Riesling Tasting and then a Pinot Tasting and then . . .

I didn't write about it last week but I did attend a Riesling tasting for winemakers in the midst of moving wine, it was a welcome break.  It is always interesting and educational to sit down with a group of winemakers and taste each others wines and comment on them.  We taste the wines blind and discuss them and then reveal the wines afterward.  This type of format helps keep people more honest in their evaluation of not only others wines but of his or her own.  Tasting the wines outside of the winery also make it easier to notice especially flaws that otherwise might have been missed.

This week I did the same thing again, for Pinot noir this time.  A smaller group, only 8 wines to taste, which allowed a lot more time for discussion.  This is an interesting time to taste Pinot because it may or may not have completed malo-lactic fermentation, might have had its sulfur added and may be showing some flaws that will be fixed with time or manipulation depending.  It is important to be gentle but honest and remember that it may be your own wine you are ripping to shreds.  At this stage in their development reds have a nasty habit of changing to something unrecognizable it their brief time in the bottle on the road trip to the hosting winery.

In the vineyard the guys are almost done with the twist and tie.  I've included a picture of the a fore pictured Chardonnay plant so you can see a finished plant.  Yesterday and today have been glorious weather though unseasonably warm.  It will be interesting to see how it effects the plants. 

I am off on vacation starting tomorrow for a week so enjoy yourselves and I'll update you when we get home.  Paradise is calling!