Bottling Time

A quick peek at the latest. Note: we have had our hands full with Black Shirt Brewing Co really taking off, so the wine has had to take a back seat to beer. In all honesty, it's probably exactly what it's needed. In any case, we finally managed to get the 2008 Merlot into glass - 12 cases of bottles and then 30 gallons of carboys to blend with the 2009 Cab Franc. We used zorks - a new closure that is rated for longer storage than traditional or synthetic cork and gives us the confidence that one day we will be able to drink this wine with our grand kids!

(Bottled Mother's Day 2010)

New Year's Eve

Happy New Year's Eve to everyone - I am wishing you a fulfilling, exciting, productive 2010 with love and maybe even some good lovin to top it all off! You deserve it.

Wine update: good wine is made in the vineyard. Period. You can take inferior grapes and fuck with them a lot in the winery and the lab to coax a drinkable substance out of it, but you'd have to know more than we know and you'd have to have no respect for Mama Nature and the gift she gave you. In today's world of wine, the big players have homogenized and pasteurized the product so much that it doesn't even matter what the weather was like, or how small or large the yield was, or whether or not the acid/sugar balance was even close to where they want it to be. They'll just "fix" it in the lab. Well my friends, we have taken a back seat here at 2426 West. We got the hell out of the way of the wine and just let her speak. When she yelled to us that she needed something, we'd give it to her. But not of our own free will. We just listened and waited and acted when called upon. The result? GET YOUR ASS HERE SOON! We are attempting to pull together all the equipment needed to bottle the wine, but until then we are thiefing the shit out of that barrel in complete disbelief of what a soft-spoken, intelligent, classy, well-dressed beauty she has become. You won't believe it either. But you'll sure as hell enjoy it!

Much love, 2426 West

Currently Listening To: Cross Canadian Ragweed / Modest Mouse / Citizen Cope / The Dead Weather

Just Watched (Again): Inglourious Basterds - Genius!

Most Snowfall in the State: Wolf Creek - Latest Storm 15", Year to Date 189" Wish We Were There!

Favorite Beers: Chad - Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA, Carissa - HOSS Rye Lager from Great Divide, Branden - Hibernation English Style Old Ale from Great Divide

Chad and Carissa's Weddin Day: 10/2/10 Be There or Be Square!

Oct and Nov 2009

So October treated us really well here at 2426 West. So many things went perfectly and in our favor. The biggest and best news of all - Chad and Carissa got engaged on their 8th Anniversary! That's right folks, ENGAGED. It had been coming for some time and I have to give it to Chad for having a totally unique and very romantic way of proposing. Want the details? Hit them up. They have been trying like heck to set a date for the Weddin which will take part in Westcliffe, CO in Aug/Sept/Oct of 2010. Stay tuned for the details.

We have been searching for wine bottles only to be shattered by shipping prices. Where are the fucking glass companies around these parts? Anyone, Anyone. We may have to just suck it up and pay three times more for shipping than the bottles themselves. I know, ridiculous.

Here it is the day before Thanksgiving and we are proud to say the latest venture is now a member of AHA and is registered with the Secretary of State! Curious much? Well we aren't letting that beast of a cat out of its bag yet. Just be prepared to drink and drink and drink. We are gonna need all of your help on this one. Happy Turkey my friends!

How about an update?

So, for anyone who might care to know, the wine is becoming magnificent (Keep in mind, when I say magnificent, it means I don't want to put it in a water balloon and throw it at my enemies)! It has taken on a new character, some very great aromatics, and a continually developing mouthfeel. All of which are adding up to a beautiful wine that we here at 2426 West are proud of. You should quit making excuses and get your ass here for a tasting soon. I figure it has another 2-3 months in the barrel and then we will bottle. I am planning on keeping five to ten gallons in glass to blend with this year's Cab Franc.

Speaking of which, the Cab Franc came in a few weeks back and we couldn't be happier with it. I have said it before, I'll say it again - none of this would be possible without our great friend Eames Peterson and his ability to get us the best grapes in the state. Period. This man is an ally, an angel, and a source of great inspiration. I will update the blog soon with details of our newest baby, but suffice it to say it has been a mixed bag so far. The weather has been sunny, rainy, warm, cold, windy, perfect, and today -snow! Fermentation has been all over the place. But you know what? You take what Momma Nature gives you and do the best you can. I love it! I hope this update finds you warm and fuzzy. Take care.

Currently listening to: Horse Feathers - Thank you Libby

Currently reading: In search of Captain Zero - Thank you Costa Rica

Current weather: High 36 degrees with rain/snow showers

Loveland Ski Area opened yesterday with three runs open - Enjoy the "White Ribbon of Death"

Remember: "Eating is and should be a joyous occasion!" Anthony Bourdain

Time to rack...

