President’s day = Winery day.

Monday is a public holiday in the US, so I’m going to take advantage of the extra time and spend a chunk of the day at the winery.

My whites need a little attention, but I’ll primarily work on the Pinot Noir. There’s nothing major to do, just the regular maintenance items:

1. Topping off the barrels as needed. Wine evaporates through the wood barrels, leaving the top surface exposed to harmful air. Regular topping minimizes the chances of spoilage.
2. Stirring the wine during the Sur Lies aging period. This increases the overall flavor profile complexity, especially the toasty-ness of the wine.
3. Run tests to determine if malo-lactic fermentation has completed. The wine is somewhat vulnerable to spoilage as M-L fermentation concludes. Therefore, it’s important to determine when M-L has finished so the wine can be stabilized for aging.
   

Once I’m done at the winery, I’ll resume my hunt for grapes. I’ve locked in about 3 tons of tons of good Pinot Noir for this year, but I’d like to find a couple tons more. Wish me luck.