Patrick has been making wine in his basement for several years now, and a sip of his 2006 Syrah and you’ll see why: therapist by day, up-and-coming vintner by night.
As far as I know he hasn’t yet come up with a label for his impressive product, but I’m lobbying for something along the lines of Rorschach Red or Transference Merlot.
Where this becomes personal is that this year Patrick convinced me to buy in. I ordered 100 pounds of Syrah grapes and they arrived in a 35 gallon food grade garbage can after being crushed on the estate in South Central Washington.
[caption id="attachment_156" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="08 Syrah Grapes After Crushing"]
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The book Patrick suggested I study in advance arrived from Amazon too late so I took all my cues from Patrick. Tartaric Acid for a slight correction. Pastur Red yeast. Polymetasulfite as yeast food.
Patrick also recommended a small room that can be kept warm for the initial week of fermentation. In his home, that means his workshop in the basement: a room that, after a few years in service for wine production, is beginning to take on the character of a respectable cellar as bottles and carboys take up more and more of the space available.
Our basement is essentially one sprawling rec room so I needed to come up with Plan B for fermentation. Without consulting my wife or kids, Plan B became Plan Bathroom.
My first batch of wine fermented in our upstairs bathroom with a space heater cycling on and off to keep the space properly toasty. Karen was not impressed. All three kids complained of the smell and my makeshift thermometer (a instant-read meat fork) on the counter next to their toothbrushes.
And the truth is that I could have put up with worse just to secure a great name for my first wine: the 08 Bathtub Red.
[caption id="attachment_157" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="Our 08 Syrah in the Olive Tub"]
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