James Brutus
The Red Hook experience was a wonderful one, and it was very exciting. Personally, I am a practical person. I learn better when I am in contact with the natural environment. During our visit to Red Hook, we learned from Mr. Christopher Nicolson the winery’s manager, processes that Red Hook uses to make its wine. From the north fork Long Island vineyard to the winery in Brooklyn. We had a chance to taste six blended wines from the New York grapes. Three white: Sauvignon blanc, and Chardonnay. The red wines are Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, and Merlot. We did test a 5-year-old Riesling directly from the hock.
For my menu (Basque chicken style with creamy polenta) I would choose to experience a blend of Merlot and Cabernet Franc. I choose to experience those grapes because of their contrast and at some point, their proximity. Cabernet Franc is a medium-body wine with light tannin and light skin mostly with a good acidity balance. With a note of red fruits such as cherry, strawberry, raspberry, and tomato. Also, dried herbs and roasted pepper. Compare this to Merlot which is also a medium tannin and has medium acidity. With not of raspberry, black cherry, and plum. Other non-fruits like tobacco, clove, mocha, graphite, cedar, and vanilla are based on the hock.
My menu needs a light Red Wine. To make it I would like to ferment my wine in a hock barrel, and doing the fermentation I would like to punch my wine once a week and do it as gently as possible to control the color and the tannin level at the same time I would like the vine has a long fermentation in other to have a complex wine.
In some, this experience will be a great experience and I am a hundred percent sure we will have a great experience. Personally, I am very excited about this step.
