fermentation process. Pro Tip: Use different yeasts for each batch and you will create even more complexity!
- Temperature: Monitor and control the fermentation temperature. Grenache, for example, generally benefits from higher fermentation temperatures, while Syrah and Mourvèdre might require lower temperatures to preserve their desired characteristics.
- Taste and Analyze: Taste the wines from each varietal to understand their individual characteristics. Analyze factors such as aroma, flavor, acidity, tannin, and alcohol content.
- Blending Trials: Once each wine has completed fermentation and has been aged to your liking, start experimenting with different blends. This is where the art of blending comes into play. Start with small trial blends and make adjustments to the ratios until you achieve the desired flavor profile and balance.
- Age the Blend: Blend the wines together and allow the blend to age in a suitable container, such as oak barrels or stainless steel tanks. The aging process helps the different components integrate and develop complex flavors. *For more information on againg your wines, check out this blog post
- Regular Tasting: Blend the wines together and allow the blend to age. The aging process helps the different components integrate and develop complex flavors.
- Bottle: Once you’re satisfied with the blend and the wine has aged to your liking, bottle it. Make sure to label the bottles appropriately, indicating the vintage and the blend.
- Enjoy: Allow the bottled wine to rest for a period before opening and enjoying. GSM blends often benefit from some additional bottle aging to reach their full potential.
GSM blends are known for their bold, rich, and complex flavor profiles, often characterized by red fruit, spice, and earthy notes. The proportions of each grape variety in the blend can vary, but Grenache is typically the dominant grape, with Syrah adding structure and Mourvèdre contributing depth and complexity. Experiment with different proportions to create your own unique GSM wine blend.
The Mettler Ranch wine grapes are available for purchase every Fall Season. If you are interested in the Mettler grapes we suggest making a pre-order by mid-August. For more information on the Mettler Ranch click here.
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Musto Wine Grape offers a variety of products as well as services including testing and support. Email sales@juicegrape.com or call (877) 812 – 1137 to speak with someone who can assist you.
How to Make Syrah Wine from Chilean Wine Grapes
Chilean Syrah from Colchagua Valley has received high praise from publications like Wine Enthusiast, earning 93+pts. It’s a wine variety that is often overlooked from Chile and is a wine worth making this season. Chilean Syrah boasts flavors of plum, wild berry, and earth aromas. I highly suggest introducing this wine to oak barrels or an oak infusion. The medium acidity and powerful aromas are complemented by the French Oak flavor profile.
Yeast Suggestion: CSM yeast
Oak Suggestion: French oak barrels or chips
Wine Flavor Profile: Bold, medium tannins, blackberry, plum, wild berry, leather, smoke, chocolate, and oak
How to Make Syrah Wine from Chilean Wine Grapes:
- Crush Syrah grapes into a sanitized bin or tub. (Each 18lb crate will make 1.25 gals of finished wine).
- Apply 50ppm of Potassium Metabisulfite and stir well. Allow to sit for 8-12 hours.
- Apply .5ml of Color Pro Pectic enzyme per box diluted into a 10% solution with water to the must and stir. Allow to sit for another 8-12 hours.
- Mix Booster Rouge, FT Rouge, and Opti-Red, with spring water until it is the consistency of pancake batter and pour over top of crushed grapes. Mix in well.
- Add rehydrate CSM yeast (1g/gal) with Go Ferm rehydration nutrient and warm water. Allow to sit for 15 minutes and pour over top of crushed grapes.
- Punch down grapes 3 times per day throughout the duration of fermentation and monitor temperature and Brix levels daily. Use a hydrometer to test sugar content in a strained juice sample. Make sure the temperature does not exceed 85F.
- One day after adding the yeast, add Fermaid O, mixed with spring water into the pancake batter style slurry. Dump into grapes during a punch down.
- After the depletion of 1/3 of the Brix (when the Brix level is between 16-11), add Fermaid O that is mixed with spring water into the pancake batter style slurry. Dump into to grapes at a punch down.
- Add Malo-lactic bacteria the same day as the Fermaid K. If you are using liquid cultures, just pour over the grape must and mix. If you use the dry cultures, rehydrate them in warm spring water according to their specific directions, utilizing any rehydration nutrients recommended.
- When the Brix have dropped below zero, press the wine into a sanitized tank, carboy, or demijohn. Make sure the vessel is topped up all the way to the top of the neck and sealed properly with a bung and airlock.
- Rack after 48 hours and then again in a week. Allow MLF to complete before adding sulfites.
- Allow the wine to age and rack it every 2 months and add sulfites when racking.
- Add oak infusion after 2nd or 3rd racking. Taste test along the way until the oak profile is where you want it to be.
Interested in making your own wine? Musto Wine Grape Company is here to help! Musto’s New England’s largest supplier for home winemaking products and services. Visit juicegrape.com or give us a call at (877) 812 – 1137 to learn more.
