la gramiere

 

                   

 

Yesterday we pressed the mourvedre, the last vineyard we harvested and the only one that was still on it's skins. It's nice to have that behind us! Now all we have to do is let the wine sit, sooner or later it will undergo a secondary fermentation called malo-lactic fermentation. To put it simply, malo-lactic fermentation is a natural process in which the malic acids (like the acid in an apple) will change into lactic acid (like that in milk.) All wines go through this fermentation unless the winemaker chooses to block it, usually this only happens in whites and rosés when they want to preserve a crisper acidity. I'm sure there are other cases too, but since I am not an enologist, I couldn't tell you what those cases are. In any case our wine will go through malo-lactic fermentation. Then it will rest for another 4-6 months and then we will put it in bottle! Then, hopefully you'll get to taste it!

 

                   

 

For those of you who don't know me that well, I have another job too. Twice a year I spend a week with San Francisco based cookbook writer and PBS television star Joanne Weir (www.joanneweir.com) , at a wonderful estate called Blanche Fleur just outside of Avignon. Joanne brings a group of people from all over the states for a week of Provençal cooking classes. I act as the local host, planning all of the activities other than the cooking classes. We go to Les Baux to taste olive oil, Chateauneuf-du-pape to taste amazing wine and to St Remy de Provence to taste chocolate, among many other activities. Market trips are always a favorite, where the women like to stock up on all things Provençal, especially the bright colored linens so typical of the region. Last week we had such a wonderful group of women taking the class, from all over the states, and the food that they cooked for me, well, it's a good thing I don't do it more than twice a year! I'd weigh a ton! Take a look at Blanche Fleur's website too, if you're ever near Avignon, it's a wonderful place to stay, they do weddings too! www.blanchefleur.com There's a great feature article out this month in a magazine called La Vie Claire, it's an American magazine, despite it's name, that can be found at larger bookstores. There's even a full-page photo of Joanne and I pouring wine! I'm definitely on my way to stardom!

            
                   

 

Time to reflect upon the past 6 weeks. Harvest went amazingly well, despite rain, stress and a general feeling that we really didn't know what we were doing... I just keep thinking how much easier it will all be next year. We felt so lucky to have everything come together at the last minute! EDF, the electric company, magically showed up on the day before harvest started to install a temporary power supply, my sister Molly and two friends Rhonda and Lori were able to change their travel plans and come early to help, and all of the rest of our many local friends kept coming back again and again to help! There were kids everywhere, so those of you who were worried about bringing them along no longer need to worry! They entertained themselves for hours, picking a few grapes here and there, riding around on the tractor and running through the woods. Our last day of picking was on a Sunday, October 2nd to be exact, we had 2 weeks off in between while we waited for our Mourvedre vineyard to ripen. The Mourvedre vineyard is located at the end of a little valley and is actually a protected "green space" meaning that it is an idyllic place to spend a morning picking grapes. We picked for a only a few hours, it's a very small vineyard and then we had a big celebration lunch with our most dedicated pickers. What a perfect end to our first harvest. If you didn't make it this year, start thinking about next fall, it's such a great experience, a little hard work, but all worth it in the end!