The Infinite Vine

The Journey of our Sangiovese

From Vine to Wine, 2024

The art of home winemaking is immensely satisfying, despite its labor-intensive nature. From selecting the grape variety to bottling and storing, each step requires dedication. This Sangiovese wine journey was promising from start to finish. My partner Betty and I chose Sangiovese because it's our favorite. We were supported by an array of helpers, from family and friends to kind strangers. The process tested our patience and readiness, but the result was worth it. We enjoy this Sangiovese and hope you will too.

One Ton Grapes to-go Please

Family is chosen at birth as they bring out
your most secret stash so you can work on to better yourself, September 7, 2014

My brother Steve was a tremendous help with the grape delivery on that day. We managed to transport one ton of grapes effortlessly. Typically, one ton of grapes would require two pickup trucks, but Steve's 3-ton truck handled it without breaking a sweat. The process was further simplified because Bryan, the vineyard owner, provided his macro bins. This meant we didn't need to load the truck by hand at the vineyard, and we could use those same bins later for crushing and destemming the grapes.

Heart of De-stem and Crush Operation

Manifesting is a magical process, it lays between a
fine line of want and don't want September 7, 2024

A destemmer and crusher is used to detach the grapes from their stems and crush them. Crushed grapes exit from one side, while stems come out from the other, effectively separating them. This tool was lent by my friend Tony Bellini, who has significantly furthered my winemaking knowledge. A big thanks goes out to his father, Luigi, whose generous spirit has been a tremendous help.

The Stage

Nothing prepares you for life but your own experiences, September 7, 2024

Before the delivery day, I prepared a staging area for the grapes. This served as a dumping ground for all one ton of grapes from the macro bins before feeding them into the destemmer and crusher.

De-stem and crush Crew

Life is full of wonders, it comes and goes. Hold on tightly, let go gently, September 7, 2024

We hand-fed the grapes into the destemmer and crusher, bucket by bucket. The process was long, physically demanding, back-breaking, and sticky, particularly on this hot day. Betty, Steve, and Jaxon were a huge help.

Primary Fermentation

life is everywhere, everywhere you look there is life, September 10, 2024

A days later after Sulfate introduction I introduced the yeast and two days later we have fermentation going. What you see is the cap where I punchdown twice a day to mix in the grapes back in the must. Punch down continues until the primary fermentation is complete.

Punchdowns

One does nothing, nothing gets left undone, September 10, 2024

Every day, I punch down the grapes back into the must twice for each barrel. During this process, I check the specific gravity to see if it reaches zero, which means the yeast has consumed all the sugars it can before dying off. Once the specific gravity drops below zero, the must is ready for pressing.

The Pressing Begins

Old school is always with tremendous substance,
it grounds energy and gives you place to be spacious, September 17, 2024

On this day, I started pressing with a traditional press borrowed from Tony's uncle, who conveniently lives near our house. The press performed well, though I had to elevate it by placing 4x4s underneath to allow the buckets to slide in. This was an all-day endeavor since I did it alone. I used clean French oak barrels to store the pressed juice, and now it's officially young wine.

The French Barrel

Sometimes the best action is no action, September 17, 2024

I used two French oak barrels, one at 70 gallons and the other at 60 gallons. I made stands for each to store them properly. The barrels had been previously steamed at the vineyard and treated with sulfur by Bryan. The steaming process was new to me and looked pretty cool; it cleans and disinfects the inside of the barrel, allowing the wine to thrive.

The Professional Racking

Life's up and down the uncertainty are just transitory, October 1, 2024

The racking process allows floating lees and sediments to settle at the bottom over a week or more. Normally, the first rack happens shortly after because it's crucial to separate the sediments from the wine, which can otherwise unpleasantly alter its taste. Here, you see the first racking where the wine is pumped out from the top, avoiding the sediment at the bottom. Once the wine is removed, the barrels are cleaned with filtered, clean water, and then the wine is pumped back into the barrels.

The Mighty Wine Himself

Enjoy the finer things in life, November 13, 2024

The wine is checked for pH and acidity to ensure they are within proper ranges. As is typical for Sangiovese, the color is light, and you can see here how beautiful it looks.

The Wine Bottling Crew

Friends and Family come together, December 21, 2024

After the secondary fermentation was completed, we moved on to bottling. The day for bottling came together almost magically. It was uncertain when, how, and who would help with bottling. The day started gloomy and rainy, but it turned into a fun and happy day as we completed 25 cases of this wine. One barrel was bottled for immediate enjoyment, marking it as a very young wine, while one barrel remains in storage for longer refinement. We were assisted by family and friends to complete this labor-intensive task. A special thanks to Betty, Scott, Nicole, and my son Evon.