Rupp Cellars

Getting some help on the last two bins of Cab from my new apprentice. Alder Ridge Vineyard Gilbert Cellars

It's that time of year again. Not my fruit but had to take a pic of this Rocks vineyard, so beautiful. I think this might be a merlot which is a likely 4-5 weeks out.

Things just got real.

Looking forward to bottling my 2015

Washington’s newest wine star is Malbec. The arid Columbia Valley is a perfect place to grow malbec grapes, and Washington wine drinkers are beginning to appreciate the delicious red.

If you ever smell a little rotten egg in your wine, it has H2S or hydrogen sulfide. It's a very common occurrence in wine making and luckily very easy to fix. Copper will quickly get rid of the off odor.

Crush 2016 is a wrap. The last skin has left the building. This year we crushed 4 different Cabs, 2 Merlots, 1 Cab Franc, and 1 Malbec. I'm really excited for this vintage. Everything is tasting great.

Last trip out for 2016

Thom

Prior to fermentation, must needs to be adjusted. Sugars are always too high and there are two methods of lowering the level. One is to simply dilute the solution by adding water. The other is to physically remove sugar by pulling a portion of juice out and replacing it with water. The latter produces a much more concentrated wine. The problem is you end up with a ton of juice and unless you plan to make a rosé, the next best thing is jelly. So here you have Malbec and Red Mountain Cabernet jelly.