Update on this year's Zinfandel

I talked to Ray Teldeschi this weekend about my Zinfandel grapes. He said that they were picking up on the hillside. My lot, Home Ranch Zinfandel, will be ready in a couple of weeks. The sugars are increasing but the acids are " high as a kite". Mike Officer, the winemaker and proprietor from Carlisle, was took tests this weekend and got 25.5 Brix with high acids.

I mentioned that David Coffaro was already picking their estate Zinfandel. Ray said that the northern part of Dry Creek, where Coffaro is, is hotter thus ripens earlier.

Since the acids decrease as sugars increase, I will let the fruit ripen, even to high levels, to get the right acid levels. Deciding exactly when to pick the grapes is arguably the most important winemaking decision. Appropriate acid levels contribute to a wine's stability and provides backbone.