Hello everyone and Happy Holidays and New Year!

And what a year it was. So many challenges and so much positive energy into overcoming all these challenges. Overall, I had received many compliments from our members for our efforts to stay relevant in these trying times. Behind the scenes, and mostly behind the computer monitors, (Zoom) the board has been actively working hard to plan events and activities for our group. I hope you have taken advantage of everything put forward.

It was great to see our first issue of the newsletter as a source of information and activities of interest. I hope you will enjoy what has been put together for you.

Next year, we are going to create a different format for our General Meetings. We plan to emphasize the social aspect of the meetings, with brief administrative topics as necessity requires and will be creating break out sessions for those who are interested in a deep dive into a topic of choice, at a later designated date. Things like vineyard management, winemaking, etc. will be announced in advance for those that are interested.

I would like to thank all of you who have responded to my call for the harvest information of 2021. It’s great to see how we’re all doing.

2021 has had an overall LWGA yield of 66,363 pounds of grapes! This translates to about 22,000 bottles of wine! The breakdown as follows:

Cabernet S. 18,147 # ; Sauvignon Blanc 1,000 #

Merlot 2,752 # ; Cab Franc 573 #

Pinot Noir 8,835 # ; Tempranillo 953 #

Petite Sirah 8,024 # ; Sangiovese 2,700 #

Chardonnay 5,498 # ; Petit Verdot 1,499 #

Syrah 7,944 # ; Zinfandel 2,200 #

Malbec 1,100 # ; Grenache 1,908 #

Mourvedre 330 # ; Cinsault 290 #

Carignana 310 # ; Cab Franc 100 #

Wow! What a spread of varietals! Should lead to some great wine tastings! And, I would like to remind you that we should submit our wines in for a tasting competition! We are listing them on our website. We’re making great wines and we should have it judged and I’m sure you would be surprised at how well we can do! If you have not yet submitted your harvest information to me, please do so to: 5powderhounds@gmail.com

A quick note about the Board elections. Please be sure to cast a ballot. We depend on your input for what we do and really appreciate your involvement! Please vote.

So let’s start 2022 with real enthusiasm! We have a lot to be thankful for and let’s make the most of it!

Respectfully submitted

Daniel Howsepian

LWGA President

Hi again everyone:

The one thing I forgot to mention in my October Recap message was that the board would like to ask all of you to please let me know how many gross pounds of grapes you harvested this year. We do this every year and it’s good information for our AVA. Please indicate the varietal of your grapes as well.

Please send your result information to:

5powderhounds@gmail.com

Thank you!

Sinceerely;

Daniel

President, LWGA

925-858-7000

Hello LWGA Members:

On Sunday LWGA held a scheduled general meeting at the Wine Thieves in the back area with the picnic tables. The meeting was well attended with 28 people. Everyone brought wine and appetizers enough for all attending.

This was to be a mostly social meeting, and it was great to see everyone there. It was hard to break up all the conversations to begin the meeting.

We began by introducing our new members, Kim Straub of Cinco Ninos Vineyards and Leanne Pilot & Dennis Carlston of Crane Terrace Vineyards.

I also announced to the group our plans for the LWGA AVA celebration on Sunday, April 24, 2022 right there in the parking lot and easements between the Wine Thieves and the new wine tasting room which Larry Thal is undertaking, hopefully completed in time for the event. There will be wine booths selling tastings and wine, food trucks, music and other events & services. Please be sure to put that date on your calendar and spread the word!

We encouraged everyone there to tell us about their harvest. Many folks indicated that their harvest was under par for the year. This is consistent with the information published in various papers from Sonoma and Napa. Factors such as excessive heat and the drought were identified as the causes for the lower yields. A vigorous and entertaining discussion about water consumption ensued. However, the bright spot is that it is anticipated that while the vines have suffered, they tend to produce rich and flavorful vintages!

There was a concern that the rains would interrupt the meeting, but as it turned out, the rain held off for us until the adjournment at 6 PM.

