Vayniac Nation Forum

1) Vayniacs Stomp Into Action

Stuart — Fri, 21 Sep 2007 15:18:36 -0700

Greetings Vayniacs!

Runners, on your mark. Set. The gun sounds. Marathon or sprint? Yes. Harvest 2007 has begun.

I can't convey how excited we are to work with Gary and the Vayniac Nation. In the coming days, you'll start receiving Vineyard Updates from 4 sites from which we'll be sourcing grapes for the Vayniac Cabernet. Every week or so, we walk the vineyards to gather samples, run numbers and keep an eye on how the fruit is developing. Vineyard Updates will be our way of passing along our findings to you. These will be unfiltered, genuine assessments of how the grapes are progressing.

As soon as we narrow down possible pick dates, I'll schedule times to sort the fruit at the winery in San Francisco. Since we'll be pulling the fruit from multiple vineyards, you'll have several opportunities to come to the winery and actually help with the production of your wine.

Vayniacs can really help with the wine? Yup. It's starts with sorting the grapes. Grapes travel up a conveyor belt so that leaves, sticks along with over-ripe/under-ripe grapes can be removed. This ensures that only the best fruit is fermented. Everyone who sorts fruit mentions a certain I Love Lucy episode where Lucille Ball is stationed aside a speedy conveyor belt frantically trying to stuff chocolate truffles into boxes. While your first few minutes of sorting can seem stressful, once you unlock the basics of sorting, you won't feel like Lucy anymore.

While sorting grapes, you'll learn about each varietal, different clones, individual vineyards and fruit quality. You'll also discover a tremendous amount of information about wine production simply from talking with other clients, "cellar rats" and the winemakers.

If you can't make it out to the Bay Area, don't fret; you'll be able to check out the entire process live via the Crushnet Cam. There, you can chime in with encouragement...or point out the leaf that we may have let slip by. Look for the camera links on the right side of the screen when you visit the media section of Crushnet. Check it out here.

In addition to helping out with the Vayniac Cabernet, beginning September 29th, I'll be offering free Vayniac Wine Camps on Saturday afternoons from 2 pm until 4:30 pm PST. The hands-on sessions will send you into a state of grape stained bliss. Working a "crush" is incredibly exciting, educational and extremely dirty. Make no mistake... creating wine is anything but glamorous. However, if you don't mind purple stained fingers, wine splashed clothing and really want to learn how top quality wines are produced, your time in the Vayniac Camp will be well spent. (THESE SESSIONS ARE NOW FULL. PLEASE SEE MESSAGE #3 FOR ADDITIONAL CRUSHCAMP DATES/TIMES)

Not up for the hands-on experience? I'll also be offering an insider's tour of Crushpad. This won't be one of those "watch through the Plexiglas" tours where it feels like you are experiencing the action from the penalty box. You'll see the whole life-cycle of the fruit once it comes to the winery. You'll meet a few winemakers, dodge a couple forklifts and learn more about winemaking in a half-hour than you got from that $600 weekend course you took. Sign Up For Tour

That's enough for now. I'll send another update sometime next week. If think you can make it to one of the Saturday Vayniac Wine Camps, send me an email ASAP to reserve a spot. (I'm trying to limit the sessions to 10 people so that you get a genuine experience). If you are interested in joining on of my Wed through Saturday tours at 5:30, let me know when you'll be in town and save you a space.

In next week's email, I'll let you know how you can participate while the fruit is fermenting.

Stuart Ake

stuart@crushpadwine.com

2) Your Voice Needs to be Heard! Vote on key winemaking decisions for the Vayniac Cabernet

Stuart — Fri, 21 Sep 2007 15:27:43 -0700

COOL IS COOL
Napa recently had a string of warm days that accelerated ripening and bumped up sugar levels. 2007 had been shaping up to be an early harvest and the warming trend looked to push pick dates even further ahead. However, cooling breezes and the Pacific marine layer has settled back in to chill things down.

August in the Bay Area usually feels like mid-November at the Meadowlands (shivers and grey-fogged skies). This year was different. August was highlighted by toasty temperatures and a surprising absence of fog. But, the return of our traditional cooler weather is helping extend the growing season. This will enable seeds and stems to mature more deeply, which equals more complexity for the Vayniac Cabernet.

VOX POPULI
Each client at Crushpad works through a plan to determine what style of wine she/he wants to create. Restrained elegance? An anvil-wielding brute? Perhaps something in the middle? Gary, always an advocate for the democratic process, is putting the decision in the hands of the Vayniac Nation. Next week on Wine Library TV, Gary will walk through the details. Vayniacs will then vote on key elements which shape the wine’s style. Unsure of how your decisions will impact the bottle? Not to worry. Our winemaking team has put together a series of short videos for each decision to help guide you.

