After a 10 year hiatus, I've jumped back into winemaking along with my friend and wine 'sensi' Richard. After taking our families on a spectacular trip to Tuscany where wine is an integral part of everyday life, we decided to put up some juice from what turned out to be an excellent 2007 harvest here in the Finger Lakes.
Fulkerson Winery in Dundee on the west side of Seneca Lake http://www.fulkersonwinery.com/ is this area's haven for the home winemaker and is where we bought our juice. What's really cool is that they provide you with the proper amount of skins if you're buying red juice. They've got everything you need, including free winemaking seminars, to get you started. One of the best books I've found on both viticulture and winemaking is "From Vines to Wines" by Jeff Cox http://www.amazon.com/Vines-Wines-Complete-Growing-Grapes/dp/1580171052. Even if winemaking isn't practical for you, it's a must read if you're a wine enthusiast.
We've got 5 gallons of Cabernet Franc, 5 gallons of Pinot Noir and 5 gallons of Riesling underway. The reds were allowed to macerate on the skins for 10 days on the Pinot and for 21 days on the Cab Franc. The color looks amazing. Darker than any reds I've ever made. 2007 was an unusually good year for red wine grapes in the Finger Lakes so we're very hopeful about our results. Bottling should take place in the fall and we plan to pop some this Christmas. Riesling of course is king up here. We're allowing it to develop 'sur lie' and hope to be bottling in late spring.
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