Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I just heard of this recently but can't find it around here. Anyone had this wine ? I was told the grapes are frozen at the vineyard in South America, then transported to CA for processing. I'm having trouble wrapping my head around how freezing the grapes would effect the wine's outcome; seems like it would create a really "thin" product.
Before he retired and moved to Florida to be near grandkids, I was friends with a TX winemaker who regularly received Lodi and Central Coast frozen grapes and/or juice for varietals he couldn't get from Texas. His zinfandel and cabernet sauvignon were both very full-bodied and expansive, his sangiovese impressed my sister greatly... and she works as an assistant winemaker in California! He kept the sangio frozen for two year until he had the right oak barrels for aging, the result was excellent.
What can be misleading is the vintage or date on the bottle. I will ask my sister about this when I can get a hold of her, but since most of her grapes are estate-grown, and California exports grapes and juice vice importing them, she may not know.
I would suspect that if the grape juice is from a 2014 vintage, and it sits in a freezer for three years and is not vinted until 2017, the vintage on the bottle is still 2014, even though the fermentation didn't start until 2017. A buyer might think the wine has aged three years longer, which is not the case. Food for thought, the next time I see a Texas winemaker who imports grapes I will ask, since TX can't grow enough grapes for all the wineries in the state. Which may be today.
Update: I visited an urban winery yesterday and the winemaker/owner said that the vintage is the year the grapes were picked and frozen. Which means one could have a vintage of, say, 2005 (a very good year in the US) that was fermented and bottled this year (young or green).
He also said there is an interesting benefit to freezing grapes; because the cell walls are damaged during the freeze and rupture during the thaw, the grapes produce more juice during extraction, through cryomaceration.
Sluggo, you always have some interesting tidbit to share about wine. Thanks for the info- I have another wrinkle on my brain today.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
