Zottel Stainless Steel Products

Zottel d. o. o.

Cesta Žalskega tabora 19  |  3310  |  Žalec |  Slovenia

E: info@zottel.si   T: +386 37 10 13 70

The Zottel equipment we ordered via Thomas Walk arrived from Slovenia yesterday. They were ordered on the 22nd of August and arrived on the 29th. One week's time for delivery. Not bad. It looks like good quality equipment. The inventory, packaged on a pallet, includes:

• Hydropress 35l
• 2 Open wine tanks 100l
• 2 Floating lids with gasket, air pump, water airlock and cap 70-100l
• 1 Open wine tank 120l
• 1 Floating lid with gasket, air pump, water airlock and cap 120-180l

Naturally, the Hydropress has a different thread than the hose we installed, so Alex went off to the plumbing store to get an adapter. We should be in business after that. 

The Hydropress is quite heavy while the vats (empty) are quite lightweight. I could carry the tanks without a problem. It took the two of us to carry the Hydropress. 

Slight dent in one lid on arrival

Equipment has arrived!

 

Exciting day!  The hydro press and fermentation vats have arrived, and we are very excited. Soon we will be ready to start harvesting grapes and processing them for winemaking. More to come.

Bagging it

 

We've been bagging the grapes for days to protect them from the birds and insects. The verdict is that the green drawstring pull bags are the best. I had to cut away a few of the white drawstring bags that failed. 

It's quite a stretch but you do get to know your vines and grapes well when you bag. There are a few cheeky birds that defy all the scary things we've installed.  

Note to self: Next year, make sure you go through the vineyard, remove the less desirable clusters and make sure the good clusters are free to hang down. Many were trapped in between leaves and vines and not hanging down for accessibility. 

We've completed a first go at the vineyard and after double ordering more green bags, are quickly running out. There are many more clusters than I expected and they are getting very tasty. It's quite exciting. 

I measured BRIX yesterday and got two readings of 15 from Rondo samples, and a reading of 10 and 18 from Solaris. So not ready yet. Next week I will take 50 grapes of each, mash them, and read the combined BRIX to see what the overall sugar content is and where we are relative to harvest. September here we come. And the weather forecast for the next couple of weeks is superb. This is very exciting! The grapes are very tasty.

News Flash! The courier called and our first batch of equipment is in country and due to be delivered in a couple of days! 

Failed bags

National Red Wine Day

28 August is #NationalRedWineDay in the US! Here's a graphic with detail on the chemistry that gives red wine its colour, flavour, and more: https://wp.me/p4aPLT-hz 

Not to be confused with National Wine Day which is May 25. Is there a National White Wine Day, you ask? But of course, and it's August 4. 

National Rosé Day is on the second Saturday in June each year, and National Bubbly Day takes place on the first Saturday in June. 

If we went as far as naming varietals, every day could be a National Wine Day! 

A hive of activity

Like a parking lot up there

We have three teams of workers here today to complete the winery and other work in the shed. One team is installing the electrics, another the plumbing, while the third tackles a cradle for the Black Demon. To shape the cradle, we had to flip the Black Demon onto its deck. It took the entire crew to carry that off. 

Off the trailer and over on its deck.

Sasha and Dmytro eyeing the curvature

Meanwhile, back in the vineyard, I continue tying bags onto the grapes. It seems to be working with the multiple kites, CDs and bags. Fewer birds are evident amongst the vines. I have tried all three types of bags and the green mesh with two drawstrings is the best by far. The one with the attached tab with single drawstring is suitable for the dump. 

Alex was tying up the vines that had broken loose in the big wind we had the day before yesterday. It appears to have dried out some of the vines, with the Chardonnay looking the most affected. 

Chardonnay showing wind damage

The equipment has been ordered and should be en route from Croatia or somewhere. The rest -- bottle cleaning and filling stuff -- is coming from the UK and we don't have to order it yet. 

I have my desk for the winery - the one from the library at Ross House. We need a refrigerator for the yeast and other supplies, including beer. :)

More bagging being done. Green mesh bags are the best!

Pretty rose flowered today.

Alex installing the new stands for his beehives. 

Cradle complete

The Black Demon on rollers

Desk and file cabinet for winery

The old wine rack from Ross House

And just like that, our winery is ready for action. Pretty amazing actually. 

We've brought all the old papers from Ross and the German 1700s dowry trunk to the shed as well, and Alex will spend the winter going through it all to decide what to keep. Some of the papers will be going back to Germany. 

ESB is coming Friday afternoon to install the new Smart Meter so we'll be able to install solar panels after that. It's all coming together now. 

More stormy weather

 

It's a lot windier than I expected today. I thought the weather was supposed to improve but looks like not. Showers periodically. The new bags have come in and I wanted to do some tying up of grape clusters but it's rather boisterous out there with gusts of 47.5 knots - that's 88 km/h, nothing to sneeze at. Let's venture out and see.

I love the new drawstring green bags. They are SOOOO much easier than the bags we bought two years ago with twist ties. I was able to do twice as much in 2 hours than I could have with the others, with much less strain. Well done, Alex, finding those. And you can see inside to see how the grapes are doing. Far better. 

More tomorrow. 

Pinot Noir -- like steel pellets

No need to protect these

All four protectors at work: bags, CDs, heron and kites