Racking wine is the process of transferring wine from one barrel to another while leaving the sediment behind. It serves to clarify a red wine - meaning that with each successive racking, ideally, the winemaker will have a clearer, more refined red wine. Theories about racking's other accomplishments include micro-oxygenation, co2 diffusion, and the enhancement of microbial stability. We have chosen to wait a while (a long while, in fact) in order to allow malolactic fermentation to finish before our first racking. And while waiting, I made another big mistake.

While keeping the unused barrel sterilized with the use of sulfur - I haven't filled it with water in order to keep it from drying out. So today, Carissa and I dragged the barrel out of the basement, up the stairs, and into the garage. I hooked up the chlorine filter Chad had rigged up last fall and began to fill the barrel with water. Sure enough, the barrel is leaking in nearly every stave joint. Infact, the metal hoops are so loose, they can slide right off. Great, I think. Chad is going to be so happy when he finds out I have officially ruined our second barrel. So, I turn the faucet up high and with stubborn defiance, crack a soda and turn on the radio. My way or the highway motherfucker! Seal up or shut up!

I soon realize that it is nearly impossible to fill a container with water that is leaking at around the same rate as it is being filled. I turn off the faucet and roll the barrel into the garage to see if it will swell a bit now that it has gotten wet. It works. Kinda. Letting the barrel sit overnight helps me get the level just a bit higher the next day. And I continue this process for five days. Needless to say, the front lawn gets a nice watering. By the weekend, I can fill the barrel with water - it just won't hold it. There are some very stubborn stave joints that don't want to close up.

Sunday morning (April 19th) I wake up to almost a foot of snow on the ground. So I roll the barrel out into the snow and fill it full of water. Then Chad and I pack the barrel with snow - the tops, sides, the whole bit. And sure enough, the barrel finally seals. So we let it sit full for the next couple of days and I start my chemical preparation to sanitize the barrel. Tuesday, the 21st, I add 12 pounds of barrelkleen solution and fill the barrel with hot water - not an easy task because I have to run hose water through our chlorine filter and then put it on the stove top to heat it up. Hours and hours of boiling water. Once this is completed, the barrel is left for 2.5 days. Friday the 24th I empty and rinse the barrel, and fill it with a 10 gallon solution of 80 ounces potassium metabisulfite and 10 ounces of citric acid. This neutralizes any remaining alkali from the barrelkleen. Filled, rolled, emptied, and rinsed - the barrel is ready. I won't be able to rack right away so I put a solution of 6 tblspns metabisulfite and 12 tblspns citric acid and fill the barrel to the top.

On Tuesday, April 28th, I drain and rinse the barrel again, take it to the basement (with Carissa's help) and the three of us rack the wine using a pump we borrowed from our neighbors. It takes about forty minutes to do so and by the bottom of the barrel - the wine looks like paint. It is viscous, purple, nasty and has probably been one of the reasons our wine has taken on some "green apple bullshit." I probably should have racked sooner to get the wine off of these bitter, astringent lees - now I know. We probably lost 3.5 gallons of wine to the racking process - a bit scary for me considering I only have 6.5 total gallons for topping up. I will push the next racking date back just a touch to be sure I get extended aging without creating airspace in my barrel. Note: order more grapes next year!!!

March 1st Tasting Notes

Wine…it’s turning into wine!

Chad has been out of town for two and a half weeks and the only attention our wine has received has been a quick top off and a few kind words. When he returned, I knew we needed to have a taste and see what has been happening in that damn barrel.

What a relief! It is beginning to lose that “sour green apple” character and is taking on more of a true wine flavor. It’s beautifully intriguing smell is back and the mouthfeel is getting more full and rounded. It needs more time – don’t get me wrong; but it is headed in the direction that we have all been hoping and praying for. Something brilliant is emerging…

The Unknowns

The wine barrel. We put our wine in, we capped it off, and we said a big prayer. We have never done anything like this before. Up to this point, it has been a constant struggle. The wine has needed us. We have been nurturing it, cuddling with it, telling it that everything is going to be okay. But now, we have to say goodbye. We have to let go. We have to give it the time and space it needs to find itself. We are no longer in control. Time is. And what’s worse is that we have so many unknowns.

The unknowns, you ask? Sure, like how long will it take? When will we know that it is “done“? What does “done” even mean? What is happening in there? What processes is our baby going through? How much different will it be when it comes out than when it went in? Will we still recognize it? Will it still have the most beautiful and intriguing nose or will that have been changed into something different? Will we be proud of the end result? Or will we have just spent $2,000 on a home-made red wine vinegar?

Whatever comes of it, we have learned and grown so much ourselves. We surely don’t know everything there is to know about winemaking, but then, who does? Nor would we ever want to. Part of the intrigue in life is the unknown. What will come of our actions? The only way to know is to find out. Theories are only that. Live life, don’t be afraid of what’s to come, don’t shy away from an adventure just because you don’t know what might happen. Carpe Diem! And in the end, hold your head high and be proud of who you are and what you have done. Cheers!