At last! End of Fermentation

All done!

At last! On Saturday (6th Nov 2010) we finally pressed the last of our red wines off the skins.

Juan manning the pump.

Moving the Graciano into the barrel

Fabio at the other end.

The light is so I could peer into the barrel to check the level

Close-up of the stick-thing used to fill the barrel

It was only about 350 l of Graciano, but it was complicated, and it took us all day! This was because we fermented the Graciano in some old oak barrels that we recovered, and we had to replace the tops - quite a tricky operation if you're not a barrel-maker!

'Engrudo' a mixture of flour and water, used to seal the top of the barrel

Juan and Justo attempt to replace the top.

Note the metal hoops

Two manual cage presses bleeding off Graciano

While we were doing all this, we also filled another oak barrel with Tempranillo 2010, and another one with Shiraz 2010. I forgot to take photos of them, but I have this other one:

Crianza 2009. Cask filled in August 2010

New American oak barrel

Last Wednesday 10 March, our new American oak barrel arrived from Tonelería Victoria, based in Haro, La Rioja, Spain.

Barrica 1

This is a classic Bordeaux style barrel, which holds 225 liters (300 bottles). We were offered the choice of number of openings and we opted for just one in the belly (with a silicone bung). We wanted just one because the openings are where there is the greatest risk of unwanted oxygen, bacteria, etc entering.

Barrica from above

For the time being, we've left the barrel at a friend's house just down the road, as we're a bit worried about the leaky roof in the winery.

We now have a grand total of three barrels (2 American, 1 French), which means that we can make 900 bottles of Crianza. Next year we are planning to buy about 15, if all goes according to plan regarding new vineyard, buying in organic grapes from a neighbour, and new winery! And, of course if we find, 15 sponsors for each barrel (we already have about 10 on a short-list). See this earlier post for details of this scheme: http://bit.ly/6ARFkk

Another day in the Vineyard and Winery

It actually stopped raining for two days in a row, so I went to the vineyard to do a bit of pruning, but it was still very muddy underfoot. I did a few rows and then took some photos with my mobile:

The grass is just beginning to sprout

The buds on the almond tree are just beginning to swell

The ladybirds are making more ladybirds (Spring has indeed sprung!)

Hundreds of squawking flocking storks

Then on to the winery, to face the facts! I spent several hours just sweeping up rubble from the roof, and generally tidying up.

Rubble from the roof

Then I put about 150 bottles in water to soak off the labels in about a week’s time, hopefully in the company of new victim-helpers

Wine bottles submerged in water to soak off the labels

Then inside to check the equipment: 

Collateral Damage I - Oak barrels are damp and mouldy

 

Collateral Damage II - Oak barrels are damp and mouldy

Collateral Damage III - The presses are damp and mouldy

Tasks for January 2010

Well, after the Christmas break, we're off to a good start - we came back to find that the winery roof has sprung several leaks!

Saturday 23 and Sunday 24
- Fix roof. We have already got some corrugated panelling, so we need to lift the roof-tiles, place the panels. and then replace the tiles. photos pending
- Wash barrel and fill it with the future Crianza 2009 (Tempranillo) photos pending
- Move 700 l of young Airén 2009 to new deposit, to take it off the lees.

by Saturday 30 and Sunday 31
- Start pruning vineyard in Carabaña (weather permitting)
- Finalize order for new oak barrel
- Update shortlist of 'investors' in barrels for next year
- Wash barrel and fill it with the future Crianza 2009 (Garnacha)

Consumer Participation in Vinos Ambiz Winery

We've just launched a new way for our consumers to participate more closely with us in the wine-making process. By 'new' I mean new for us, as like most things, this has probably been done before somewhere by someone!

The idea is that a consumer (or group of consumers) finance the purchase of a new oak cask (around €300) and we pay them back in bottles of wine.

This year, because we had such a small harvest, we only have enough wine to fill one (1) additional cask, but next year we intend to buy a lot more. The financing of this year's cask has already been 'awarded' to a friend (and notorious long-time consumer of our wines), as we've been talking about doing this for years!

Our two current casks (and the space where the third one is going to go in January)

These are the terms and conditions:

The fundamental reason or motive for financicng the casks in collaboration with our consumers is not economic or financial in nature, but it is intended to be a way of facilitating consumer participation in the project, of establishing closer relations between producer and consumers, and of exchanging information.

There are no interest payments nor any other type of economic or financial incentive as the idea here is not obtain profits from an investment. Its simply another way of participating, just like helping out at the harvest or pruning or washing bottles. It is assumed that the person financing the cask in this way is doing so in order to participate in the wine-making process and to support the project in general.

We have tried to make it as simple as possible and the same for all the future participants, so as to reduce complications and 'administrative overheads' when there are many participants.

1. The cost of the cask is repaid exclusively in bottles of wine (the participant can choose if he wants the very wine produced in the cask, or any other type of wine produced by Vinos Ambiz, if and when available)

2. The bottle of wine is valued at the price set at the beginning of each year

3. The participant can choose if he/she wants to receive the bottles of wine in a single lot or if he/she wants to spread them out over the lifetime of the cask

4. The participants, like all our consumers, can come to the winery to help out with any activity involving their cask (filling, racking, washing, etc)

5. The old cask belongs to the particiapnt. If he/she doesn't want it, we'll keep it at the winery.