We are going to bottle and the wines are tasting great! This morning I went out to try our 2008 Calico White, 2008 Viognier and our 2007 Calico Red. Yum.
All of the wines just went through filtration and are totally clean and clear. I was Kevin's assistant, Steffan was out of town, and I was escaping my computer and spreadsheets. The Viognier was fermented in barrel and aged on the lees. Thus there are many solids in the wine prior to filtration. We filter our white wine to help clear the wine and protect it from components that can restart malolactic fermentation in the bottle. As I was throwing the filtration pads away I was trying to figure out how to recycle the filtration pads because they smell so good. The texture on them made me think I could use them as stamps for textured cement, than I remembered that I do not have a cement company nor do I have any future plans to pour cement. I don't think reusing these pads will happen this time.
The first filtration pass cleaned up quite a bit of lees and had some paste that remained on the pads. I got some on my hand and was told to taste it...and I did. It was slightly acidic with Viognier floral components. Kind of interesting. Andrae Bopp, executive chef and assistant winemaker for DVV, was walking by and he was the one who said, "try it". THEN he said trying too much of this could give you the "scoots". I instantly thought that was a fine idea. Eat a little filtration paste, lose weight. This is an especially good idea considering how much darn food I've eaten lately. As always, I digress.
The pads are made from the pulp of cellulose fibers.
Definition of Cellulose: Cellulose is a long chain of linked sugar molecules that gives wood its remarkable strength. It is the main component of plant cell walls, and the basic building block for many textiles and for paper. Cotton is the purest natural form of cellulose. In the laboratory, ashless filter paper is a source of nearly pure cellulose.
O.k...I know you're thinking I'm brilliant...right? I did not write that last paragraph but I wanted to give you the definition because I instantly thought of fat and sugar. I needed to clear things up. See...filtration talk even filters the brain.
So, post filtration the wines will likely go through a little shock, the filtration can strip some of the aromatics and flavor but don't you go worrying your sweet little self about this, because they come back. Not to the "unfiltered - a.k.a. barrel sample stage" but to the wonderful aromatic and taste attributes that are present in these wines.
With that being said, I'm excited for our white wines and I can't wait to get them in the bottle.
The 2007 Calico Red is great. I know you're probably thinking I always say this but I truly mean it! I can't wait for you to try it! Fun blend, great vineyards....Meow. I'll fill you in more in the Calico as it gets closer to release!
Until the next post...
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