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"The Electric Light Parade"

Here is a selection of our Vintage Jellies and Jams and our first 1998 vintage of Mustang wine. We can't sell the wine so our friends and relatives have to help us drink it! The Fed's allow home production of up to 200 gallons per year for personal consumption - Our 1998 successful production of two fermentation batches totaled around 10 (ten) gallons - that's about 50 750ml bottles. 

We use a basic recipe to start the winemaking process but then we measure and make adjustments for the sugar content and acid level. Because we are constantly updating the labels to reflect the content, source of the ingredients, and the vintage date, we do our own. We use a color printer and usually the special glossy paper, both to get a crisper color image and for moisture resistance. 

Our 1999 vintage of about 16 gallons in three fermentation batches was bulk aged in carboys and gallon jugs for over 26 months. We just finished racking to 80 bottles. Our July Y2K harvest totaled over 200 pounds after bringing in a late harvest batch. The Y2K vintage consists of three batches of Mustang red, three white Mustang, and a Pinot Noir made from concentrate and the skins slipped in making one of the whites. Yes, it took the two of us more than 14 hours to pinch the skin off each grape. Loretta used the skins to make red wine vinegar!

We used the pressed white pulp to make a small amount of white vinegar. We bulk-aged two of the white batches for 16 months and just finished racking two of the three batches to 21+ bottles. The two batches have quite different taste due to the different yeasts used. Both are quite smooth having a total acidity measurement of .67 tartaric.
Due to our Houston home remodeling project and sale, the 2001 harvest was left for the wildlife. Furthermore, due to commuting logistics and requirements involved in the early stages of the winemaking process, all subsequent harvests have gone to the wildlife.

Both wine and jelly products are produced with the naturally pure rainwater that we collect here at the ranch on our 3200+ sq.ft. "Rainbarn". The photos here show finishing the roof just after the tank was set. The capacity of the 15.5ft x 15.5ft storage tank is 20,000 gallons. We use a "first flush" system uniquely enhanced for automatic operation to collect and remove the debris washed from the roof and gutters before entering the tank. Then, on the supply side before entering the house, the already relatively clean water passes through a large in-tank 20-micron sediment filter, a 5-micron sediment filter, a 3-micron activated carbon filter, and then an ultraviolet light canister. Yes, that's me up there - I built the barn entirely myself.

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As Always,