Super Bowl Party Food Guide
Super Bowl Party Guide
It’s that time of year again. The sound of grown people screaming at the TV. Watching grown men chasing each other over a ball, you can probably guess its super bowl season again. So we’ve put together a guide for some super bowl foods and what to pair with them to win the party on game day.
Pregame Wine
We all like to get together and pre-game for the big game! It’s nice to have a smooth and easy sipper to enjoy with friends while getting ready for the big event. One of our traditions is to watch the Puppy Bowl, as an adorable warm up to the big game. What goes better with good friends and adorable puppies than a sweet refreshing glass of Moscato? Rosabianca Moscato has delicious honeysuckle, orange, and pear notes and that make it a refreshing and delicious glass of wine.
7 layer dip
This ultimate combination of Mexican flavors including refried beans, guacamole, sour cream, cheese, tomatoes, green onions, and black olives is a classic dip that’s easy to make. The best part is it can be made ahead of time, stored in the refrigerator, and served cold or at room temperature (LINK to 7 layer dip)
Rose Vineyards’ Symphony wine is the perfect wine to pair with this dip. This white wine is from one of CT’s newest wineries! This new, coming varietal has refreshing pineapple, citrus and tropical fruit notes that will quench the spices within the 7 layer dip. All of the great, tongue-tickling fruit flavors within the Symphony wine will pair well with the many flavors of the dip.
French Onion Beef Sliders
This is basically a bit of a fancy slider – delicious and easy to make, this is sure to take the party to the next level. (LINK to French onion beef sliders)
Some folks reach for a big IPA to drink with burgers – and that’s awesome. However, we think that beers with some toasty malts, caramel sweetness, and a dry, clean finish can work wonderfully with these sliders without being too heavy. Try Ommegang’s “My Watch has Ended” Brown Ale or Armada’s “Sorcerer’s Temple” Dunkel Lager.
If you want wine with this one, Try Chamard Winery’s 2015 Syrah – This full bodied Syrah has a rich fruity nose, with firm tannins that will pair well with the rich French onion beef sliders. The savory notes of anise and black pepper will pair perfectly with the intensely savory and rich French Onion style sliders.
Philly cheese steak queso dip
This dip is a party staple; you can’t have a party without it. It’s a unique twist to the dip category, and all the Philly cheese steak lovers will thank you for it. (LINK to the philly cheesesteak queso dip)
For beer, we like a crisper, cleaner, hopped-up, somewhat bitter IPA to cut through the delicious cheesy, fatty goodness of this dip. Try Connecticut Valley Brewing Company’s “Cross Country” IPA or Kent Fall’s Brewing Company’s “Line Aversion” IPA.
For wine, try R. Dee Winery’s Slainte – what’s more quintessential game day food than a Philly cheesteak? Pair this bold Petite Syrah with luscious blackberry and tobacco notes with the cheesy, decadent cheesteak dip. The firm tannins will cut through the rich cheese and refresh your palette to keep you coming back for more.
Bourbon Bacon BBQ Chicken Skewers
There has to be some sort of BBQ chicken at your super bowl party, or it’s really not a super bowl party. Instead of going the traditional route of chicken wings, try these instead. Your guest will really enjoy the mess free convenience of these BBQ chicken skewers. (LINK to the bourbon bacon bbq chicken skewers)
We think you can go in 2 directions with a beer pairing with this one. Something crisp but also a bit smoky can complement the BBQ tastes of this dish like schwarzbiers, rachbiers, etc. You can also go with a smooth, slightly creamy, more delicate IPA that won’t overpower the great flavors of this dish. Try Fox Farm Brewery’s “The Camp” Smoked Lager or New Park Brewery’s “Cloudscape” IPA.
For wine, try Hawk Ridge Winery’s Mad Hawk Spanish style blend – Bold, bright fruit and smooth tannins make this Spanish style wine a delicious accompaniment to BBQ! The fruitiness of the wine will compliment the sweet flavors in the BBQ and the smoother tannins will not over power the chicken. A very fun new wine to try.
Post Game Celebration
When your team brings home the big win, you need to celebrate! Paradise Hill’s Celebration sparkling wine is the perfect accompaniment to any touchdown dance you can come up with. Nothing says victory and rejoice, like a sparkling wine. Try one of CT’s best to celebrate the big Super Bowl win!
Why I’m making South African Syrah this year….
South African Shiraz is an under rated wine in the US. It is deep ruby in color with vibrant red fruit, baking spice notes, rounding out with notes of anise and black pepper. It is a complex wine with many layers of flavor. Unfortunately, there are not many distributed in the United States, so it’s a great reason to make it at home.
The Shiraz grapes come from a boutique wine growing region of South Africa called Devon Valley. Devon Valley is an estate vineyard that is planted on the valley slopes. It has rich soil and the benefits of warm days and cool breezes at night for optimal ripening.
