Due Gatti is the name of my wine. I was going to call it Susannah’s Selections and varietally label it but I opted for this name. As a cat lover, I thought it fit.  These two handsome tabbies that are on my label live in the home where I make my wine so it seemed fitting.

Today, I racked the wine and added potassium metabisulfite. Next week I will bottle the wine. This was the first time I have ever added sulfites. My first vintage in 2006, I had much less wine knowledge and I wanted to use natural yeasts as my father had done before me. My second vintage in 2007 I also didn’t add sulfites. I had  a long hiatus between by second and third vintage. Last year I made Moscato and Zinfandel. The Moscato is actually pretty good. I did not add sulfites so once the bottle is open, it changes very quickly and I don’t think the bottles will have a long life ahead. I have tried about half of them and imagine will finish the remaining bottles in the next six months. The Zinfandel I liked less but let’s see. This year I have made Malvasia Bianca and Cabernet Sauvignon. The Malvasia seems iffy to me, particularly the color. I couldn’t believe how much sediment it threw off. I’ve now racked the wines twice and when I bottle them it will be the third time in 2 months. While none of my wines are fantastic, I enjoy saying my wines, bottling with my son and the whole experience. I also like going to my cellar and pulling out a bottle of my wine. I moved around all of the bottles today and put everything in the same place. I’ve got quite the collection of wine equipment at this point. Each vintage I learn a little bit more. It is also really interesting how many people make wine. Last week alone, I discovered that the father of my son’s classmate makes wine and that my cleaning lady and her husband will start making wine next year. It’s amazing how much wine brings people closer and how much we all have in common at the end of the day. It makes the world seem like a smaller and warmer place.