Full-Court Press

If you’re ever in San Francisco, I have a new place to add to your places to visit while there if you are a wine junkie.  It’s called Crushpad, which is basically a small lot, outsourced wine making facility.  I signed myself up for a barrel of Syrah sourced from the Alder Springs vineyard in Mendocino county this year and was able to visit the facilities yesterday.  While there, I had the opportunity to get a complete tour of the facility, the winemaking process and perform some punch downs as well as set a submerged cap panel.  This was a tremendous experience and I would highly recommend it to anyone who wants to further their wine knowledge. 

But, the main reason I was there was to Press my batch of Syrah and then TASTE it!  Yes, I got a taste of the “free run” right from the fermentation bin and then several more as the must (the composition of crushed grapes, seeds, etc.) was pressed as varying levels of pressure.  It was unlike anything I had tasted before.  Of course, there weren’t any noticeable aromas or complexities because it had not yet been aged.  Very cool, I thought, as I tasted and spit the wonderful, inky, cloudy goodness into a nearby drain.  It was pure fruit and tasted like wine AND the tannins were there and in full force, especially from the subsequent press fractions.  I think this is going to grow into a very nice wine.

The process is very easy and you can be as hands on or off as you like and they are technologically savvy as your wine plan and subsequent wine measurements are shared and updated via the web and emails.  You can even watch and hear them work via the 2 webcams.  My wife was able to share in this press tasting experience with me remotely via these web cams.  The “world truly is flat” she commented.

Unfortunately, now that my Syrah has been barreled, I will have to wait 12-16 months before it will be ready for bottling, which makes me sad… but, the wait will most certainly be worth it.