First Blood

Yesterday at Tertulia Cellars we cleaned the grape press to accept what Quentin called the first blood.  Or in other terms the first grapes of the season.  In fact some of the first grapes for the valley.  We pressed 2 tons of grapes for a man named Craig Nelson at Ensemble Cellars.   He was making a blanc de blancs (white of whites) sparkling wine in the method of champagne in france from chardonnay grapes.
With white grapes you immediately press the grapes to extract the juice because we do not want the tannins from the seeds or skins in white wine.  We used a bladder press which is more delicate on the grapes and extracts far more juice than a basket press.
With a bladder press you fill up the center of the barrel on the press with grapes then the outside has a bladder that is filled with air squeezing the grapes together and extracting the juice.
I am really enjoying myself and have been taking a lot of notes on what I am learning from Quentin.  Quentin is really a great guy, he is really nice and informative, I am really glad I am working for him.  I look forward to the harvest and the upcoming year.