Polls will close on Tuesday, September 25th. Votes will be counted and the Wine Plan for the 2007 Vayniac Cabernet will be put into action.

VOTE HERE!

Want information before you vote? Watch short video on Wine Style

NUTS & BOLTS
We’ll bring a video camera out to the vineyards next week to capture footage from each site. Yesterday’s Crushnet update indicates that we’re looking to harvest in late September through mid-October. Once we determine actual pick dates, you’ll receive an email inviting you to help sort the fruit. We hope you can come to SF and participate for this event. If not, you can tune into the web cam in the media section of crushnet.com and cheer everyone on.

We won’t know the exact harvest dates until 2-3 days before the pick. This makes for a scheduling nightmare for Vayniacs traveling long distances. However, heat spikes or cooling troughs throw nasty curve balls that prevent us from knowing exactly when the fruit will arrive. It’s one of the many inconveniences of working with agriculture. But, we base all of our decisions on what is best for the grapes and resulting wine. Now, if you know someone with psychic abilities…

Want more? You are welcome to come out and lend a hand at any time during harvest. Just be sure to pack the ugliest, funkiest clothing that you own. Seriously. Your clothing will become permanently stained and your shoes/boots will be drenched with water and sticky "run off" juice. It won't be pretty. If you even think you may ever want to wear the clothing again in public, don't bring it. Really. (Last year, an inexperienced cellar-hand wore white pants and a white t-shirt on his first day....whoops).

WHAT TO EXPECT
Dodging of forklifts, splashing by water, grape skins in the hair, sticky fingers and a floor as slippery as a mid-winter Wisconsin pond. Some really, really, really menial tasks, followed by an hour of some high adrenal rushed excitement. This is what it's really like to work in a winery.

Early next week we’ll have a “SF City Guide” available online. It has recommended sleeps, eats, drinks and wine related visits. We also have special deals worked out for non-cheesy wine country tours and insider food tours of SF. City Guide

VAYNIAC WINEMAKING CAMPS
They’re almost full. I do have a few remaining spots available for the 6th and 20th . But, but, but…it looks like I’ll be offering sessions on Tuesday evenings at 5:30 too. More details will be available next week.

If you know when you are arriving in SF, send me an email with all the details.

Stu

Crushpad
2573 Third Street in S.F.

3) The Waitin' Game- Information, action and the arrival of fruit

Stuart — Fri, 21 Sep 2007 17:50:58 -0700

Greetings Vayniacs,

QUIET BEFORE THE STORM
If you've ever watched a John Ford or Sergio Leone Western, you know at some point during the film, good guy sheriff is going to have to face bad guy outlaw in a shootout. To help set up the climatic sequence, the director builds tension by cutting the volume to a hushed level. Time is momentarily suspended. It's too quiet.

For the past few days, a silence of anticipation has enveloped the winery. Temporarily absent is the usual activity of buzzing forklifts and bubbling fermentations. It has been replaced with a focused tension similar to that of a runner awaiting the bang from a starting gun. We had been getting hiccups of a few tons of fruit every couple of days, but a cooling trough settled over many growing regions forcing us into a holding pattern. We wait, knowing that as soon as temperatures begin to creep northward, an exhilarating and exhausting industrial ballet begins.

Check out Michael's weather update from 9/20

TIMELINE
Once the fruit begins to arrive, here's what will happen. Each day, you will receive an update on each wine. Updates include a fermentation graph that shows the temperature and brix level. The message also details exactly what happened to the wine in terms of yeast inoculation, punchdowns, pumpovers or any additions/nutrients that were added. Whenever we handle a fermenting wine, the information is entered into a handheld computer that sends an email to everyone in the Vayniac Nation group. Since Vayniacs are sourcing fruit from 4 separate vineyards, you will receive 4 daily updates that include details on every single fermentation. If anything happens, you know about it.

Cabernet fermentations generally last between 7 and 10 days. During the fermentation cycle, we extract flavors and colors by keeping the grape skins in contact with the juice. Welcome to punchdowns. Punching down is when the skins are pushed back into the juice with a tool that looks like a giant potato masher. The first punchdown is fun. Number 100 hundred is brutal. There's nothing quite like punching down 300 fermentations 4 to 6 times each day to slim down the waistline. (I should do more punchdowns).

Once the sugars are consumed by the yeast, the wine is pressed into barrel where malolactic conversion will occur. Malolactic conversion is where the bitter malic acids are converted into softer lactic acids to produce a smoother wine. Want more malo?

