All the 2009 wines are now aging, what's next?

Wine making seems to proceed at a frantic pace for a short time, followed by a more leisurely period during late fall and winter, then picks up again in the spring.



With the heavy rains in the bay area today, fall has finally arrived and wine making has changed speeds from fast to slow...



So what's next?



All of my wines have finished fermentation and are now in the cellar, clearing, and beginning the year long aging that is my wine making cycle.



The main task right now is racking the wines off the sediment when they clear, checking for any problems, tasting, and thinking about any blending that I may do with this years wines. This is a very relaxing and reflective time during the wine making year.



Time to reflect on what went right, what went wrong, talk about some wine making topics that I didn't cover, and to think about how I might want to improve my process next year.



Here are some topics I am thinking about for the next few posts:

• Grape acid levels, PH, what to do about it, or not.


• High sugar levels in grapes.


• Grape sources


• The wine making year - a one year cycle


• Make wine yourself or with a group?


• Blending


• Do you even want to consider wine making as a hobby?


• ....

Since the acid level in the Sauvignon Blanc was a topic of conversation between me, Joe and Mike who all got the same juice at the same time ; this topic seems like a good place to start.



If the rain continues I should get this blog entry posted soon - "Grape acid levels, PH, what to do about it, or not."