WINTER IS A COMIN' IN

DECEMBER 2 2011  We have put the vineyard to sleep for the year. However, we still plan to start pruning our hardier grapes as weather permits. And true to nature we are beginning to make plans for 2012.  I doubt the next season's crop will be as large as 2011, which was as large as I've seen. I expect the buds will be less fruitful because of the amount of work the vines had to do to ripen this fall's crop. Of course vineyardists learn to expect the unexpected and to prepare for what nature offers.

 

I had time to make several wines this fall. I picked some late Marquette at about 27 brix and some late St Pepin at 27-29 brix so I'm excited to see how they turn out. I also held some St Pepin juice back at cold temps and added that to the wine after it had fnished fermenting to back sweeten it. When I first tasted the sweetened wine in early November I wanted to pull up a chair, lower a glass to the siphon tubing, then raise it to my lips. It had a lively acid/sweet flavor that knocked my fermentation lock off. 

I also made my first Noiret wine and the peppery flavor is unique. I'm thinking it will be a very special wine. Then again the muscat I made a bit of this year will be put up against the St Pepin above for comparison. It will be an active winter in the cellar.

 

 

OUR HOURS IN 2012

Tuesday  1-5:00

Saturday 11-4

Sunday    12-4

 

 

Determining when to pick your grapes

For a nice article on determining when to pick your malture grapes, follow this link:

http://www.doubleavineyards.com/news.aspx?showarticle=11&utm_source=Mailchimp&utm_medium=Email&utm_

content=Whentoharvestarticle&utm_campaign=September

Grape Picking Schedule

2012            
Grape Wine Start Date Sugar TA pH Date of Reading
Concord Purple

All to be determined 

in 2012

      
Foch red Sep       
Millot red Sep       
Prairie Star white Sep       
Espirit white Sep       
Marquette Red Sep       
Frontenac Red Sep ?      
Delaware Pink Sep ?      
St Pepin White Sep ?      
St Croix Red Sep ?      
LaCrescent White Sep ?      

         


  

 

The Finest Grapes for Winemakers and Wineries

Grape Prices

2011            
Price   0-30 lb 31-100 lb 100+ lb 300+ lb 1000 lb

           
Concord Purple 1.25    .85    .78    .76   .71
Foch Red .90    .85    .78    .76   .71
Millot Red .90    .85    .78    .76   .71
Marquette Red .95    .90    .83    .79   .74
St Croix Red .90    .85    .78    .76   .71
Frontenac Red .90    .85    .78    .76   .71
Delaware Pink 1.25    .85    .78    .76   .71
LaCrescent White .90    .85    .78    .76   .71
Prairie Star White 1.25    .85    .78    .76   .71
St Pepin White .95    .90    .83    .79   .74
Espirit White 1.25    .85    .78    .76   .71




         

           

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Sep 2010 Mitchell Vineyard Sep 2010 Mitchell Vineyard