I am considering ordering malbec grapes from South America. The
supplier has quoted 18 pound boxes. How many gallons should I get out
of an 18 pound box of malbec grapes?

Does any one have any suggestions or comments about what to expect
with this grape?

Thanks.
Orlando

Are you also in Argentina? If not, I would not expect quality wine
grapes after being shipped that far.






On 2008-02-02 13:03:38 -0800, "
> said:

> I am considering ordering malbec grapes from South America. The
> supplier has quoted 18 pound boxes. How many gallons should I get out
> of an 18 pound box of malbec grapes?
>
> Does any one have any suggestions or comments about what to expect
> with this grape?
>
> Thanks.
> Orlando

Try finding grapes closer to home, or buy the juice.

On Feb 2, 4:03 pm, "
> wrote:
> I am considering ordering malbec grapes from South America. The
> supplier has quoted 18 pound boxes. How many gallons should I get out
> of an 18 pound box of malbec grapes?
>
> Does any one have any suggestions or comments about what to expect
> with this grape?
>
> Thanks.
> Orlando

About 1.2 gallons US; if these are shipping across a border and get
held in Customs you may not be happy in the end.

Joe

There is a supplier here in New Jersey who gets both juice and grapes from
Chile. I usually get just juice but have not heard of any problems with
grapes. Then again he buys a few container loads at a time so its never held
at customs.
Malbec is a fine grape. I make 12 gal of it each year. Also try Carmemere.

Tom

--

Home of the
MOON RIVER BREWERY
and
DELANCO VINEYARDS


"Joe Sallustio" > wrote in message
...
> On Feb 2, 4:03 pm, "
> > wrote:
>> I am considering ordering malbec grapes from South America. The
>> supplier has quoted 18 pound boxes. How many gallons should I get out
>> of an 18 pound box of malbec grapes?
>>
>> Does any one have any suggestions or comments about what to expect
>> with this grape?
>>
>> Thanks.
>> Orlando
>
> About 1.2 gallons US; if these are shipping across a border and get
> held in Customs you may not be happy in the end.
>
> Joe

AxisOfBeagles wrote:

> Are you also in Argentina? If not, I would not
> expect quality wine grapes after being shipped
> that far.
>

>
> On 2008-02-02 13:03:38 -0800,
> "
> > said:
>
>> I am considering ordering malbec grapes from
>> South America. The supplier has quoted 18 pound
>> boxes. How many gallons should I get out of an
>> 18 pound box of malbec grapes?
>>
>> Does any one have any suggestions or comments
>> about what to expect with this grape?
>>
>> Thanks.
>> Orlando

I would not let what Axis said stop you from
trying them. Many of us have made or still make
wine from grapes grown in the Central Valley of
California and shipped via refrigerated truck to
the East Coast. All of us by vegetables grown
all over the world, including South America. A
lot of us have even bought fresh roses grown in
places like Guatemala.

Personally, I would go for it and I have
considered doing so myself. I do not know of very
many sources for Malbec grown here in the US.

The grapes may be high brix and the juice yield
may not be what one normally gets from lower brix
wet climate areas (like the East Coast) so the
best you can do is get an idea of the range. I
would think you can get easily get a gallon from
about 14 pounds of grapes. If it works out, you
have the advantage of making the wine in the
spring instead of waiting for the fall. If you
go for it, be sure to give us some feedback on
your results.

Joe Sallustio wrote:

> On Feb 2, 4:03 pm, "
> > wrote:
>> I am considering ordering malbec grapes from
>> South America. The supplier has quoted 18 pound
>> boxes. How many gallons should I get out of an
>> 18 pound box of malbec grapes?
>>
>> Does any one have any suggestions or comments
>> about what to expect with this grape?
>>
>> Thanks.
>> Orlando
>
> About 1.2 gallons US; if these are shipping
> across a border and get held in Customs you may
> not be happy in the end.
>
> Joe

Joe, those Central Valley California grapes that I
believe we have both used to make wine are excess
grapes that the wineries in California could not
use. At least this is what S&S, a distributor
who sells the grapes in Baltimore told me.

I bought some Riesling juice from them this year.
When I got it home it was already about 25%
fermented in the pails. This means that they have
probably been held in cold storage in California
for a period of time BEFORE shipped via
refrigerated truck to the Eastern US.

I do not think the grapes from Chile would be of
any less quality. In fact they may be better if
they are flown cold via Air Cargo direct.

When I visited Guatemala a few years ago, I
visited a huge ranch that grows ROSES and air
ships them to huge markets in the US. Produce
grown south of the equator does not mean that it
takes the slow boat through the Panama Canal.

