Apple Lees

We racked the apple wine yesterday and this is a picture of the thick settlings at the bottom of the tank, called lees, draining out of the bottom valve. I love this color, and after looking at it, I have realized this is the color we painted the walls of our dining room. John, my husband, calls it "old gold" from the colors of the University of Missouri- Columbia, where we met.

Mommy's Little Helper

Cecilia is going to start coming to work with me on Mondays, after a nice long summer at home with my husband. She has grown quite a bit since the last time we saw her here on the blog. She's much more active now, and very "helpful." This is a picture of her inspecting the hose on the output of the filter.

Orange

Newness

It's the little things that one should pay attention to and love and enjoy. These barrels are my new favorite additions to the winery. We have other Missouri oak barrels, but these are so fresh and clean and new. Plus they are filled with our Estate Seyval, so the smell is heavenly.

Sleep tight, my new little friends, over the weekend. I'll have visions of you all through the night. ;)

My Dad and I in the tank room

Expansion Pack

Humble Beginnings

The building where the first Sainte Genevieve Winery wine was made is getting torn down this week. It originated as a garage for the house, and was on the property when mom and dad bought it in 1967. I never remember too many cars actually parked in it though. The story I have heard is that my two brothers wanted to start a machine shop in the garage to fix cars and whatnot, so they bought some tools and poured a concrete floor. In December 1983 we received our official bonded winery license and the garage soon turned into the winery. My brother, Joe, played basketball in high school, so a basketball hoop was hung. Like any American pursuing the dream, my dad used what he had available to him, and that was the garage. We built barrel racks, cut a hole in the back room for an air conditioner, and I bottled more wine out there than I care to admit.

I read an article about a year or two ago in the Food and Wine Magazine about a little winery in the Amador foothills who ran their winery out of a garage, and the journalist made it seem so rustic and authentic, and I'm sure it was/is, but Dad and I couldn't help but chuckle. What some people found quaint, we found bothersome. It's all about perscpective, isn't it?

Now, we are in this new fangled building, and although it isn't beautiful, it is 1,000 more functional than that old building, and for that I am grateful everyday. I have an office/lab, and all my tanks indoors, and drains in the floors. It's a little winemaker's dream come true. I, for one, know I WILL NOT miss the old building, but I can't say the same for Dad.

This is the building where it all began.

Friday was our employee harvest party. Harvest isn't 100% over yet, but we thought we'd plan the party first. ;)

This is the Seyval Blanc juice being pumped into one of our new open top variable capacity tanks for fermentation. It always looks a shade of green when first pressed, but it turns into a nice pale yellow later.

The must pump hose in the top of our basket press

This is Quincy who likes to hang out in my office. I'm not in my office much now that the grapes are coming in, so he usually just follows me around. I like to think he likes my company, but I think he just likes the air conditioning. Today he is chasing bees and horseflies out of my office; taking good care of me. He just caught a hornet. I think that deserves a treat. ;)

Here on the farm sometimes animals are your only companions. This is Alberta (John named her after Albert Pujols) guarding the pallets of empty bottles.

Today is the last day of pressing the plums.

The Most Beautiful Tanks in the World! These are our first ever brand new tanks. Aren't they spiffy? They are variable capacity tanks, which I have been asking for for years. WooHOO!