For winemaking BDX is my yeast of choice this year. It is a vigorous fermenter and can handle 16% alcohol. BDX brings out the ruby color, while increasing the mouthfeel and soft tannin extraction. Personally I love soft tannins in a Syrah, but want to keep a solid structure in the wine. BDX should help me maintain the Syrah style I like, while bringing out the South African varietal character that it is known for. As for ageing, I am thinking about exposing the Syrah to a small amount of American oak, but I am still on the fence. It can add coffee notes to the Syrah, but I am not sure if I should let the fruit shine or add a little extra dimension to the wine. What do you think?
The Syrah grapes arrive this week. Decisions, decisions….
Winemaker Spotlight: Grettchen van der Merwe of our South African Vineyards
How did you get started winemaking? What first attracted you to winemaking?
I grew up in the Cape Winelands and studied Viticulture and Oenology at Stellenbosch University. I love the process of winemaking, the chemistry of it. Wine is a living thing and it is wonderful to be able to make something with the potential to be enjoyed for years to come as it grows and matures in the bottle.
What do you look for when you make wine? What is your general winemaking philosophy?
It is all about the grapes, get the best grapes possible and make sure you have the basics right, but don’t try to over engineer the process.
What is the most difficult aspect of making wine? What’s or biggest challenge as a winemaker
You are working with nature so you cannot predict what’s to come in a season and every season has its own challenges. I think the most difficult are seasons where the vines are stressed, be it from high temperatures or wet weather that can increase risk of fungal infections in the vineyard.
Are you filtering your wines?
There is a movement toward unfiltered wines, especially as consumers become more educated and willing to accept a little sediment in the bottle. I do prefer to filter my wine, but use the most coarse (largest micron size) filter available. Basically just to give the wine a rough polish as it goes into the bottle.
Are there any new winemaking techniques or tools you’d like to experiment with?
They aren’t necessarily new tools, but you can achieve a lot with good use of enzymes and tannins at vinification. I like to cold soak my grapes before fermentation; you get the benefit of good color and flavor development without the harsh tannic extraction that happens after fermentation (when alcohol is present).
What’s your favorite wine region?
Many different regions excel at specific varietals, which is part of what makes wine exciting, you can have a Syrah from South Africa; Australia and France and all three can be fantastic but also completely different in style.
We want to give a BIG Thank you to Grettchen for answering our winemaker questions and we look forward to meeting her in person on April 2nd. We would like to invite all of our winemakers to meet her Monday April 2nd from 1:00-6:00PM at our Hartford, CT Location. Grettchen will be speaking about her vineyards and favorite winemaking practices. RSVP to Christina at cmusto@juicegrape.com. This event is FREE to join and we would love you bring in some wines that you have made for Grettchen to try. Looking forward to seeing you all on April 2nd!
Chilean Wine Grape Update: Arrivals & In Stock
As of 5/2/2017 the following is in stock…
Juices:
ALL Chilean Varieties
ALL South African Varieties
Grapes:
Malbec
Carmenere
Merlot
Petite Verdot
Syrah
To Arrive 5/5/17….
Juices:
ALL Chilean Varieties
Grapes:
Cabernet Sauvignon
Cabernet Franc
Carmenere
Pinot Noir
Petite Verdot
Malbec
Merlot
Syrah
Please feel free to contact us at sales@juicegrape.com or 877.812.1137 to schedule your pick up!
We are looking forward to working with you this Spring Harvest! Keep an eye on our Facebook Page and Harvest Tracker for more harvest information and upcoming wine classes.
Paso Robles Merlot Harvest
Good Morning from Paso Robles Winemakers!
Our crew is working very hard to bring you some of the finest wine grapes Paso Robles has to offer. Yesterday and Today we are harvesting Merlot and Syrah. They are being picked around 24-26 Brix. They should be arriving in Hartford, CT around 9/23/2016.
We are still awaiting the Petite Sirah which is currently at 22 Brix. We are thinking it will harvest around 9/23.
Make sure to place your orders!
These are fantastic grapes for making Award Winning Wines!
-PS-
Drop Off You Wine Competition Entities at Pick Up! http://www.juicegrape.com/community/wine_classic/
Yeast Pairings for Chilean Wine Grapes
Yeast Pairings for Chilean Wine Grapes
Cabernet Sauvignon: BM45, BM4X4, D80, RC212, D254
Cabernet Franc: BM45, RP15, D254, D80, BDX
Petite Verdot: BM4X4, D80, D254
Chardonnay: QA23, VIN13, D47, COTE DES BLANCS
Pinot Grigio: 71B, VIN13, QA23, R2
Sauvignon Blanc: VIN13, QA23, R2, D47, V1116
Which yeast will you use? 🙂
Also, don’t forget to watch our Youtube Video on “Yeast & Stuck Fermentation”
Cheers! And Happy Winemaking!
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