Samantha Cole-Johnson

I’m on here for what I usually want…geekdom. Anyone know if Chardonnay had more citric acid than other white varieties? Or is the higher diacetyl in certain chards solely attributable to different LABs? PS- I did pass MW theory- this is still what I think about at night.

@jasonchaas @guildsomm I definitely did! Him and Cris Cherry were wonderful company

@S_ColeJohnson @guildsomm Of course! I hope you had a good dinner with Neil.

If you’ve ever thought about the chemical considerations behind wine packaging…then we could have a long chat! Been thinking about it for ages and finally wrote about it for @guildsomm! guildsomm.com/public_content…

@jasonchaas @guildsomm Thank you! And thank you also for submitting the Tablas wines for tasting this week. They were beautiful!

@S_ColeJohnson @guildsomm Thanks Samantha. This is the best summary of all these issues I’ve ever read. Bravo!

Perhaps I’m harsh, as my friend points out down the conversation, nobody wants to look uninformed but…as a wine consumer you aren’t expected to be an expert. And even if you are an expert - that list was crafted by someone who put those wines on it because they are STOKED

@Hazzy_K @VinumMaximum In a white?! 😩 that sounds awful. Still…if they’d be willing to be interviewed to discuss the downsides of it- that would be interesting. Right now they only example I have is outstanding quality and they have a 10 year lees solera going with no brett. Perhaps much lower ph?

@S_ColeJohnson @VinumMaximum A Mornington Peninsula winery did the lees solera thing and unsurprisingly had Brett problems after a few years.

Looking for winemakers who keep a lees solera for their white wines. Idea inspired by Josh Bergstrom but am wondering if anyone else does it

@VinumMaximum The lees for this winery are stored in keg but perhaps they have the same issue. If I find anyone else doing it and manage to place the article I will let you know 😂

@S_ColeJohnson Interesting. All I remember is that it was a pain in the arse to pump out of barrel. Super thick! Had to use a giant mono pump.

@VinumMaximum This but keep it going for multiple years. Add as much of last years lees from the same vineyard as you like to the fresh must. Then at racking save them again and add them back to the lees you didn’t use. Keep a set amount and just keep refreshing it- discard excess.

@S_ColeJohnson What's a lees solera? Never heard of it. I know one winery that would keep Chardonnay lees in a couple of barrels from one year and then add it to the next year's batch (22.5kl) to improve mouthfeel. Made a decent sub A$20 Chardy.

@Libby_Brodie I’d like to reverse the genders that people assumed in their comments. I’ve done this before because I wanted to control the situation and get out in a hurry…horrid results. And if it’s not acceptable if a lady does it then I don’t find it acceptable for a gent to do either.

@dnkrbywine Did you dance at one point?

Jesus.

@adntaylor Brilliant! Thanks!

@S_ColeJohnson Just R&D for now! Think it could be good for students: rather than one bigger pour, have a few so you can go back and retaste. As always, shelf life depends on the wine! OTR in mg/L is a little higher than our normal ecoSIP 100ml pouches: around the same as 750ml w/Stelvin 5O2

New project: the 25ml wine sample… practice safe wine tasting!!

@SussexWineProd @jamiegoode Thanks Mark! Is the gas you’re pushing with CO2?

@S_ColeJohnson @jamiegoode This is a picture of transfer method filling of a Jeroboam from 75cl

Does anyone have a video of transfer method for sparkling wine? I can’t visualize how you transfer out of bottle under pressure. Are you using a pump? Are you literally upending bottles? Is it ever used for anything beyond small format and large format? YouTube is not helpful

@VinumMaximum Thank you again!

@S_ColeJohnson Sandy/loam gravels. Derived from gneiss I guess. Bit of granite about. We call them marri gravelly loams. Always on the acidic side. Never did post add pH tests. Aim was to keep the soil >/= 5.5pH.

Have you ever had to lime vineyard soil and did you use calcium carbonate, calcium hydroxide, or calcium oxide? At what rate? What type of soil do you have and what was the pH pre amendment?

@kelbyrussell @jamiegoode Thanks Kelby!

@S_ColeJohnson @jamiegoode I’ve not had a chance to watch, but I believe they have a unit that opens the bottles and pulls out the liquid under pressure - and they feed it straight through a filter into a pressurized tank. Then re-bottle the following day. It’s wild.

@VinumMaximum Thank you! This is super helpful! What type of alluvial soil are you on? And how much did you manage to bring the pH up?

@S_ColeJohnson CaCO3 and/or dolomite (basically CaCO3 with some magnesium) I've usually never added more than 1 - 2 tonne per hectare to an existing vineyard. My soil is acidic, sitting somewhere between 5.2 & 5.5 pH. Added to rip lines pre planting too, to change pH at depth.

@kelbyrussell @jamiegoode Pumps? Dumping under pressure? How do they do it?

@jamiegoode @S_ColeJohnson Pleasant Valley still uses it extensively in the Finger Lakes. Absolutely fascinating and arcane.

@BestyMike Hey Mike, S2! June 6-9

@S_ColeJohnson Are you on S1A Sam? Sounds like you are in a great place if this is what is keeping you up at night.

@paultudor Oh yes, that is important!

@S_ColeJohnson and, did it work?