Uncle
Charlie's Notebook
Specializing
in Syrah and Barbera wines that we call "sophisticated",
the Green Family Winery motto is "If it ain't red, it ain't
wine." Our small winery only churns out about 600 cases
- 7,200 bottles - each year.
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AUGUST 2005
Aug
12 : Rant
of the month; The weather. It is HOT. Of the last 30 days, it
has been over 100 f 27 days. The other 3 were upper 90's. What
does this mean for the grapes? Over about 90 f the vines shut
down and don't grow. this means harvest will be late. I hear
guesses of 2 to 3 weeks. This happened in 1998. Not a big problem
for me, but vineyards at higher elevations may not have time
to ripen before the rain starts! Also the nutrients in the juice
will be unbalanced and fermantations may be troublesome. This
is the big problem for most wineries. We will have to be on
our toes come harvest and watching for problems. Off aromas,
stuck fermentations, stinky wine, etc.
The other big problem with hot weather is that people don't
like to drink heavy red wines when it is hot. Come on folks,
there is no law that says you can't chill red wine or put an
ice cube in it!! My favorite is 2 cubes, 1 part Syrah to 2 parts
Squirt, no straw. Remember; every glass of Uncle Charlies Syrah
will extend your life span about 18 hours. Just keep the dose
up.
uc
