Getting The Most Out Of A Humble Backyard Vineyard - 2015

Our little vineyard - 2015

In February of 2012 we planted four one year old Norton wine grape vines. They grew well but didn't produce any grapes that year, we didn't expect any. 

2013 produced enough grapes for us to be able to make almost a gallon of wine. 

The 2014 vintage gave us 2 gallons - a good rich red and a rose'. The rose' was a second wine or a second run wine made by reusing the grape must - the left over grape skins and pulp from the first pressing.

This year, 2015, the vines produced a bumper crop of grapes but they ripened inconsistently - some grape bunches were ripe enough to crush but others still green. So we divided things up and made Norton grape marmalade and grape liqueur with the early ripeners and later when they were ready,made wine with the late ripeners. Maybe we'll get just a gallon, but having fun and it's damn rewarding.

Norton Grape Marmalade 

Norton Grape Liqueur

Norton Grape Wine

2014 Vintage Norton - Da Vite a Vino

Listen, if you enjoy wine, few things feel as fulfilling and authentic as the experience of making your own wine from fresh grapes you’ve grown yourself. You don’t have to have a big vineyard. If well tended, just four or five wine grape vines in your back yard should give you a gallon or so of wine.  I know that's not much wine but it's fun and rewarding - it's like watching the completion of the circle of life! 

We harvested this years Norton grapes on Saturday August 2. After crushing and primary fermentation it looks like we will get just about a gallon that will give us 5 x 750 ml bottles. This year I made a 'second wine' by reinvigorating the fermentation with the spent grapes and skins from the first wine by adding sugar, water and more yeast. The sugar doesn't make it sweeter, it just gives the yeast more food to turn into alcohol. The color and taste will be lighter because most of those qualities went into the the first wine. We will get 5 bottles of that wine.

I've made wine many times before from wine grape concentrates for particular varieties. The wine I made for my daughters wedding was Valpolicella for the red and Verdicchio for the white - 30 bottles each. For my sons wedding I made Sangiovese for the red and Pinot Grigio for the white also 30 bottles of each.  

The gallon on the right is from the first crush. The gallon on the left is the second wine The color and taste will be lighter because most of those qualities went into the the first wine. The wine will settle out and clear. In a month or so I'll siphon it off the sediment on the bottom.