Locally Minded

Just a reflection on just how small a community can be.

So we get about a bit now and talk to the people we meet at tastings and the retail owners, and we find out how there's a lot of interconnectedness (is that a word?). For example, the retailers in different parts of town seem to know each other, they know the same buyers, and as you build up these acquaintances you can help each other out with referrals, their ideas for business and now, Christmas parties.

With our charitable giving, it leads to introductions to others to experience the wine, who in turn make connections with you with their acquaintances. We're at a stage where we're experiencing the ability to say we do know a name that is offered up to us by a new acquaintance.

(Note on charitable wine auctions - a bottle of ours just went for $560 at an event hosted by Hexion)

With people, it is great to recognise them out and about. It's fantastic that some turn out to be evangelists for us - true locally oriented heroes. And it is a measure of their integrity and determination, in the face of all that's convenient and mass produced and cheap, when they turn up to further support you beyond the wine and also buy the chickens' eggs - thanks, Janice.

Personally, I like to be able to use these connections to help those I meet. It happened recently at Whole Foods where I met a gentleman (who bought a mixed case of wine) whose father was growing berries and was getting into mead making, but needed support and guidance, so I was able to put him in touch with the Simply Living organisation and Local matters, both wonderful resources for putting local producers in touch with retailers and people.

Finally, I connected over time, generations and geography when an older gentleman challenged the authenticity of our wine making methodology at a tasting with a healthy synicism. On recognising his heritage I switched to using Italian and soon, after probing questions to test my authenticity, he understood, to the point of buying wine. He promised me feedback too, which I hope he does do.

Alcohol Levels

Here's the latest on the wine's alcohol content. Now, remember, we don't chaptalise; we don't add sugar to the crushed grape and juice to give us the alcohol we want; we let the wine get on with it.

Of course, it's not THAT easy. There's a fine balance between the timing of the transfer from primary to secondary fermentation so that you a), don't kill fermentation and b), don't let the wine oversteep in its skins. A fine balance that doesn't prejudice the naturally occurring yeast's abilty to eat the sugar that's naturally present and convert it to alcohol.

So, given no sulfiting and no sugar, relying on experience and intuition, this is what our grape gave us:

a) Bordeaux Blend - 11.5% to 12%.

b) SanGiovese - 11%

c) SanGiovese/Pinot Noir - 11%

d) Shiraz - 12.5%

e) Cab franc - 13%

This is the high end, if not the pinnacle, of what you could hope for without artificially adjusting the fermenting wine.

This is wine alcohol levels (let's ignore the Cab Franc) that you can comfortably drink with a meal at lunchtime and return to work sober on. On a hot day, what better than a wine with a cool lunch that won't knock you for six.

The Cab franc. Remember we reported it had kicked up again? Well this is what it was doing; creating an (I would say) impossible 13% for a wine with no artificially added sugar. Go figure. We don't run a laboratory so we'll live with it.

Topping Up

There are many who claim to have fun with what they do, and yet... and yet you look at what they post to their web sites and blogs and they all look so serious and well, not having fun. I know we have been accused of just having fun, but frankly, since when does having fun lessen the importance or credibility of what you do? And that's not rhetorical, you can answer and debate that one with us if you like.

So anyway, today's fun was topping up the barrels. We also had the pleasure of Mike coming over to visit and help. We haven't seen enough of him lately and it was good to have him joining in the fun - or should I say, work.

We topped up from our reserves in the demijons. All hand pouring no less, with lots of sampling. We have some video of that, but can't post it here as some of us got a bit colorful in our comments.
The Cabernet Franc had kicked up again! We won't interfere with that though and we'll let it burn itself out. We do not want high alcohol wine but that Franc may well push it for us, so we may actually withhold it from sale this year and blend it with something next year.
We also tried a 50% Cabernet Franc and 50% Syrah mix - too early too tell what it would be really like, but it was pretty much alright, good even, anyway, we drank it.

So now to pictures.

This is our hand crafted process in action. Careful pouring to top up the barrel. Please note that there you see direct evidence of our natural filtration process - note the sediment at the bottom of the gall jug? well that has settled out and will not go into the barrel. The same happens in the barrel. When we siphon the wine out of the barrel the sediment will be left behind. In the meantime it's a lesser form of a sur lees method of winemaking. The lees are reputed to be natural antioxidants too, and is why we are able not to rely on sulfiting.


This is our board room. Very serious, as if!

This is us under the watchful eye of Bacchus. A gift from Katrina, who Michael (white shirt) proposed to.


Finally, we got the 2005 Winery Year DVD out - we have two versions 1, the fast cut/lively music version and 2, the sepia toned/Italian folk song soundtrack. As those of you who have seen these productions of prior years, I hope you'll agree they're just full of fun. But then, we do have fun, as I said.

Old School

"Going back to my roots, yeah...", as the song goes. Well, here's some Via Vecchia roots for you. This is where Via Vecchia derives its inspiration and process from; from the heart of the Lunigiana in Toscana, Italy. Village of Grondola in the Appenines to be precise. Also managed to pick up some great agricultural oriented magazines that feature a lot of wine making and I think the rest of Via Vecchia will get a kick out of them to see we do it the real way. In fact, I was grilled by no-nonsense-hunt all year round- slaughter my livestock in my garage- neighbor, Giannino, over the technique we use here and I think I passed muster. He threatened to visit us too.

These pictures show a traditional cantina in use. Via Vecchia would be at home here as all the equipment and method is familiar to us. In fact, this is where Dad has his wine kept for him and from where I brought back two bottles.

This picture is of the cantina. Below a house and it's made entirely of block stone, even the floor, great for that stable temperature with right amount of humidity. In this view you can make out the wine primary fermenter (back left) and grape baskets (back left below red hose), an oil siphoner on the shelf at left (old style glass with straw protection around the base), among the demijons we all know and love.

In this picture you see the primary fermenter. Grapes are thrown in, crushed by foot, then left to ferment. This one's really old and Dad remembers using it in the late 1930s. To help with scale this stands about 6 feet tall and about 4 feet in diameter. Notice siphon hoses.


In this one you see two grape picker baskets, stacked one upon and in the other. When full they were strapped to a donkey and brought back to this cantina (and others) for the crushing of their contents.
More from the annals of tradition to come...keep watching.

Hey, how about that Sanjaya? Wot?

Technorati Tags:via vecchia, toscana, lunigiana, winemaking, traditional, classical, wine
Generated By Technorati Tag Generator