The "Spirits" of Family Season 2

     That time of year again, that time when you finalize and bottle your second round of wine making.  As posted before my cousin and I started taking over the family tradition of making homemade wine.  Last year we did it strictly with the grapes from our parent’s arbors growing in their backyards.  This year we thought we would try something a bit different.  We added two other flavor additions: Black Currants and Black Cherry.  Our attempt at making close to a good Cab, which we love to drink.

     After our first year of learning the ropes of what to do things moved a bit quicker this time around.  From juicing the grapes, adding the right amounts of yeast and other additives, racking, racking, and more racking, to eventually stopping the fermenting and back sweating to bottling, everything seemed a bit more comfortable this year. We did do some things differently this time.  We racked earlier than the previous year and more often this time around. The only mishap this year was we got large corks than last time which created its own comical moments of trying to insert without creating a mess. 

     We are sticking with the brand of our wine, Binato, a combination of our two names Irish/ Italian.  The name for each year though will change as we do a different recipe.  This year as we wanted it a bit darker and more body, we chose the name Bevanda Del Diavolo, (drink of the devil).  Something mysterious, dark, and sexy at the same time.  We designed the label by incorporating a Celtic demon figure.  Pretty cool if you ask me.  The taste was different this year.  Not as "grapey" as before.  You could taste the different fruit additives.  It also had a bit more body this time around.  Still a light bodied wine but good.  Guess we have the "Spirits" of family down pact almost.

Mashing again

Seriously!?

Our new stirrer

Removing the must

Racking stage 1

After rack 1

 

After second and third rack

 Corking

Labeling

Final product