100 lbs? Get some more carboys and triple that!

Your own tastes need to be your guide, but there are a number of Rhone, and
"Rhone-style" wines made with Grenache and Carignane that are delicious.
Never had any belnded with Alicante.


> Hi all,
>
> I have the option of purchasing these varieties of grapes: Grenache,
> Carignane, and Alicante (which I'm assuming is Alicante Bouschet). I'll
> only be purchasing 100 lbs, so not enough to ferment separately, and do
> bench trials for blending. Anyone have advice as to what proportions of
> these grapes would work well? I was thinking 2/3 Grenache, 1/3 Alicante
> Bouschet (which is a teinturier... lots of colour). These are grapes
> imported from Sonoma Valley.
>
> Also, any other advice for fermenting wine from these varieties? I have
> a few yeast strains in mind, but the one I actually use will probably
> be more a product of availability. I don't know the TA's yet, but I'm
> assuming they will be on the low end of desirable acid... would it be
> advisable to put it through a ML fermentation, and add tartaric acid
> back if it drops too low?
>
> Thanks
>
>