Then we wait.

VOTE ON VAYNIAC CABERNET STYLE
Vayniacs will determine the style of wine being made. Each Crushpad client works through a wine plan called the Crushpad 30. The Crushpad 30 is a series of decisions that help shape a wine. A big and brawny stand-alone wine? Refined elegance? Somewhere in the middle?

We'll review your answers and use the information to determine what approach to take with the fruit. That said, important factors such as climate, elevation, clone, ripeness level, vineyard management and soils give the fruit unique characters that may lend themselves particular wine style. But, by sourcing from 4 unique vineyards across distinct microclimates in Napa, we have much more room to play. The wine plan will always be visible in Vayniac Nation Crushnet group. Links are provided to explain each decision and its impact along the way. Once the polls close on the 25th, we'll get started on the wine plan. Then we'll shoot a video of winemaker, Kian Tavakoli, detailing all the specifics.

Enter your choices in the survey below. The Vayniac Survey closes on Tuesday, September 25th.

Take the Survey

Short Video on Wine Style

WANT TO PLAY?
Vayniacs are welcome to help out with production. Once harvest dates are determined, you will receive an invitation to come to the winery and help sort the grapes. As I mentioned in previous emails, this is where it all begins in the winery. The Vineyard Updates you are now receiving include a window for estimated pick dates. Of course, weather can throw a nasty curve as temps rise, dip and drizzles come into play. This makes it extremely tricky to provide advanced notice of when the grapes will arrive. We generally know 2-3 days ahead of time when the grapes will be ready for picking. We understand this wreaks havoc for Vayniacs excited to travel to SF. However, we simply have to do what is best for the grapes.

If you are planning to come to Crushpad, please contact me with your travel info. In fact, many Vayniacs have already to come out to visit or volunteer with other wines in production. For those hoping for a more formalized visit, I'm offering hands-on tours and winemaking CRUSHCAMPS. To request a tour, please RSVP here. The web page to RSVP for additional CRUSHCAMPS will be up early next week.

You'll hear from me on Wednesday with results from the Vayniac Survey.

Stuart

4) First Vayniac Fruit Rolling In Next Week!

Stuart — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 13:21:37 -0700

Vayniacs... They're almost here!!!

FIRST VAYNIAC GRAPES
Next week, we're getting Vayniac grapes! Presently, it looks like Godspeed, Young-Inglewood and Carrefour will be rolling in. Ready to play? Here's how it will work.

As a Vayniac Nation member on Crushnet, you'll receive a harvest announcement with details on when the fruit is being picked. (Please note that pick calls are made on very short notice, sometimes as little as 24-hours ahead of time.) Once we confirm the pick date, I will send an email offering several times when you can come by Crushpad to help sort the fruit. I plan to offer several sorting times for each vineyard. By offering multiple sorting sessions, we're hoping you'll find a time that works for you. Then, send me an email with your top 3 choices and I'll work my slide rule to figure out how to squeeze everyone in.

Presently, I don't have any information on specific pick dates. Just be sure to check you inbox frequently in the coming week for Vineyard Updates and Confirmed Harvest Date notices.

CAN'T MAKE IT IN PERSON? SEND US YOUR PHOTOGRAPH
Last week, visiting Vayniacs from Michigan, left us a photograph to tack onto a Vayniac barrel. We thought it was a fantastic idea. Send us your photograph and we'll make a Vayniac shrine around the barrels to send good vibes to the wine while aging. I've included our address at the bottom of this email.

CRUSHCAMP
I hope everyone has had a chance to watch the video from our first Crushcamp. If you haven't had an opportunity to do so, please visit the media section of Crushnet and check it out. It was a treat to do some work, do a some sipping and do some socializing. Everyone was so kind and enthusiastic... Vayniacs really are changing the wine world! The whole afternoon was simply awesome.

The Vayniac Nation also helped kick harvest into high gear. While life had been rather quiet around the winery due to cooler weather, it's been anything but quiet since the first Crushcamp. The arrival of the Vayniacs brought warmer temperatures and now the winery "feels" like a winery. Bubbling fermentations, endless sorting table sessions, Alex pressing wine after wine into barrel, sleep deprivation...it's really here. Yippie!

That's it for now. You'll be hearing from me in the next few days regarding when to come in to sort your berries.

Please send your photographs to:
Stuart Ake
c/o Crushpad
2573 Third Street
San Francisco, CA 94107

Barrels and Blends!

Stuart — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 16:49:00 -0700

Greetings Vayniacs!