On Feb 3, 3:23 pm, "Paul E. Lehmann" > wrote:
> Joe Sallustio wrote:
> > On Feb 2, 4:03 pm, "
> > > wrote:
> >> I am considering ordering malbec grapes from
> >> South America. The supplier has quoted 18 pound
> >> boxes. How many gallons should I get out of an
> >> 18 pound box of malbec grapes?
>
> >> Does any one have any suggestions or comments
> >> about what to expect with this grape?
>
> >> Thanks.
> >> Orlando
>
> > About 1.2 gallons US; if these are shipping
> > across a border and get held in Customs you may
> > not be happy in the end.
>
> > Joe
>
> Joe, those Central Valley California grapes that I
> believe we have both used to make wine are excess
> grapes that the wineries in California could not
> use. At least this is what S&S, a distributor
> who sells the grapes in Baltimore told me.
>
> I bought some Riesling juice from them this year.
> When I got it home it was already about 25%
> fermented in the pails. This means that they have
> probably been held in cold storage in California
> for a period of time BEFORE shipped via
> refrigerated truck to the Eastern US.
>
> I do not think the grapes from Chile would be of
> any less quality. In fact they may be better if
> they are flown cold via Air Cargo direct.
>
> When I visited Guatemala a few years ago, I
> visited a huge ranch that grows ROSES and air
> ships them to huge markets in the US. Produce
> grown south of the equator does not mean that it
> takes the slow boat through the Panama Canal.

No, true. Here in the UK we get table grapes from Chile (out of N
Hemisphere season) every year. I suppose the main difference there is
that it matters less if table grapes aren't vine ripened..?

Jim

Paul E. Lehmann wrote:

> Joe Sallustio wrote:
>
>> On Feb 2, 4:03 pm, "
>> > wrote:
>>> I am considering ordering malbec grapes from
>>> South America. The supplier has quoted 18 pound
>>> boxes. How many gallons should I get out of an
>>> 18 pound box of malbec grapes?
>>>
>>> Does any one have any suggestions or comments
>>> about what to expect with this grape?
>>>
>>> Thanks.
>>> Orlando
>> About 1.2 gallons US; if these are shipping
>> across a border and get held in Customs you may
>> not be happy in the end.
>>
>> Joe
>
> Joe, those Central Valley California grapes that I
> believe we have both used to make wine are excess
> grapes that the wineries in California could not
> use. At least this is what S&S, a distributor
> who sells the grapes in Baltimore told me.

(snip)

Bought grapes from S&S http://sandswinegrapes.com three years ago but
it is my understanding that they weren't getting their grapes from the
Central Valley any longer. That might have changed. I've been buying
Central Valley grapes - Lodi - with the Washington Winemakers
http://www.washingtonwinemakers.org/ for the last two years with good
results. Here are some of the grapes we brought home...
http://www.washingtonwinemakers.org/...07117IMG78.htm
BTW, I like the new plastic boxes - they collapse, are recyclable, and
they reusable. We are going to use them this year to harvest some
Pennsylvania grown grapes at my in-laws vineyard.

Didn't mean to help hijack this thread - I haven't used the malbec grape
yet but I do know that buying grapes that are shipped 3000+ miles in
refrigerated trucks works just fine.

Steve

Steve Landis wrote:

> Paul E. Lehmann wrote:
>
>> Joe Sallustio wrote:
>>
>>> On Feb 2, 4:03 pm,
>>> "
>>> > wrote:
>>>> I am considering ordering malbec grapes from
>>>> South America. The supplier has quoted 18
>>>> pound boxes. How many gallons should I get
>>>> out of an 18 pound box of malbec grapes?
>>>>
>>>> Does any one have any suggestions or comments
>>>> about what to expect with this grape?
>>>>
>>>> Thanks.
>>>> Orlando
>>> About 1.2 gallons US; if these are shipping
>>> across a border and get held in Customs you
>>> may not be happy in the end.
>>>
>>> Joe
>>
>> Joe, those Central Valley California grapes
>> that I believe we have both used to make wine
>> are excess grapes that the wineries in
>> California could not
>> use. At least this is what S&S, a distributor
>> who sells the grapes in Baltimore told me.
>
> (snip)
>
> Bought grapes from S&S
> http://sandswinegrapes.com three years ago but
> it is my understanding that they weren't getting
> their grapes from the
> Central Valley any longer. That might have
> changed. I've been buying Central Valley
> grapes - Lodi - with the Washington Winemakers
> http://www.washingtonwinemakers.org/ for the
> last two years with good
> results. Here are some of the grapes we brought
> home...
>
http://www.washingtonwinemakers.org/...07117IMG78.htm
> BTW, I like the new plastic boxes - they
> collapse, are recyclable, and
> they reusable. We are going to use them this
> year to harvest some Pennsylvania grown grapes
> at my in-laws vineyard.
>
> Didn't mean to help hijack this thread - I
> haven't used the malbec grape
> yet but I do know that buying grapes that are
> shipped 3000+ miles in
> refrigerated trucks works just fine.
>
> Steve

Generally, it does work fine. My bad experience
this year was from the juice I bought this year.

