Massachusetts group grape buy

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Thanks again to Paul. I had a great time and really appreciate taking part in this. While I had a good handle on the entire process, it quickly becomes apparent how much of a difference there is between knowing it and doing it.
 
I'll admit that I was a bit intimidated as the day approached. Not that I didn't know what to do and in what order to do them but worried would I have all my sheet in one sock so that I could keep everyone gainfully employed, not forget something important and make sure everyone had fun? To that end I have to really take my hat off to Alice for taking care of lunch. I would have just kept on plowing until I was done, then I would have eaten the ankles off an archbishop. I married WAY over my head.

PTN

BTW, it's a red shirt, in fact it's a Red Sox shirt, it's just old and has been thru the wash a thousand times. Go back under your bridge, you troll.
 
Well no, we didn't get married underwater but I DID ask her to marry me 100 feet underwater diving Bloody bay Wall in Little Cayman. Does that count?

PTN

Come to think of it, she never took her regulator out of her mouth, for all I know she never said yes.
 
OK so it seems that no-one from the co-op is going to be available when I will be around and available to do this today, so I'm postponing it till tomorrow early am. I've been up since 4:30 yesterday afternoon, and I have a date with my wife tonight that I'm not going to break. We all knew that we needed to do this today. It's been discussed here on the thread and on Saturday. I've been home from work since just before 8 am and I've had only one person say he could be here, but not until after 7pm. One person can't wrestle a couple of 35 gallon buckets by himself if he is concerned about keeping the contents of that bucket inside the bucket. We need to move the buckets over to my back cellar door so we can pump the wine into the barrels. So I'll take measures to keep everything good till tomorrow. But it needs to happen tomorrow, we're pushing the envelope here before we start to have off smells and flavors. We need to get the wine off the gross lees and away from O2. So someone give me a call about showing up here tomorrow morning. You all have my number.

PTN

Sorry about sounding bitchy but I'm a bit frustrated. I STILL haven't heard form a couple of guys who signed up and committed and then never sent in $ and they still haven't responded to my posts. Now I'm worried about keeping everyones wine from spoiling, and I'm tired and need some extra muscle and I'm turning into crankypants. Sorry, but thats how it is from my admittedly bitchy perspective.
P
 
Yeah, give me a time and Kim & I can be there (she can lift while I sit around and do nothing).

We were planning on checking out some yard sales in JP, but we can do the same thing on our way to your house tomorrow so anytime in the morning works for us.
 
I SHOULD be able to stop by tomorrow. Just name a time. I have plans but not anything that can't be juggled a little.

-Will
 
OK, so like most tired little boys I'm feeling much better and not so crabby after my nap. This is something that will only take a few minutes to do, al we have to do is carry the two full barrels of wine over to the cellar door and inside, then the pump will do the rest. I'd like to be done early so we all have our day free. So anytime between now (7am) and 11:00 . And I only need one other person, so whoever can be here earliest wins the prize. If you guys call me we can talk and see who can be here earliest and easiest and save everyone else a trip. I'll have my phone with me all morning.
PTN
 
OK, Will just left and we have just a hair under 50 gallons total. We filled the 30 gallon barrel, and the 15 gallon barrel and we have a 5 gallon carboy filled up to just under the neck. I'll let that carboy settle and then put it into one gallon bottles for topping up. Air is BAD for wine so smaller bottles work much better for using to keep the barrels filled.

The next thing that will happen is I will need to stir the barrels every few days to keep the yeast and the bacteria roused up. The bacteria feed on the yeast byproducts as well as the malic acid. Hoepfully we'll have completion within a month, but with this weather it's anyones guess. MLB want it over 75*F to do their thing. Global warming my arse.

PTN
 
You don't need to make a comment when you have something worth a thousand words.

And there is one thing I feel like I need to clear up. I appreciate your sentiment, Melana and I fully understand what you are saying. I just want to clarify that people showing up to help aren't doing it to 'be there for' me. They are being there for themselves. This is everyones wine. It's at my house and I'm the caretaker but it's not mine. Some of it is but the vast majority of this wine is other peoples. That's what had me being a little pissy the other day. We had almost a thousand dollars worth of wine at a critical point in its development and there were things that needed to be done. Could I have done it myself? Pretty clearly I have in the past and I will again. But its 'your' wine and 'you' should be taking an active part in making it. I think I've been pretty clear about what would need to be done along the way, both on posts here and at the gatherings we've had.

