Wine Bites Magazine articles categorised 'Bathtub Winemaking Project' :

Q&A with Paul:”What are Pressings in Red Wine?”

A complete answer needs a book. We’ll cut that back to 5 minutes! In this case we’re talking about red wines. White wines are another beast altogether!
The question arose after AP Birks Wendouree released a Pressings Wine for the 2017 vintage. They only release it about once a decade.

Wine Decoded Yarra Valley Shiraz 2016 Season Recap + Launch!

From Grape 🍇to your mouth 🍷 it takes 3 years to prepare this tasty beverage!
Today we share the Season Recap with a 🎥7min highlight real!

Bathtub Winemaking Day 449 – Élévage: Raising the Kids 2017 Wine Decoded Shiraz

It’s a busy day in the Tiny Winery today! It’s 449 days since our beautiful Shiraz arrived in the winery.
Blending time … mostly!

The Wait is Over … Our 1st Wine Decoded Wine is Here!

The 2015 Wine Decoded ‘Bathtub’ Cabernet Sauvignon!
Just a little bit excited 😉

Bathtub Winemaking Project Day 20 Racking Bathtub Shiraz V17

Alcoholic fermentation has finished and the Bathtub Winemaking Project Shiraz has been pressed and is now resting in either tank or barrel.

Malolactic fermentation has started converting malic acid to the softer lactic acid. We need to start raising the wine, the process of élévage begins.

Pressing Time – The Shiraz is Heading out of the Bathtub & Into the Basket Press – Bathtub Winemaking Project Day 14

We’ve been working hard on the Shiraz in the Bathtubs to get the texture just right!
Now one of the critical steps … pressing! Get it wrong & all that work will be for naught.

Dunking Stalk Teabags – Bathtub Winemaking Project Day 12

Spice, Perfume, Tannin .. some like it strong, some like it weak, some with a splash of milk, lemon, or a spoon of sugar!
We like our stalks in wine!

Buggy Moving Ferments are Cranking – Bathtub Winemaking Project Day 11 Episode 1

Guiding ferments during the peak of ferment requires wisdom & agility.
There is an infinite number of actions you can take & an equal number of things that can go wrong!

Just how do we get all the colour tannin and flavour out of our Shiraz berries? – Bathub Winemaking Project Day 7

Pumping over is just one of the ways.

Fermentation is Starting to Kick – Bathtub Winemaking Project Day 6

Our whole bunch Shiraz ferment is starting to kick. Now it’s time to think about fermentation temperature & ongoing tannin management

Wild Fermentation & Foot Stomping Whole Bunches – The Bathtub Winemaking Project Day 3

It’s school holidays and that can mean only one thing, time to put the kids to work stomping grapes!

Waiting for Fermentation to Start – The Bathtub Winemaking Project Day 2

All quiet in the Wine Decoded Tiny Winery. Fermentation hasn’t started yet.

The 2017 Bathtub Winemaking Project is GO! Fruit is In!

Day 1 – After a long wait our Yarra Valley Shiraz is off the vine & in the winery!
We’ll be posting updates as the action happens. Stay Tuned!

Grape Sampling Time for the Bathtub Winemaking Project 2017

The Great Challenge … Finding the Perfect Time to Pick Your Grapes!

Véraison Explained in Less Time than it Would Take to Drink Half a Glass of Yummy Vino!

When the Colour Starts to Change we Know Vintage is Just Around the Corner!

The Vineyard Sessions #1 with Stuart Proud

Hitting the Vineyards to Find Out Just What it Takes to Grow a Yummy Grape at the very site Wine Decoded sources it’s fruit from for the Bathtub Winemaking Project!

“Squishing Shiraz Samples” Wine Decoded Shiraz Vintage 16 Episode 01

After a false start, the WINE DECODED Bathtub Winemaking Project 2016 is GO!
Big Shout Out to Dylan McMahon for helping us find some yummy fruit to play with!
Yesterday we sampled Shiraz from a beautiful vineyard in Seville East on the edge of Gruyere in the Yarra Valley.

