Nikki at RedHeads – the vintage continues

Harry RIP, the smell of the ferment and a new skill

Ah, poor little mouse, found it dead … thankfully on the floor, not in any vat. I reckon he (Harry) went happily, drunk having munched the odd fermenting grape that managed to find its way onto the ground.

mouse 2

Harry is there, but I didn’t want to zoom in too close – disrespectful and all that

Maybe we could name a wine vintage after him – Return of Harry, the Dead Mouse? Actually, I’m not too keen on any rodents, but I didn’t do it!

Plunging the cap … according to grape

I feel I now have a grasp of what character to expect of each of the 32 vats – according to grape variety anyway, not of regionality. Grenache is lighter red in colour, sharper red fruit notes and reasonable size berries. The newly fermenting Shiraz from the vineyards around The Studio is a deep purple-black, with lively bright purple foam (it’s quite lively right now) and smelling of creamy toffee and blackberry.

foaming shiraz

The newly fermenting Shiraz from the vineyard surrounding RedHeads. Wonderful deep purple colour and smelling heavenly of creamy toffee/blackberry

Both the Cabernet Sauvignon and the Durif are very small, concentrated berries, the Durif being the darkest and most intense, with strong blackcurrant, dark chocolate and eucalyptus aromas; the Cab is more of a purple red, tiny berries (Dan likes them that way), again cassis and mint, but a bit more subtle.

durif

Durif (above) is in fact darker than the Shiraz and has powerful blackcurrant, dark chocolate and spice notes – quite delicious

New skill

The afternoon’s excitement was measuring all the PH levels of the different vats. No white coats involved, but a small, but sensitive measuring instrument.

measuring ph

The PH of each vat has to be measured and logged regularly with this little machine

About Laithwaite's Wine

We’re wine nuts, not wine snobs. We’ve been exploring the world on a mission to find great wine for the last 50 years. If you love adventure as much as we do, you belong with us. We know our winegrowers like family – and in some cases they actually are. Expect to hear from these legends of the soil, see behind the scenes access into vineyards and wineries and get news on fresh finds from our travels on this page. Drink responsibly. Visit drinkaware.co.uk for further health information. You must be aged 18 or over to follow.

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