Wine making time

[ivar]

Not really pilgrim related... we just picked and pressed 300 liters of wine today... body hurts, but the tank is full

Happy Sunday!
Ivar

 

[sillydoll]

What - no trampling underfoot? Aah ... gee! I thought we might see you with your trousers rolled up and grape juice up to your ... ??

 

[Rose Louise]

Ivar,

Red or white? I see your press is more antiquated than ours! Bud burst was last month in our part of the world so we have all that ahead of us in February/March 09. Results of the National Amateur Wine & Beer Show entries have just been released and our neighbour, the winemaker, picked up one silver and three bronze medals. It is a great past-time. Enjoy.

We were really taken with the granite posts in the vineyards along the Camino Portugues so you can say that while it is "off" topic is "on" as well.

Rose Louise

 

[Anonymous]

National Amateur Wine & Beer Show entries....

...it is "off" topic is "on" as well.

On this subject, you can't get more 'off topic' than my dear old grandmother. She died about twenty years ago, but not before giving me a great piece of advice about home beer making. I had been making beer as my new hobby for a few weeks when my grandmother suddenly told me, in a voice filled with genuine alarm, "I heard of a man who died through making his own beer!" Why? What happened? All sorts of things went through my head... Could there be a way of turning malt and hops accidentally into poison?

My grandmother explained: "He was sitting in the garden, drinking his home-made beer and a bee stung him in the throat!"

Right, Gran. Thanks for the advice there. Brewing your own beer is clearly dangerous...

Gareth

 

[MermaidLilli]

That's funny, Gareth. I liked seeing Ivar with his winemaking tool. Makes me melancholic for a different lifestyle, that Spanish life.

 

[ksam]

Makes me melancholic for a different lifestyle, that Spanish life.

OHhhhh LILLI.. Come on up to NJ...that's what goes on at my house from Sept till, well, two weeks ago, when I got my kitchen floor back! My hubby makes tons of wine, and the kitchen gets rearranged annually now. And the rude noises of the first fermentation...let's say they can be very interesting! :roll: Of course now it's probably too late to nag him about my beer for Christmas...as I like a nice heavy one. Something along the lines of a stout...hmmm nearly lunch time...wonder what's lurking in my fridge at home....will need to check this out!

So Ivar, white or Red, or both???

Karin

 

[ivar]

So Ivar, white or Red, or both???

White... we are after all in Albariño country (well, a bit north).

...and then with the grape skin we make aguardiente.

Ivar

 

[MermaidLilli]

That would be homemade Orujo, Ivar??? Yum

Hmmm, how long of a drive to NJ?? It will be drunk soon like a Beaujolais Nouveau or allowed to ferment a bit longer? Does your house smell like fermentation? What does that smell like anyway?
Cheers,
Lillian

 

[Deirdre]

Karin,
I'm in CT... we could all come for a wine tasting!!!!!!!
Buen Camino

 

[ksam]

Let me see....Lillie, your probably going to want to look for a cheeeep ticket...yours would be an 18 hr drive or so, Deirdre...you could be here by dinner time.

Fermentation...sometimes a little yeasty musty...not really unpleasant at al...it's just the somewhat rude noises from the air locks...and not being able to get to the kitchen table to sit down...That the annoying part!

Ah...now I need to remind him he owes me a brewski...something heavy, and as my boys like to refer to my taste in beer...something you nearly have to chew!!

Ah...twenty minutes to lunch...need to dig thru the fridge at home and see if perhaps there is a beer lurking in there ! I HATE having adult male children around...keeping a drink around is hard!!

Ahh all of life should be so dreadfully difficult!! :- :lol:

 

[Arn]

When I was growing up in Chicago...most of the Italians on my street made wine every October. The entire block was fragrant with the crush. I thought I had a picture of the family wine press. If not I'll attach a pic of a close copy. I really like Ivar's press and, yes...back breaking. Ours was wheel drives (or should I say Kid Powered). I will be looking into getting a similar press for here at Eastern View (my colonial farm house built in 1783). Can't wait to start my own crush and lay up.

Arn

 

[Anniesantiago]

What was it about the wonderful wine along the Camino?

Here in the USA, I cannot drink wine. I am sick sick SICK next day.
But along the Camino, I drank wine almost every day...even getting downright DRUNK at one fiesta... and felt GREAT!

How is it so different?

 

[Rose Louise]

Anniesantiago

The sulphur used in some wines as a preservative can have this effect on people. Maybe you are one of them

Rose Louise

 

[Arn]

Anniesantiago:How is it so different?

I offer you these considerations:

1. Wine imbibed close to the vinter...suffers little in transportation.
2. Wine imbibed on one evening...followed immediately the next morning with strenuous physical activity...tends to lessen the over all impact.
3. Wine imbibed on the Camino...is energy...viva Vinotinto en Vinoblanco!

Buen please pass the botella Camino

Arn

 

[Deirdre]

Hi Annie,
The wine in Spain (and nearly all Europe) does not contain the sulphites and nitrites imposed by the FDA (of the USA) as a required preservative on imported wine. As a result, you don't get the headache, or get drunk nearly as fast in Spain although you can drink it in copious amounts!

I once traveled to Spain with a good friend of mine who cannot even take a sip of wine here in the States and she too, drank it and enjoyed wine for the first time in her life!

