Today, amidst wildly changeable weather, we started the winemaking process. The Solaris grapes went into the destemmer/crusher first. Then, the must went into the hydropress for juicing. The sugar content is ideal with a Brix of 21.7 (SG 1.090). I mixed the yeast with nutrient and distilled water to wake it up. Alex poured the the yeast mixture into the juice and poured it into demijohns. We had about 6 litres of juice.
Next, the Rondo went through the destemmer/Crusher, which worked brilliantly this time. I prepared the yeast similarly, enough for about 15 litres of must. The must went into a vat with the yeast. The Brix of the must is 20.1 (SG 1.085). We were shooting for between 20 and 24.
I am disappointed by the yield this year. I expected much more. But the Solaris succumbed to poor set and Botrytis, while the Rondo suffered from mildew, and we discarded probably about 1/4 or more of the grapes. Interestingly, the new Rondo did not contract the downy mildew. We'll have to see what happens next year.
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