I have a very personal gripe with aging when it comes to my personal life. Puffy dark circles under the eyes, puffy mid-bellied paunch, hair loss and the unsettling cracks and pops emanating from knee and shoulder joints are a not so subtle reminder that my body is not becoming more refined as it matures. Wine can be a different beast. Many styles, especially full-bodied varietals like Cabernet Sauvignon, need maturity to fully integrate and show their stuff.

Each component of the 2007 Vayniac Cabernet Sauvignon is currently undergoing a slow, but dramatically important, transition in barrel. While the aging process is a fairly low-key affair in terms of winery operations, it’s an essential component toward bringing complexity and refinement to the final wine. At this point, each of the wines has extremely short phenolic polymer chains. As the wine matures in barrel, these shorter chains bind to form longer chains that smooth overtly assertive tannins thus allowing more subtle characteristics to emerge. The wood tannins in the new oak barrels also help with color stabilization.

For the next 16 months or so, we’ll continue to closely monitor the wine’s progress while employing our topping, stirring and sulfuring routine. Based on the Vayniac Cabernet survey results, Kian is trying to achieve balance through the use of a combination of approximately 50% new French oak barrels from Radoux, Alain Fouquet, Sansaud, Sylvain, Ermitage and Vicard. Here’s a recent video with Kian discussing barrel choices for both white and red wines.
View Video

As you know, Gary is planning to pull names of 5 Vayniacs who purchased the wine to participate in next month’s blending session with Kian and Camille. We’re excited that Camille Benitah has officially joined us full-time after playing such an important role in producing the ridiculously amazing Cabs at Merus. If you haven’t purchased your Vayniac Cab, do so now at Wine Library so that you have an opportunity to have your name chosen.

Vayniacs have been calling and emailing me about creating their own wines this fall. If you are interested in organizing a winemaking group, you can do so through the forums on Crushnet. Simply create a post indicating the type and style of wine you want and people will contact you who are interested in joining your group. “Rhone Ranger interested in making full-bodied Viognier…” Click Here. If you plan to do your own barrel or already have a group of family/friends together, contact Dave Gifford at dave@crushpadwine.com to check out the 2008 Vineyard Guide. The Vineyard Guide is officially being released to the public today. You can also see the sites by clicking the Vineyards tab on Crushnet.

That’s it for now. I wish everyone the best of luck on being able to participate in the blending session! If you have questions, don’t hesitate to ask!

Thanks,

Stuart Ake

Help with the Young-Inglewood sort on Sunday!!!

Stuart — Fri, 12 Oct 2007 17:05:06 -0700

We're picking Young-Inglewood on Sunday! This St. Helena site is planted to clone 337 on a rocky/gravelly bench, about one mile south of Dr. Crane Vineyard. With the low precipitation this year, the berries are very small and concentrated. Being in a warmer part of Napa, Young-Inglewood generally features intense, fruit-driven wines that pair up nicely with darker toast barrels.

I've scheduled 3 separate sort times for Sunday. Please list your preference in a 1, 2, 3 order for which sorting session you would like to help with. We'll be sorting the grapes at 2pm, 3pm and 4pm. I'll definitely, get you into 1 sorting session and depending on the number of participants, you may be able to help out in more. Space is limited so respond quickly.

Continue to check your inbox frequently as we're expecting more picks to take place very soon.

REMEMBER
As I've mentioned before, the work is extremely dirty. However, if you don't mind wine splashed clothing,you'll have a blast.

WHAT TO BRING
The funkiest clothing you own and a camera. Many folks also love to bring a bottle or some light bites to share. I'll set up a couple tables so Vayniacs can hang out before, during, after the sort to meet, sip and snack. The Wine House (winesf.com)
and K and L (KLWines.com) are a short drive away. Feel free to coordinate snack/bottle bringing in the forums. GrapeStuff started a thread at WLTV for food and snack.

If you can't make it to Crushpad, please cheer us on by using via the live Crushpad Web cameras. They'll be able to click on the Sort Cam link at

http://www.crushnet.com/medias.php?mode=featured

CRUSHPAD
2573 Third Street
San Francisco, CA 94107

Yippie!!! I'm really excited that we get a weekend sort! I hope the Sunday sort allows more Vayniacs to join the fun.

Stu

Invitation????

Grape Expectations — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 18:40:02 -0800

I just watched the new video and Stu referred to a December 1st gathering and said "of course, you've received your invitation" (or words to that effect). I haven't received an invitation. (Shades of the high school prom!) What have I done to offend?