OK I just wanted to get that out there. First as a way of explaining being cranky the other day and secondly so that my view on the 'group project' is out there. We're all in this together. If anyone has a problem with what I've said that please let me know.

So what's next? Not much for a while. I need to stir the barrels regularly for the next month or two, till the MLB finish. Than there is virtually nothing to do for the next 6 months to a year. I'll keep the airlocks topped up and after a few months I'll take 5 gallons out of the big barrel and put the carboy wine in there. That is something I can readily do myself. I'll barrel sample the wine from time to time to see whare it's at. I'll try to pre-plan that so anyone who wants to come by and barrel sample with me can do so. We're only talking about a glass or so at most coming out but it's nice to see the progression.


PTN
 
I'm in the Stoughton are on a regular basis. I have no problem being one of the barrel tasters. Maybe I can help taste a few of the other wines..Hint Hint....
 
I follow your Logic Paul... I was just sorry we couldn't be around to help out more. Besides, we like seeing you and Alice!
 
Well, we like having you guys over. I hope I didn't sound like a peevish dick about this. Actually, I know I did sound like a peevish dick, but I wanted to explain why I turned into Mr Crankypants. I just felt like it's better to have all the cards on the table.
PTN
 
Thanks to Will & Paul for moving the trash cans full of delicious wine and filling up the barrels.

All I can say is those who said that they wanted to be a part of the group buy and haven't sent their money in or haven't been to Paul's house to do the work are missing out. The work was a blast (and drinking the wine that we were bottling made it even more fun). And, based on the taste while crushing, it looks like the malbec is going to be very tasty.
 
Ok...been over two weeks without an update....

I know, I know...not much to say...but would be nice to hear "Yup...nobody broke in and stole it" :cool:

-Will
 
paulthenurse said:
OMG!!!!!!!!!!

I just went downstairs to switch the laundry and the barrels are GONE!!!!!!!!

The BASTIDS!!!!!!!


PTN
Click to expand...

That's not a problem...No problem at all..In return, I can take a case or two of that mediocre, barely drinkable,I'll probably give it all away to people that i don't like Bordeaux...Ok..If I have too..I don't want to, but if that's all you have..
 
How's the lovely vino maturing? What does it's lifecycle/schedule look like? Very much looking forward to sampling some. Very exciting stuff.
 
Malbec report:

At Masstober, Paul headed to the basement and came back with a sample of the malbec. For a wine that is only four months old, this is very good!

So, to those of you who put in the work a few months back, you should already be looking forward to bottling day next year!
 
Well, Will asked me how things were going at the U2 brew day and I had to tell him I hadn't even looked at the barrels in ages. I priomised that I would check and get back to everyone, then promptly forgot. Then this morning my friend walked into the ICU as I'm trying to get out and he wants to talk about wine. I'd given him a couple bottles of other stuff at Christmas and he had recetnly had them and was very pleased. SO now he wants to get together to make wine and I told him about how we did it last spring, etc. etc. So I come home an ddecide I better check while its fresh on my mind, so I go down and pull a half glass out o fthe three containers.

Un-oaked, in glass... tastes very fruity and a little harsh. Not bad, The MLB finished.

15 gallon barrel... Nice! Smooth, mellow oak notes, restrained fruit, not as 'funky' as I expected from a Malbec shipped across an ocean. Me likey

30 gallon barrel... Now this is more like it! VERY nice. Not as oaky as the smaller barrel (duh!) Very smooth. This is good.


All in all I'm impressed. We done good. I think the thing to do is to blend them all together at bottling time and leave it at that. I think each has a strong point and none of them have any obvious flaws and the blend will be a good partnership. I'd like a few other opinions so who's available to come over and taste a bit of wine?

Also, if you guys are game we can do it again and buy more grapes.

Let me know
PTN
 
Kim & I would definitely be up for a tasting if timing works out. Let us know when people are stopping buy.

And, yeah, we would definitely be up for another group buy.
 

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