My Zinfandel Wine

My Zinfandel wine has gone from the primary fermenter to the wine press and now to the carboy.

Before I put the wine in the carboy I still added a small amount of yeast nutrient to make sure the primary fermentation comes complete.

In about 4 to 7 days I'll rack the wine off of the rest of the solids. No matter how careful you are in the transferring of the wine from the press you'll have some solids as well. It's best not to let the wine sit with those solids for too long because it might pick up some "off" tastes.

I used 4 boxes of Zinfandel Grapes each weighing 36 pounds. As far as I can figure out I've got about 39 liters of wine after the pressing. With my next racking off the solids I will have a little less wine.

My Zinfandel wine to date has a nice dark colour and a wonderful aroma. Stay tuned for more on this wine.

The Search for Grapes

At this moment I have blackberry wine finishing fermenting in my kitchen, the smell is truly aromatic.

While this wine is fermenting I'm doing my research into locating a good source for grapes. You see I'm making wine from grapes this time and not from a kit. I was tempted to buy juice but thought why not go whole hog and work with the grapes.

You can make wine three ways.
1. From wine kits
2. From Juice
3. From grapes
I chose the third option.

In searching for grapes I found that timing is of the essence. The grapes come into Vancouver from Washington and California. BC grapes aren't ready yet. The US grapes arrive usually during the first two weeks of September. My grapes will be arriving on September 8th.

The sources for grapes I found are:
1. RJ Spagnols
2. Georges best grapes
3. Superstore (grandview hwy)
I know there are more suppliers out there but I chose the closest to me, Superstore.

The grape varietal I'd like to make wine from is Zinfandel. I hope there will be enough supply for me.