Capping Your Bottle

Well I've settled on the label for my 2009 production of Cabernet. I've been thinking about what to place on the bottle's top.

My first thought was that I wanted to cover the top and neck with a bright red wax. So Tuesday of last week I attempted to do just that and bought myself some wax and a bright red dye.

In my thinking process I gave some thought to allowing the bottle to breath and with a wax cover I would be eliminating that but I thought that my wine would most likely be consumed within two years and if that was the case, breath ability was not a worthwhile issue to be concerned with.

I also thought that wax would be a good thing because I could impress on the top a seal of sorts (like when long ago people would seal their letters with wax and then press their ring onto it).

Well, after trying the wax approach I've decided to go with a foil. Why? Because I found that wax is like paint, it goes on in layers. By the time I had put enough layers on so that the wax was a bright red, it looked weird, off balanced. And the seal idea, well that didn't turn out any better.

I wonder if they make a synthetic liquid that I could dip the neck of the bottle in that would have the same or similar appearance I was looking for with wax? If anyone knows that answer, let me know. Until then I think I will be looking into placing a foil over the top. I need to do this soon if I am to give some out as holiday gifts.

Talk to you soon.
Anthony

San Diego Trip

Well it's been several days since my last posting, but I would do the last several days all over again. Let me give you some sound advice: when you have the opportunity to spend time with friends, don't pass it up.

Now I hear you thinking, this isn't about wine. Well, yes and no. Now I hear you thinking, that's a hell of an answer. Let me explain.

One of the reasons I like the atmosphere surrounding wine is that it tends to bring family and friends closer together. But we should all remember that those opportunities for family and friends are not strictly associated with one catalyst.

Last Thursday, Ana and I along with our friends Chico and Ceci, went to San Diego to visit their son Francisco and his wife MaryAnn. The occasion was simply to see them before MaryAnn delivered her first child. We left early Thursday morning taking I-5. The trip down was all too quick, but isn't that the way time is when your having fun?

Our first night in San Diego was an adventure of sorts. It was around 11:00 p.m. when we decided to look for a bar near our hotel (within walking distance). We walked for a half hour before we came across a seedy looking lounge that you had to enter from the back down a long dark alleyway. Because we hadn't seen any thing else we decided to take the chance and walked with great caution into the dark. Sure enough, the entrance was at the back and to our relieved souls there was a light and a gentleman at the back entrance to greet us.

There was a small charge per person to enter and we handed over that amount to the doorman. Upon entering the darkened establishment we saw a short hallway. Both sides of the hallway were drapped with red curtains which reminded me of a bordello. We continued with some apprehension untill we entered a larger room with a well worn pool table and that led us into the actual bar area. It was Ceci who read a small flyer that was on the small round table. She pointed out to us that tonite's charge was free to women. I volunteered to go back out and collect the overcharge.

Walking through the back door I found the doorman sitting down and I didn't hesitate to tell him of his mistake. When he asked me how much he overcharged me I told him that I had walked in with three women so, he owed me $15.00. His response was a tilt of his head as if questioning me. "You came in with two women and another guy." That's when Chico came through the door. Talk about an inopportune time.

"That's the other guy," the doorman said as he flipped his finger at Chico.

"This person?" I remarked, pointing at my friend. Then looking at Chico I surprisingly asked, "Are you a guy?" Chico nodded affirmingly with a smile not knowing all that was going on. "I swear, I'm learning something new everyday," as I told the doorman it was my mistake and accepted $10.00 from him.

Chico looked at me with a face of confusion which he held until later back at the little round table I told them of what took place. After all was told, Ana and Ceci turned to Chico,and as if in a chorus line "Are you a guy?"

That's the way our trip went. It was fun to be around great friends.

Planning Next Year's Production

After harvest, after bottling, it's time we all started thinking about hibernating. But before we get to that moment let's think about next year's production and what we want to accomplish in preparation for next harvest.

This is my list:
1. Purchase (new or used) two more five gallon glass containers.
2. Do some homework on producing a Zinfandel wine. (I currently produce a Cabernet)
3. Read up on introducing yeast and if so, what kind. The two years I've been an amateur wine maker I've let the juice ferment using the natural yeast that was part of the fruit. I'm thinking about killing off the natural yeast and introducing a specific yeast culture for fermentation next year.
4. I've come across an old wine corking machine (hand operated) and I want to refurbish it, clean it up for next year.
5. I've also come across an old wine press. I want to look into what it would cost to refurbish that as well. It appears very heavy and cumbersome but it would be a great improvement from how I did it the last two years.
6. My tentative production goal I will shoot for next year is 3 cases or 36 bottles or roughly 7 gallons of Cabernet . For a good site to go to when you want to convert volume go right to measurement conversion .

Well, this is my beginning effort at a plan for next year's production. I'm sure as time goes on I will be adding to it.

Talk to you soon.

Anthony