I drove down to Dundee today to get a barrel from Dan. He uses the 12th and Maple winery for his wines, and they have a large warehouse where they store fermenters and barrels. It was quite a sight. I also went to Davidsons in McMinnville to get some argon. I’ve been so busy with the wine this week that I haven’t had a chance to work on the cart.
Oh it’s so terrible! I spent several days installing batten strips with a caulking on the wooden fermenter, but it still leaks, although much less. I can fill it with water and it takes 2 days to empty. I thought I might as well wallow in my misery, so I’ve been taking soaks periodically. Tigger finds bodies of water oddly fascinating.
I’m using the plastic garbage bins and rain barrels instead. The wild fermentation has started, although I think it needs some heat. It’s getting down to 57˚ at night, so I’m using a space heater to keep the garage at about 75˚.
I met Elle downtown for lunch at Addy’s, at SW 10th and Alder. This cart just opened a few weeks ago. She uses bread from Little-T, the excellent bakery just down the street from me. The sandwiches seem to be very simple. Elle got the brie and cucumber and that’s all it was. I got the duck confit with apricot sauce, (which was really apricot jam.) Both sandwiches were so tasty! Everything else sounds dreamy. The chocolate sandwich is toasted with a big slab of melted dark chocolate. The pate she makes herself. I asked what kind of pate it was and she says, a little nervous, ‘it’s got pork and fat and umm, more fat.’ I’m totally hooked! Also there’s the cutest little porch to sit at.
I picked up the grapes yesterday. Me and Kate drove down to Utopia vineyard and met Dan, who seemed giddy. The grapes had surprised him with their ripeness, thus giving me only a 2 day heads up. They were 25.5 brix. That’s 25.5% sugar by weight, 3 times the amount of Pepsi!
Each tub is about 450 pounds.
I got two tubs. One is the 777 clone, the other is Wadenswil.
Kate harvested the hops while I tried to finish the fermenter. It was no use though.
Instead we crushed into the food cart sink and poured all the grapes into some garbage cans. The wood fermenter might be finished tomorrow. It leaks horribly. I’m not sure what to do if it doesn’t work out, but I have about 2 or 3 days before the wild ferment starts.
