the home brew

After a "Basic Enology" class at Santa Rosa Junior College (with winemaker Pat Henderson of Kenwood Winery), we tried our hand at winemaking, dedicating a somewhat over-vigorous bit of the vineyard to our efforts. We discovered quickly that there's plenty the textbooks don't tell you! Fortunately our wonderful winemakers are always there to answer stupid questions, run a quick lab test, fix leaky barrels, and give moral support. We've made several vintages of pinot noir, which have won gold and silver medals at the Harvest Fair Amateur Wine Competition.

Making pinot is always nerve-wracking, but we have lots of fun with our rose. The "summer quaff" is a pink, sparkling clear blend of pinot and syrah. Just the thing for drinking on the deck on a warm afternoon. We aim for a French style rose, bone dry and low alcohol. To that end we pick the rose grapes at low sugar--perfect brix for us is 22.5. The key is a long, very cold fermentation— to preserve the fruit flavors. Our friends love this wine— so it's easy to find volunteer cellar rats!