We look forward to seeing you again at the next meeting. The board will publish after it’s next meeting the annual membership meeting schedule for the members.

Hello fellow LWGA members:

As we’re all winding down from our harvesting, it’s good to know that we will be having a LWGA General meeting this Sunday, October 17, at 3 PM. We will meet at the Wine Thieves, in the back area with the tables.

This meeting will be mostly a social meeting, relying on your interesting stories about your harvesting efforts this year. We’re so happy not have dealt with smoke this year! Some of us were badly affected and some not. Still a mystery as to why.

So please join us on Sunday, bring a bottle of wine, your wine glass, and an appetizer to share and let’s hear about your adventures this year.

See ya then.

Daniel

President LWGA

How to conduct a Malolactic fermentation (MLF)

I thought this might be of interest this time of year. Hope your winemaking is going well!

1)  Garbage in garbage out! Get the must dialed-in at crush, so that the subsequent wine will be in good shape post alcoholic fermentation for receiving the ML inoculation. A clean, healthy alcoholic fermentation means your ML bacteria will have an easier time getting started and finishing their job when it’s their turn to work in the wine:

• Clean-out any moldy or raisined clusters (the mold makes toxins that can inhibit both yeast and ML bacteria, raisins will reconstitute in the must, boost the ºBrix, and lead to higher finished alcohol levels).
  
   
• Get your sugars and ph/TA% in line so that the finished wine will not have a final alcohol above 15% (around 14% is better), and so that the pH will not be lower than 3.1/3.2 (3.2 is better). 
   
• Make sure that the initial SO2  addition is around 50ppm “total”, or so (ideally you want to finish the fermentation with a maximum of 25–30ppm “total”, and 0–10ppm “free”. Less is better).
   
• Take care of the yeast during the alcoholic fermentation (feed them and keep fermentation temperatures in line (below 85º F, 28º C), this limits their production of compounds that can later be possibly responsible for antagonizing the ML bacteria: H2S and VA, for example. Recent research shows that MLFs actually finish quicker and with less problems in wines made with yeast that are fed a complete set of nutrients during the alcoholic fermentation compared to those that are not. So remember: healthy yeast ultimately means healthy ML bacteria down the line.)

2)  Post Alcoholic Fermentation:

• Wait until the must has reached 0º Brix before inoculating with the ML bacteria. ML bacteria, in the presence of residual sugars will also use this as a food source and one of the by-products of this pathway is VA. Ironically, high levels of VA in a must or wine can actually interfere with the bacteria’s ability to complete a Malolactic fermentation; regardless if they are the one’s who made it in the first place! And, of course, VA in detectible levels is considered a serious wine flaw. This possibility can therefore be greatly reduced by eliminating most of the sugars in the environment before they gain access to it.
   
• Rack-off of the “gross” lees 24 hours post-press before inoculating the wine with the ML culture (As mentioned earlier, there is nothing helpful in the “gross” lees.  Remove them and remove potential problems, as well. There will be enough “light” lees remaining to feed the ML bacteria and you will keep the “being buried alive in the lees” factor to a minimum for the bacteria).

3)  ML inoculation preparation & handling: Prepare the ML culture: Some bacteria are labeled “direct-addition” and can be added to the wine directly from the pouch, while others require a 15–minute hydration period in clean, chlorine-free water before inoculating the wine. However, regardless of these differences all ML bacteria, including the “direct addition” and liquid ones, will benefit from a brief Acti-ML nutrient soak before going into the wine. Therefore we recommend treating any form of ML  bacteria you may be working with as if it required a 15–minute hydration before inoculation. This means that: For every 1 gram of bacteria being added to the wine, you will be adding 20g of Acti-ML to 100mL of distilled water at 77°F (25°C). After sitting for 15 minutes gently, yet, thoroughly stir this solution into your wine. The following example will use the 2.5g (66 gallons of wine) size ML bacteria packet to illustrate this. 

