A quick digression

Our first batch of estate grapes. We have about 5 vines in the back yard and out of control vines along our fence-line on the North side of the property.
24 brix
did not record Acidity (dang).
Notice split grapes. Such a small batch was easy to pick through and discard the bad grapes.




Zinfandel on the vine. Zinfandel is red!
Jammy Raisiny flavors can come from grapes that are a little bit shriveled. A lot of shrivel means most or all of the juice is gone. You can see both kinds here.













Dry Creek Zin!
24 Brix
Acidity .6%
Yip!
We de-stemmed these 65lbs of grapes by hand (it took about 5-6 hours) and then...






Put the grapes in a strainer. Crush them (break the skins) with your fists or digits over a bucket and...










Put it all in a bucket and thus, must!

Our first 'estate batch' was fermented in an Igloo brand drink cooler (see photo of acid testing).








End digression.