Someone recently told me that they have a close friend or family member who has a vineyard in California - they reserve some of their wine for their personal comsumption - sans the preservatives and it is similar to the Spanish situation - great taste, no headache, no hangover. Isn't it wonderful that we are so well protected????

Toma esa copa, esa copa de vino.......

Buen Camino,

 

[Anniesantiago]

It makes me want to move to Spain even more! :lol:

 

[crhutch]

Hi Annie,
The wine in Spain (and nearly all Europe) does not contain the sulphites and nitrites imposed by the FDA (of the USA) as a required preservative on imported wine. As a result, you don't get the headache, or get drunk nearly as fast in Spain although you can drink it in copious amounts!

Deidre, The wine in the States is no different than that in Europe. There is no FDA requirement to use sulphites as a preservative. Sulphites are actually a naturally occurring substance in wine and is found in all wines to varying degrees. Wine makers all over the world use sulphites in the wine making process both as a preservative and as a disinfectant when cleaning barrels. THE ONLY FDA requirement is that the wine label clearly state that the wine contain sulphites. By the by, sulphites in wine do not cause the headaches, although it can cause allergic reactions to people allergic to sulphites. You can check this out by googling wine & headaches.

Why people don't get headaches when drinking on the camino can be explained numerous ways, it could be table wine, it could be the wonder of the moment or a host of other reasons. Where I do agree with you is that the wines of Spain are wonderful!!

Cullen

 

[Arn]

Headaches from wine: Why? Just some thoughts...

Headaches resulting from wine are almost certainly not the result of sulfites, which occur naturally in all wines and are added to wines as a natural preservative by wine makers around the world. You can't buy a wine without sulfites; and if you were one of the 1 in 1 million people who has an allergy to sulfites, you wouldn't suffer headaches but serious, life-threatening breathing difficulties if you consumed any product containing them.

If you suffer headaches after drinking wine, here are some thoughts to consider:

Have you noticed any relationship between headaches and the amount of wine you consume? Even if you're only having a glass or two, sometimes a second or third glass will leave you with a headache aftereffect even if you didn't drink enough for impairment. Many people tell me that they get wine headaches at home but not when traveling. If you're like me, the sense of excitement and fun while traveling is sufficient to give you an extra shot of adrenaline that might carry you through that third glass without feeling the effects as much as you might at home.

Do your wine-consuming habits vary? For example, if you normally get headaches after drinking wine as a cocktail, without food, try having your wine with dinner instead; consuming wine and food together will certainly make a difference in its effects on you.

Finally, do you have seasonal pollen allergies? If so, you may be sensitive to "histamines," which also occur naturally in wines. Histamines are more concentrated in red wines than whites, so you might try switching to whites to see if this brings relief.

Friends who are highly sensitive to histamines tell me that common over-the-counter antihistimane allergy products work well to alleviate their symptoms. I would recommend carefully reading the cautions, particularly as they may relate to mixing the medication with alcohol (!), and if you're the cautious type, you might even want to seek your doctor's advice -- assuming your doctor approves of wine.

In my case, I am highly sensitive to histamines...therefore, while I don't get headaches..I may blow up like a balloon, or gegin to itch something awful.

Buen I'll drink to that Camino
Arn

 

[William Marques]

I used to take anti-histamines on a daily basis and can confirm that taken with wine the have a much greater tranquillising effect than with water.

On the occasion I met my future mother and father in-law I almost fell asleep at the table due to this. Luckily I did not and went on to marry their daughter.

 

[Rebekah Scott]

Wines are on sale now in Spain, a lot of the good Reservas and Crianzas and Cuvees that didn´t sell over the holidays are now a snip! The bodega´s proving a good investment.

I don´t know about all the sulfites and histamines, etc., but I do have nasty allergies to wine...when I drink it in the United States. Especially white wine. I do not have these problems in Spain.
And after two years of day-to-day, I don´t think it´s Pilgrim Adrenaline keeping me breathing (and toping.) I think it´s just more pure, more local. Wine´s just better here.

Reb

 

[Anniesantiago]

I agree, Rebekah!

And Wiliam... have you ever heard of Karen Quinlan? YIKES! True, she took Valium and alcohol.

Gosh, you might get so sleepy, you don't wake up!

Personally, I wouldn't mix alcohol with any drug...

 

[JohnnieWalker]

perhaps people who have allergies to wine just aren't drinking enough?

 

[crhutch]

Here is a pretty good article regarding causes of headaches with wine...http://ezinearticles.com/?Causes-of-Hea ... id=1570184 The take away is really how good the wine maker is. I have a passion for wine and there is good wine all over the world. Nevertheless, some of the best wines out there today are from Spain and Portugal. 8)

 

[Arn]

I am an equal opportunity wine drinker. That is, every day should equal another opportunity to drink wine!

Alcohol and, any other chemical you put into your body, is often a bad thing.

Size also counts. I can drink way more at 230...than I can at 190. So I keep my weight about 215.

I've found that South African wine can be some of the best ever. Especially their signature Pinotage wines. If you haven't tried them...give them a shot.

Buen Vinotinto Camino
Arn

 

[JohnnieWalker]

and remember when it comes to wine, quality is no substitute for quantity