A) In a sanitized container: dissolve 50g of Acti-ML into 250mL of distilled water at 77°F (25°C). 

B)  Add the bacteria (2.5g) to the solution and gently stir/swirl to break up any clumps if needed. Wait 15 minutes.

C) Add the entire bacteria/nutrient solution into your wine and mix it throughout the entire wine volume. (Note: it is a good idea to stir the bacteria starter solution just before adding it into the wine to make sure that any of the nutrients and/or bacteria that may have settled-out during the 15 minute soaking period do not get left behind in the hydration vessel).

Inoculation and handling should take care to limit any oxygen exposure (the bacteria are anaerobic and depending on the strain may react negatively to various amounts of oxygen that may be introduced into the wine. In short, don’t splash when stirring the MLF and flush pumps and lines with inert gas before running a wine undergoing MLF through them. In general, it’s recommended not to rack a wine until the MLF is complete, however).

4) During the ML Fermentation:

• Make sure the wine’s pH is at least around 3.1/3.2 (3.2 is better), if not adjust accordingly (Information on adjusting pH can be found in our Red (BK598) and White (BK597) Winemaking Manuals).
   
• Keep the wine temperatures at around 70º F (20ºC) until the fermentation is complete (see section 5 below).
   
• Stir the lees 1–2 times a week until completion (keep vessels topped-up and avoid oxygen. Flush any headspaces with inert gas).

5) Testing for Completion: Monitor with chromatography* (MT930), and once it seems to be finished, then run the first test. Often a MLF can slow or stop temporarily. If everything in the five elements checks out (alcohol, temperature, pH, SO2, and nutrients) and there is still no more progress within the week, then it’s time to consider adding an ML nutrient (such as Acti-ML) to the wine at a rate of .75–1.0 grams per gallon (possibly with a dose of yeast hulls, as well).

*Note that the sensitivity-threshold for the standard vertical test kit is around 70 mg/l, but it takes around 30 mg/l to be considered truly done. So, a good rule of thumb is to just wait an extra week or two after the test shows that you are done and that should be sufficient for a true completion.

6) Upon completion of the MLF: As soon as the MLF has completed, it is also a good idea to add SO2  immediately in order to stabilize and protect the wine. At this time, the wine should also be re-checked and the pH/TA% adjusted, if needed. If you are working with a red wine, then it is important to rack the wine at this point to counteract any of the reduction that may be remaining from the secondary fermentation. If you are doing a white, however, then you may choose to remain on the lees for more depth and complexity but continue to stir the lees once every 1–2 months.

Hello Everyone:

I don’t know about you, but I’m really tired these days because of the early harvest. It seemed to have taken many of us by surprise! I hope that the harvest is going well for you! Lots of juggling around with picker’s scheduling, managing tank space and emergency bottling going on.

Because so many of us are very busy with the harvest and the ensuing wine making, the board has decided to postpone the General Member’s meeting, which was to have been on Sunday, Sept 26 to October 17, 2021. We felt that this would give everyone a breather and by October 17, things can settle down a bit for our general meeting.

Our General meeting on October 17, between 3 – 6 PM will be held at the Wine Thieves back patio area! We will be outdoors and this should be a great venue for our meeting. Thank you to the Wine Thieves!

We are asking our members to please bring your notes about this year’s harvest, and tell us how it went for you. I am sure we’ll have a lot to talk about! Also, maybe you can bring a bottle of your wine from last year or another to share with the group.

We hope to see you all on the 17th of October.

Until then, happy harvesting!

Sincerely;

Daniel Howsepian

LWGA President

Just in case you were wondering how to get those pesky birds out of your vineyard, I have come up with a solution. See attached. Enjoy!

Hello Fellow LWGA Members:

On Sunday, July 25, 2021 LWGA held it’s first General Meeting in person since the arrival of the Covid 19 restrictions. It’s been a very long time and seeing everyone was a real treat! There were 29 people present that day over at Mel & Diane Haas’ home in Lafayette. There was ample wine and food donated by the membership.