Join Gary for the filming of the 500th episode

Stuart — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 09:14:38 -0700

Join Gary for the filming of the 500th episode

Over the past 490+ episodes, Gary has worked to demystify and
democratize the world of wine by presenting history's prized beverage
in a straight-forward style... void of fluff, cultural elitism or
pretension.

Now, it's time for number 500! The 500th episode of Wine Library TV
will be shot here at Crushpad on July 10th. Are you ready to be a part
of this milestone? After the director yells cut, we'll sip, snack and
admire Gary's collection of action figures.

Thirsty? Participants will be able to sample wines from 10 different wineries.

In the spirit of good cheer, we encourage you to bring a bottle or
bite to share. If you attended last year's session at Fort Mason or the
barrel tasting here last December, you know the BYOB experience is an
absolute highlight. Sparkling wines, light footed white varietals or
brooding reds... there's room for everything.

RSVP HERE

WHEN: Thursday, July 10th from 6pm until 10pm

WHERE: CRUSHPAD, 2573 Third Street, SF

Special thanks to Ken P and Brandon M who pounded the pavement and worked tirelessly to make this happen.

Official Invitation to the December 1st Vayniac Unveiling

Stuart — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 17:02:44 -0800

Be the first to swirl, sniff and sip! Join Gary on December 1st for an opportunity to sample the Vayniac Cabernet in its infancy. You'll meet other Vayniacs as we celebrate the end of another successful Harvest.

Simply bring a bottle or bite to share. It doesn't matter whether you're ready to open that prized magnum or want to slip in a bottom shelf ringer; we'll have a fantastic experience raising a glass to this Crushpad/Vayniac first. Food and wine coordination can take place in GrapeStuff's forum thread and the Vayniac forum on Crushnet.

In addition to the tasting party, earlier in the afternoon, 12 lucky Vayniacs will have the opportunity to learn how to blend wines. This won't be the Vayniac blending session (that will come in '08). However, participants will sharpen their palate by following the same steps winemakers use to determine what goes into the bottle. To be eligible to participate in the blending activity, please jot me a note in the comments section when RSVPing. The names will be drawn on November 26th.

Click to RSVP

Details:
4pm Vayniac Tasting
1pm Fusebox Blending Session for 12 Vayniacs
Crushpad
2573 Third Street

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to email me!
Thanks,
Stu

Sign-up to Participate in Thursday's Godspeed sort! (10/11)

Stuart — Tue, 09 Oct 2007 15:27:38 -0700

Sound the Trumpets! We've set a pick date for Godspeed! Weather permitting, it looks like we'll get grapes on Thursday. This vineyard sits approximately 1500 feet above sea level near the top of Mount Veeder. The 22-acre site features steep slopes, weak soils and excellent sun exposure to create small, intense berries with lots of mountain tannins. The vines are mostly clone 8 (with some 338), planted on 110R and healthy (non-phylloxera) AXR-1. To manage the tannins, we remove less ripe fruit and tend to let it hang a bit longer. The result should be massive, structured and intense fruit-driven wines that will be among the longest lived that we make.

I've scheduled 2 separate sort times for Thursday. When responding to my email, please list your preference in a 1 or 2 order for which sorting session you would like to help with. If all goes according to plan, we'll be sorting the grapes at 7:30pm and 8:30pm. I'll definitely, get you into 1 sorting session and depending on the number of participants, you may be able to help out in both. Space is limited so respond quickly.

Continue to check your inbox frequently as I'll be sending out information for the Young-Inglewood pick tomorrow morning PST.

REMEMBER
Grapes are sticky and stain. As I've mentioned before, the work is extremely dirty. However, if you don't mind wine splashed clothing, you'll have a blast.

WHAT TO BRING
The funkiest clothing you own and a camera. Many folks also love to bring a bottle or some light bites to share. I'll set up a couple tables so Vayniacs can hang out before, during, after the sort to meet, sip and snack. The Wine House (winesf.com) and K and L (KLWines.com) are just a short drive away. Feel free to coordinate snack/bottle bringing in the forums.

VIDEO
This year, we're capturing video of groups working on the wine. We'll upload this video to our Vayniac Nation group in Crushnet, so the experience can be shared with family and friends. This means, we'll be hovering around with a video camera. If it makes you feel uncomfortable, simply let us know.

If you can't make it to Crushpad, please cheer us on by using via the live Crushpad Web cameras. They'll be able to click on the Sort Cam link at http://www.crushnet.com/medias.php?mode=featured

CRUSHPAD
2573 Third Street
San Francisco, CA 94107

Let's make some wine!!!

RSVP-ASAP!

Stu