Chronicles of the Long Shot Farm

Sauterne – a Wine worth Trying

One of the typical white wines from the southern part of Bordeaux is Sauterne. This sweet white wine is produced in the five small villages that make up the Sauternais appellation in Bordeaux, south of Graves. Sauterne is typically made from a blend of the two white Bordeaux grapes: Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon. Sometimes Muscadelle grapes are also included, usually at less than 3%.

The sweetness of Sauterne is not from a late harvest, but rather from botrytis, or Noble Rot, which develops during cool humid nights and warm, dry days at time of maturity. These humid conditions develop because the two rivers in this area, the Ciron and Garonne, have different temperatures, which cause the misting phenomenon.

The botrytis dries out the grape berries which leads to a concentration of flavors and aromas, as well as a concentration of sugar, which are the foundation of a very rich, full bodied, incredibly flavorful wine.

The botrytized grapes are hand-selected, hand-harvested, pressed, and fermented. Their high sugar levels causes the alcohol level to reach as high as 15% to 16%, at which point the yeast cells die. Fermentation ends with as much as 7% residual sugar!

Sauterne is usually aged in oak, anywhere from 18 months to 3 + years before bottling. Bottles can be consumed young, or aged for many years. The longer it is aged, the more amber the color and the more complex the flavors.

Sauterne is a very rich, sweet wine that is balanced by high levels of acidity. Aromas include honey, melon, pineapple, mango, papaya and dried apricots. It can be very complex and flavorful, and it is serves as an aperitif as well as dinner or dessert wine. Because of the time consuming harvest and production, Sauterne is one of the most expensive wines, and often under-appreciated.  Here is a link to a recent article in the NYT about this specialty wine.

Handmade Handbags

I found a beautiful Vogue purse pattern and finally had enough time over the Thanksgiving holiday to try and make this purse.  My plan was to make it out of deer leather, which we had gotten tanned many years ago, but since this was my first attempt at making a handbag, I decided to sew a fabric purse first before sewing with leather. I enjoyed making both bags – it did not take as much time as I had thought.  Actually, I found it easier to make a purse than to sew a dress 🙂

Terroir – on a Rudimentary Level

Terroir is a French word, which means land – but in the context of wine, terroir refers to much more than the actual land, it encompasses all the aspects that influence grapevine development and fruit ripening potential, from the nutrients in the soil, drainage, the climate, elevation, predominant wind directions, humidity – even other plants grown nearby. Terroir’s definition may also include decisions made by people, such as traditional row and vine spacing, and pruning techniques.

All of this will greatly influence the characteristics of the end product – the wine – from the flavor profile to alcohol levels (which in turn depend on the level of brix at harvest).

Terroir is an important consideration when studying wine, as each region’s terroir – even as small as microclimates within the same vineyard – will affect how the wine ultimately tastes. Wines from the same grape variety will therefore taste very differently, based on the terroir of the vineyard from where the grapes came.

Some very basic examples would include a grape variety grown in a warm climate vs a cooler climate, as the flavor profile will be very different. For example a Pinot Gris from a cool climate may have flavors of pear or apple, while a Pinot Gris from a warmer climate (where the grapes had a longer ripening season) would have flavors of peach or melon. Terroir is also the basis for the French appellation d’origine contrôléede (AOC) system.

Grape Harvest 2015

We had a great grape harvest this year – weather conditions were perfect and harvest parameters were great for each of our varieties.

We started with our Concords, which we picked  over several days during the last week in August.  We sold most of them at the local fruit auction.  On August 30th we picked the last of them and pressed them for juice (some of which we fermented for some wine experiments).

Nothing beats fresh Concord grapes and juice!

We harvested Chambourcin grapes from our young vines on September 7 (Labor Day)- a bit early, as we are going to try and make some rose wine from these.

On September 13 we picked all of our Vidal Blanc grapes.  This was our first harvest from these vines and we are looking forward to some white wine experiments.  Next year, we should have a lot more as the vines mature.

And finally on the weekend of September 19 and 20, we picked the remaining Chambourcin grapes.  It kept us busy all month!  Now comes the clean up of the bird netting, the harvest bins and all equipment maintenance.

Greenhouse turned Shadehouse

We planted Morning Glories along one side of the greenhouse and tied bailer twine from ground anchors to the top of the greenhouse roof.  The plants just found their way – and once they reached the top, they grew downwards.