“The Big Crush” Wine Decoded Shiraz Vintage 16 Episode 02

The Wine Decoded Bathtub Winemaking Project Shiraz is in the house! Nothing Like a 38°C day to Shift 140 Buckets of Fruit into Bathtub Fermenters!
It’s crushing time!
Check out all the action as we crush our yummy fruit, transport it to Wine Decoded HQ and bucket it into our 3 bathtubs for fermentation!

“Whole Bunch Festa – Part I” Wine Decoded Shiraz Vintage 16 Episode 03

We’re playing with Whole Bunch Shiraz this year
First time we’ve seen this fruit
Hope it gives us some beautiful perfume, fun texture & yumminess!

“Whole Bunch Festa – Part II” Wine Decoded Shiraz Vintage 16 Episode 04

Checking the progress of the Whole Bunch Shiraz Ferment!
Time to taste all the different components, whole bunches, whole berries, crushed fruit & juice!
Then we’ll have a think about what we’ll do next!

The Art & Science of Tasting Ferments – Wine Decoded Shiraz

Tasting a fermenting wine goes against everything you’d do when drinking a finished wine!
Check out how we do it.

“Daily Rituals in the Wine Decoded Tiny Winery! Morning Rounds!” Wine Decoded Shiraz Vintage 16 Episode 06

Daily Rituals in the Wine Decoded Tiny Winery!
Always Tasting! Always Thinking!
Watch 2hrs of Action Condensed into a little over 4mins with an Explanation from our Chief Wine Hacker, Paul!

“Stalks in Wine – Dunking the Biggest Teabag Ever!” Wine Decoded Shiraz Vintage 16 Episode 07

Stalks can impart an incredible spice into red wine adding intrigue!
They also add tannin, some times you want them in your wine, other times you need to remove them!
Watch as we remove stalks from our Yarra Valley Shiraz and explain what we were trying to achieve by using them!

“Pressing Time!” Wine Decoded Shiraz Vintage 16 Episode 08

Choosing when to press a red wine, separating all the liquids from the solids is one of the critical points in making any wine.
It marks the end of one phase and the beginning of the next in the development of the wine.

“Post Fermentation Maceration” Wine Decoded Shiraz Vintage 2016 Episode 09

Post fermentation maceration is the process of leaving the skins, seeds and whatever other solids may be in a ferment to steep in the wine after the alocholic fermentation has finished.
Watch on to learn about what it can do to the aroma, flavour and texture of a wine.

“Getting Extra Yumminess into the Bathtub Shiraz! Why We Age it in Oak & Tank?” Wine Decoded Shiraz Vintage 16 Episode 10

In the latest episode of the Bathtub Winemaking Project we talk Oak vs Tank.
How does the vessel you mature your wine in change it?
What are we looking for and trying to achieve?

“Crystal Clear – Just how do we get a wine to sparkle in the glass without filtering it?” Wine Decoded Shiraz Vintage 2016 Episode 11

In the latest episode of the Bathtub Winemaking Project we talk about Natural Sedimentation for unfiltered wine. What’s it all about? How does it work?

“Wacky Racky Time … Ghetto Style!” Wine Decoded Shiraz Vintage 2016 Episode 12

It’s time to Rack the Wine Decoded Bathtub Shiraz! Decanting it out of tank and barrel removing anything that has settled to the bottom and introduce a little bit of oxygen to help the wine develop.

The Angels are Stealing our Wine: Topping Barrels 1 min Winemaking Quickie

We top up the Bathtub Winemaking Projects barrels every two weeks. This 1 minute winemaking quickie explains why!

Making Wine is Just Like Raising Kids … You Gotta Put in the Time!

The French use the term élévage with reference to both wine and children! It translates to “A good upbringing” or “Being well raised”.