Having found a reliable local supplier of juice I am back to using fresh juice. Sugar was added to increase the initial gravity. Even so, it is still rather low. It appears that the wine had been fermenting so the extra sugar will make a very potent wine.

After a year away from using fresh juice I have found a reliable supplier so three wines (and the pyment) are the result. I am using a different temperature control regiment. The initial fermentation is "hot" and subsequent fermentation is "cool" (aka room temperature). The initial gravity of the wine was quite low. I had to add 2 pounds of sugar just to reach the level given above. Even so, this promises to be a lighter wine (in terms of alcohol content) than usual. There was a lot of gas dissolved in the juice. I got a lot of foaming whenever I stirred the juice and when I added the sugar. I think this explains the "quick" fermentation observed here and for the zinfandel.

After 3 weeks it is still fermenting, slowly. This suggests that it had been fermenting prior to me pitching the yeast, see the Gamay for further discussion. Hence the low sugar content to start with. The added sugar should lead to a pretty potent wine.

The "Monster" has now been unleashed on the world. What started as an innocent comment took on a life of it's own. It inspired a rap (and yes, it was "performed"). It inspired the exceptional labels below. Both labels were drawn and colored by Colleen (thanks kid!). The back label was even designed by her (don't let the words distract you from the drawing, that is their sole purpose).

The "Monster" did not want to be bottled. Despite having aged for over a year. Despite being given an extra week after the sulfite level was adjusted. Two (not one) bottles blew out their corks and were lost to the world. It is hard to imagine that the wine warrants this much attention. Regardless, it has been fun. It remains to be seen how the wine holds up and drinks.