For the reds, my best results have been blending
them with local area grapes out here in the
Maryland / Northern Virginia area.
The juice I bought in 6 gallon buckets had the
logo "Lodi Gold" so I assume that is their
source. Lodi is in the Central Valley.

Steve Landis wrote:

> Paul E. Lehmann wrote:
>
>> Joe Sallustio wrote:
>>
>>> On Feb 2, 4:03 pm,
>>> "
>>> > wrote:
>>>> I am considering ordering malbec grapes from
>>>> South America. The supplier has quoted 18
>>>> pound boxes. How many gallons should I get
>>>> out of an 18 pound box of malbec grapes?
>>>>
>>>> Does any one have any suggestions or comments
>>>> about what to expect with this grape?
>>>>
>>>> Thanks.
>>>> Orlando
>>> About 1.2 gallons US; if these are shipping
>>> across a border and get held in Customs you
>>> may not be happy in the end.
>>>
>>> Joe
>>
>> Joe, those Central Valley California grapes
>> that I believe we have both used to make wine
>> are excess grapes that the wineries in
>> California could not
>> use. At least this is what S&S, a distributor
>> who sells the grapes in Baltimore told me.
>
> (snip)
>
> Bought grapes from S&S
> http://sandswinegrapes.com three years ago but
> it is my understanding that they weren't getting
> their grapes from the
> Central Valley any longer. That might have
> changed. I've been buying Central Valley
> grapes - Lodi - with the Washington Winemakers
> http://www.washingtonwinemakers.org/ for the
> last two years with good
> results. Here are some of the grapes we brought
> home...
>
http://www.washingtonwinemakers.org/...07117IMG78.htm
> BTW, I like the new plastic boxes - they
> collapse, are recyclable, and
> they reusable. We are going to use them this
> year to harvest some Pennsylvania grown grapes
> at my in-laws vineyard.

Where are you buying the grapes that come in the
plastic boxes. They indeed do look good -
besides, I need a few more lugs for my back yard
vineyard.

>
> Didn't mean to help hijack this thread - I
> haven't used the malbec grape
> yet but I do know that buying grapes that are
> shipped 3000+ miles in
> refrigerated trucks works just fine.
>
> Steve

Paul E. Lehmann wrote:
<snip>
> Where are you buying the grapes that come in the
> plastic boxes. They indeed do look good -
> besides, I need a few more lugs for my back yard
> vineyard.
<snip>

F. Colavita & Son http://www.cawinegrapes.com/ Check the Local
Distributors link.

Steve

Steve Landis wrote:

> Paul E. Lehmann wrote:
> <snip>
>> Where are you buying the grapes that come in
>> the
>> plastic boxes. They indeed do look good -
>> besides, I need a few more lugs for my back
>> yard vineyard.
> <snip>
>
> F. Colavita & Son http://www.cawinegrapes.com/
> Check the Local Distributors link.
>
> Steve

Thanx Steve. I may check them out this year.

On Feb 3, 10:23 am, "Paul E. Lehmann" > wrote:
> Joe Sallustio wrote:
> > On Feb 2, 4:03 pm, "
> > > wrote:
> >> I am considering ordering malbec grapes from
> >> South America. The supplier has quoted 18 pound
> >> boxes. How many gallons should I get out of an
> >> 18 pound box of malbec grapes?
>
> >> Does any one have any suggestions or comments
> >> about what to expect with this grape?
>
> >> Thanks.
> >> Orlando
>
> > About 1.2 gallons US; if these are shipping
> > across a border and get held in Customs you may
> > not be happy in the end.
>
> > Joe
>
> Joe, those Central Valley California grapes that I
> believe we have both used to make wine are excess
> grapes that the wineries in California could not
> use. At least this is what S&S, a distributor
> who sells the grapes in Baltimore told me.
>
> I bought some Riesling juice from them this year.
> When I got it home it was already about 25%
> fermented in the pails. This means that they have
> probably been held in cold storage in California
> for a period of time BEFORE shipped via
> refrigerated truck to the Eastern US.
>
> I do not think the grapes from Chile would be of
> any less quality. In fact they may be better if
> they are flown cold via Air Cargo direct.
>
> When I visited Guatemala a few years ago, I
> visited a huge ranch that grows ROSES and air
> ships them to huge markets in the US. Produce
> grown south of the equator does not mean that it
> takes the slow boat through the Panama Canal.

To be honest the grapes we get in from Pittsburgh are not excess, the
businesses are set up to supply home winemakers. They are lesser
quality to be sure but wineries want their grapes by the ton and juice
by the tanker. Places like California Concentrate sell it that way
too so maybe that is what S and S meant.

I was thinking about how hard it is to get an answer about bringing
grapes across the border from Canada; if you are bringing small
quantities of anything fruit related across and you get the wrong
Customs person it's 3 stooges time.

If a vendor is arranging it the paperwork would be in order so you are
probably right on, I may have been overreacting. Chile and Argentina
make great wines, I would give it a shot if I could look at the grapes
before buying.

Joe