We began the meeting with a longer than usual social time, but well received.

I introduced our host, Mel Haas. Mel gave us a warm and interesting introduction to the history of the property and vineyard

David Hicks set up a demonstration of a netting system and gave us a talk about it’s use and set up. I have made a video of the presentation for those who could not make the meeting but the recording was too long for me to present here. Sorry. I am sure David would be happy to review this with you personally.

I spoke after Dave to announce the 2022 AVA celebration planed for Sunday, April 24, 2022. This will be an open event to the membership and the public as a fundraiser for our little LWGA. It will be located on the parking grounds between the Wine Thieves and Larry Thal’s new tasting/production facility next door. I suggested the name of “Lamorinda Wine Hub” but it’s Larry’s call on the name. There will be food trucks, wine tasting and sales from our bonded wine makers, music and loads of fun for all spread out between the two venus! I mentioned that there will be a need for volunteers and that we will be reaching out to our membership for help for this event. We’re all excited to be there

I then invited Larry Thal to give us an update of his much anticipated tasting room and production facility in Lafayette. Larry said that he anticipated that the facility could be ready by March of 2022, just in time to be used for the 2022 AVA celebration being planned right now.

Once all the formalities were completed, we were invited to tour the Haas Vineyard in veraison. Mel mentioned, that halfway through the tour, there was a gazebo where wine could be found to top off your glass as needed. It didn’t take much to get people moving through the vineyard. It also turned out to be a great spot to sit and talk to your fellow members on a beautiful Sunday afternoon.

Some of us stayed well until 7 PM. Hopefully Mel didn’t mind.

Respectfully submitted:

Daniel Howsepian

LWGA President

Hello fellow LWGA Socially Deprived Members:

We’ll, this is it. We’re finally going to meet on Sunday in person for the first time since the beginning of the pandemic! It will certainly be great to see you all again!

When:        Our next LWGA meeting will be held on Sunday,

July 25, 2021 from 3-6 PM

Where:     Mel & Diane Haas have generously offered to host our meeting at their beautiful home. 

                        960 Stow Lane;  Lafayette, CA 94549;    Outdoor setting.

Parking:    Parking is very limited and so we please ask you to car pool as much as possible to avoid any  problems with the neighbors.  Stow lane is narrow. 

Please remember to bring something to share and your wine glasses.

See you then.

Daniel Howsepian

President, LWGA

Hello Fellow LWGA Members:

I hope you are enjoying this summer, although it might be a bit hotter than usual. 

Well, the moment we have all been waiting for is arriving!  We will be having our first in person general meeting in a very long time, for those that have been vaccinated! 

When:        Our next LWGA meeting will be held on Sunday,

July 25, 2021 from 3-6 PM

Where:     Mel & Diane Haas have generously offered to host our meeting at their beautiful home. 

                        960 Stow Lane;  Lafayette, CA 94549;    Outdoor setting.

Parking:    Parking is very limited and so we please ask you to car pool as much as possible to avoid any  problems with the neighbors.  Stow lane is narrow. 

Because we have not seen each other in person for such a long time, we would like to emphasize  the social aspect of this meeting.  We encourage everyone to join us in this event and do some catching up! 

We will have a brief presentation by Dave Hicks demonstrating a netting application you might find useful.  We also have a lot of interesting news for you regarding the LWGA!  Don’t miss this one!

We have many new members who have joined us recently, and wish to welcome them at this meeting. 

For our new members, and because it has been so long since our last meeting,  I would like to review the following:

–    Please bring a bottle or two of your favorite wine to share with everyone;

–    Please bring an appetizer, entree  or desert, buffet style,  that you would be proud to share;

–    Please bring your wine glass so you can enjoy the wines your fellow members have brought for you;

–    Please bring your stories, adventures or other experiences you had in the last year to share.

I know everyone is anxious to see each other again, and share all those stories we have all experienced recently. 

See you on the 25th!

Sincerely:

Daniel Howsepian

President LWGA