Got some grapes
I’ve lived in Sonoma County for 19 years, and I have been drinking and tasting wine all that time. Now I am going to try and make it. I’ll try and keep track of it here…
I was lucky enough to get 15 gallons of de-stemmed and crushed Zinfandel must from a friends vineyard near Alexander Valley:
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I haven’t made wine, but I have been reading Home Winemaking by Iversen. Here is the plan for this wine. I want a light fruity Zinfandel, meant to be drunk quickly. No saving this one. It will start out with a several day cold soak. This supposedly will extract color without too much tannin extraction, or at least the softer tannins only, as the soaking is done without alcohol.
I will use French Red yeast, which Paul and Beverage people say is good for reds. I will take the grapes off the skins before fermentation is finished. This also will help too produce the light fruity zin.