There are some huge advantage to living on the high chalk. In a warm wet summer this land is just perfect for grapes. Don't kid yourself that grapes only grow in "hot" climes. This land has had vineyards doing well on the chalk since Claudius brought the legions in the first century AD
A friend at work said to me the other day (the same person the blackcurrants come from for the port), "are grapes any good to you"?
Well duh - something to supplement my own vines is always nice
Next day a crate arrived
So, not a huge amount but she has "as many as I can use" (wanna bet?) so this wekend its out with my press
Please forgive my knackered old Shepherds chair - it does great duty as a stand though (and I know its scruffy but I like sitting in it)
When pressing grapes I line the drum with a straining bag to save pips and stalks pressing through
Each truss of grapes is inspected and any split, mouldy or generally "manky" grapes removed. The truss is then chucked in the drum
The bag is folded in on itself and the drum put back in the press. A sterilised bucket goes under the spout
The screw thread is tightened - don't kid yourself - to get a good press needs a LOT of force
See what I mean? How flat are these grapes?
Once squeezed I run the must through a coffee filter into a demi john to remove any larger pulp. Not really necessary but it helps later
Now I could use the natural yeast on the grapes to ferment it but I get more consistent results with a known strain yeast
I mix half a cup of tepid water with half a teaspoon of sugar and add the yeast sachet. I then leave it for 20 minutes
Once the yeast is bubbling, its shown alive. Its then pured into the grape must and an airlock added.
Thats it. I'll top the demi john off with another crate next week. I can chat later about racking and simple clearing / bottling techniques but in a few weeks we will have a basic wine just as it is
