Bottling the wine

As we really didn't have much yield, we didn't expect much in the results. But we are pleasantly surprised by our Rondo 2020. The specific gravity reached 0.99 and Alex has bottled the wine despite not having achieved good clarity. He's filtered it a second time, a slow process but manageable with 4 bottles of end products.  

Our start SG was 1.10 and our finish is 0.99 so our finish alcohol content is 14.9%.  A bit on the strong side, but the taste and colour are very acceptable. Now we wait six months and taste again. Right now it has a fruity and slightly tart mouthfeel. But it's not unpleasant. 

"Wine is sunlight, held together by water." - Galileo Galilei

I suppose we are now among the crazy Irish trying to make wine in the west of Ireland.  

Soil nutrients

I found a website with recommendations for fertilization of vineyards. Their recommendation regards growing conditions in various countries, including Italy, Spain, South Africa and India, which I imagine would apply to us as well. 

• Plant population: 2,000-10,000 vines/Ha.
• Soil type: light to medium.
• Expected yield: 15-30 T/Ha.

Soil level		Suggested correction method
Low P	10-25 ppm	Band 1250-600 (resp.) Kg/Ha superphosphate
Medium P	25-40 ppm	Band 600-350 (resp.) Kg/Ha superphosphate
High P	40 ppm and above	Band 350-200 (resp.) Kg/Ha superphosphate
Low K	<200 ppm	360 Kg/Ha SOP
High K	>200 ppm	No correction required

Our soil analysis showed very low concentrations of both Potassium (K) and Phosphorus (P).  The analysis also confirmed the pH readings we got using our gauge. 

That may explain our low yield in year one. As we have now placed seaweed at the base of the first ten plants, I am hopeful that we can correct that over the course of the winter. I'd like to maintain an organic approach to the management of the vines. 

Happy winter solstice!

Soil Analysis

A soil pH in the range of 5.5 to 6.5 is considered optimum for grapes and generally has a better nutrient balance for plant growth than soils that are more acidic or alkaline. Vines will grow from pH 4.0 to 8.5, but a pH below 5.5 and above 8 will depress yields and create problems for the vines. The ideal soil pH depends on the type of grapevine. French American (hybrid) grapevines that are grown for wine prefer a 6.0 soil pH; Vinifera grapevines grown for wine and direct consumption prefer a pH of 6.5. The amount of material needed to adjust the soil pH will depend on the soil texture (the amount of sand, silt and clay in the soil) and the type of grapevine. Our pH readings were good. Consistently reading just under 6.0. The official analysis showed 6.5. That's a good start. 

Alex sent soil samples off for analysis and, as expected, we have silty clay soil. The composition is:

It's not the best but it ain't bad according to several sources consulted. In fact, it's great that there's no indication of loam as loam is too rich for grapevines. They like poor soil best. We've got that in spades. 

We also had Phosphorus (P) and Potassium (K) results reported; they were in the very low index. When I find out what that means for grapevines, I will share it here. 

Winter has arrived

It snowed on Croagh Patrick and Nephin so the higher elevations were white a couple of days ago. Then it rained - a lot. Then came the cold. Two nights of heavy frost, the first with heavy fog. But two days of freezing overnight temps are good for the vineyard. All the leaves are down. I was shocked to see some grapes still edible and some flower buds still trying to open. 

It's been a strange autumn. Lots of stuff blooming when it shouldn't. Lots of wind. Lots of rain. Dramatic.

Alex has written his grant submission and submitted it to Teagasc for review. They are favourably disposed and made a few good suggestions. We are planning to add a shed for equipment storage and for wine production. Next will be an application for winemaking approval. 

Bottling the wine

Wine is aged to give it more taste and general mouthfeel as well as colour and other properties. Rushing the winemaking process is widely considered a waste of good wine among homebrewers of wine and is highly frowned upon.

Here is a little cheat sheet I found to predict how different ageing times affect the wine in the bottle.

Wine Aging	Properties
1 month	The definite minimum time it takes before you can even taste your wine, anything shorter results in bad tasting wine
3 months	Wine has matured more and gained increasing flavours and distinctions
6 months	The typical time for ageing wine, both red and white. Here your wine has a great taste and doesn't really need any longer maturing
10+ months	Matures the flavour of your wine even further. Can create more bitter, unique flavours. The longer you age, the more unique

Ireland not suitable for growing grapes - bah humbug!

Vineyard in Galicia, Spain
Photo (c) Alex Blackwell

I just stumbled across this article from 2016 in the AcademicWino titled. The Feasibility of Ireland Becoming a Wine Producing Country Due To Climate Change. The author concludes that it is unlikely yet doesn't even research the fact that Ireland already had two vineyards producing wines at the time. So bloody not believable. He thinks everything is wrong: wrong soil, wrong GDD, wrong temperature, wrong rainfall, no talent. Bah humbug. Come see our vines thriving and grapes ripening. Then speak. 

In fact, 17 years ago David Llewelyn started making wines in Ireland as a hobby. Now its a proper business and his Lusca wine sells for €65 a bottle. It's a novelty featured in the prestigious Celtic Whiskey shop in Dublin. We already have orders from our local wine bars who would love to feature a local wine. We laughed and said we'd come back in a few years. 

We are still waiting for our first wine to clarify before bottling but it's soon time to put this year's vintage to rest for a while. More later. 

Abysmal Autumn weather

a few leaves still hanging on

The past week has been abysmal weatherwise. We had Hurricane Epsilon on Thursday, Storm Aidan on Saturday, an unnamed low today and another tomorrow. We've had torrential rain, thunder and lightning -- something I've never experienced in Ireland, hail, sleet and wind, lots of wind. The buy off the coast here, M6, recorded a 30-metre (90f)t wave and the surfers were out having a blast. 

We had 227.9 mm rain in October, that's 67 mm more than last year in the same period. All the other variables were pretty average for the month. 

We've picked the apples but waited to pick the remaining pears which were beautiful this year, but they were all gone. Alex thinks the crows stole them. I just don't know. The berries are almost done now, just a few raspberries and strawberries left, mostly rotting in the wet weather or getting freeze-dried by the wind. 

The wine is clarifying. We will soon bottle the two or three bottles and wait for the requisite time period to sample. With our second lockdown underway and unable to travel more than 5 km from home, we're keeping ourselves busy. 

What a year! The American elections are tomorrow, and we voted long ago by email and mail ballot as we are both dual citizens. We can always be hopeful. 

We've been picking the remaining grapes to eat...very tasty

 

Pinot noir on the left
Albarino on the right

Three-year-old vines up the hill

The calm between the storms

So beautiful, but no blue moon

Peachy sunset