Mid-July 2024 Newsletter
Life
| I used to believe that humans are somehow special creatures endowed by our creator with special rights and privileges. Perhaps as a retired Episcopal priest, I am supposed to believe some of that biblical stuff, but the more that I grow grapes and make wine, the less special I think homo sapiens are. If we are special creatures, then we need to pay attention not just to our “rights” (an Enlightenment era legal concept), but our responsibilities as well. Responsibilities to tell the truth, to be compassionate and forgiving towards others, to treat others the way we want to be treated, and respect for the planet we are given for living. Ten minutes of watching the news will tell you that we are falling way short on our responsibilities. Under a microscope, yeast cells look like little beer cans, about three microns in diameter and five microns long. They easily clog up a one- or two-micron filter. They are little chemical factories that produce the wine, beer, mead and cider we love. They are primitive organisms on the evolutionary tree working their magic millions of years before the dinosaurs. Humans emerged as newcomers on the evolutionary history tree, and along with all mammals, we carry an enzyme that enables us to use yeast-produced alcohol as just another source of energy, albeit with some neurological consequences. A single grape berry may have 50,000 yeast cells on its surface. The structure of the grape berry cells, skin, and secretions keep those nasty yeast cells at bay until the winemaker’s crusher-destemmer rips the berries from their stems and smushes them a bit. Then, “natural” or “native” or “ambient” fermentation takes place in a virtual battleground of dominance for the fastest, most hungry yeast cells to grab all that sugar along with other ingredients to do their fermentation thing. Of course, the winemaker may put a stop to all this by chilling the juice to the point that the native yeast dies making the juice ready for carefully selected yeast that the winemaker will add to make something we all love. Good winemaking will utilize some of the native fermentation along with the cultured yeast that will produce a reliable wine without some of the problems of 100% “native” fermentation. No matter what the winemaking choice, fermentation is a microbial battleground for dominance. Which leads me to wonder how much of human affairs is just pre-programmed struggles for dominance where mostly unconscious biology takes over the conscious functioning brain? Most global religions tell us not to fear, to love and respect others, and to use our brains to understand each other. People who fail to do so are not much different than yeast cells. But on a hopeful note, life continues in all its glorious complexity. Each generation gives way to the next. Hopefully wisdom increases and violence decreases. As we approach the harvest season this year, let’s raise a glass together in hope that people will get better as each new vintage emerges. Bob Wickizer, Winemaker  |
| Change of Distribution We have recently ended our relationship with our retail distributor, going back to “self-distribution.” This will enable us to provide better service, faster deliveries, and more product options to liquor stores, restaurants, bars, and breweries. Some of our products are delivered in 20 Liter (5 gallon) kegs for by-the-glass consumption. Did you know that our Just Peachy label is the third largest selling tap at two Oklahoma breweries? |
| Recent Bottling Corks have been holding us up for bottling. We learned that ships from Portugal bound for California have been stuck in the Panama Canal! Bottlings this month include: Purple Martin- 35 cases Barrel Reserve- 22 cases Whiskey Barrel Chambourcin- 22 cases Whisper To Me (Moscato)- 27 cases |
| Veraison Progress This is a Cabernet Sauvignon cluster that has nearly completed véraison. This varietal tested at 11° Brix and a pH of 2.6 yesterday. Our harvest target is 22° Brix and a pH around 3.5. When we get close to harvest targets, we taste the seeds. They will taste like they were toasted. Then we have to harvest our grapes before the birds get them.  |
| Wine Education Corner “Natural Fermentation” – There is so much confusing hype about “native,” “natural,” or “ambient” fermentation, somehow implying that it is better for you than the typical practice of a winemaker adding a dose of cultured yeast. One myth posits that native yeast wines will help your immune system and reduce allergies. That has not been proven in any peer-reviewed paper. Moreover, if true, that would only hold if you consumed wine fermented in your geographic county of residence, like local honey confers some resistance to allergies from local pollen. Natural fermentation proceeds from yeasts and ambient bacteria that are on the grapes in the field. Results can be highly variable and challenging for the winemaker to control in a repeatable fashion. Some microbiology studies reported in peer-reviewed journals have found that sampling the air in a “natural” fermentation winery finds the same desirable strains of yeast that winemakers purchase from major suppliers. The same papers found that sampling the air a mile away obtained completely different strains of yeast. The suggestion is that after years of using cultured yeast in a winery, they have built up a local population of all the desirable yeast strains. I am from Missouri, the “show me” state. Until someone shows me in a peer-reviewed scientific paper that there is something superior to “natural” fermentations, I am going to say it is just another marketing ploy to get you to buy someone else’s product. PS: Most of Pecan Creek’s fermentations rely on some “natural” fermentation at the beginning followed by a dose of cultured yeast to finish the process. |
| Outside Winery Events * All Aboard Thursdays: Third Thursdays of the month: July 18th in Downtown Muskogee, OK * Saturday Farmers Market; Muskogee and Tahlequah |
| Future Happenings Murder Mystery Dinner – Our dinner on June 22nd was sold out and a huge success. Everyone had a great time including the winery staff who are all natural hams. Look for another dinner in the Fall. 5K Run / Grape Stomp – Saturday, September 22nd. 5K run in the morning at the vineyard (7000 Fern Mountain Road). Grape Stomp in the afternoon at the winery (8510 Fern Mountain Road) Air BnB Grand Opening – October Date TBA Pecan Creek Winery 10th Anniversary Party – November Date TBA |
| Wine Dinners and Public Tastings We have done many wine dinners around the state of Oklahoma. We are the only winery in the state that can make four or five wine pairings from our wines that were not only “Made in Oklahoma” but grown here as well. We love to do wine dinners. Ask your favorite restaurant to give us a call at 918 683.1087 or info@pecancreekwinery.com. We do fun and sometimes educational events. Everyone has a great time. We also do public tastings at liquor stores. If your favorite retail store does not carry Pecan Creek wines, just ask them. Tell them that we can do a public tasting and zero in on the labels they want to carry. Our winery customers tend to be our best promoters. Thank you for your help. |
| Staying at the Winery Our four-bedroom AirBNB house next door is in the last phases of remodeling and furnishing. We hope to open it in September. Be on the lookout for a grand opening party! |
| WE SHIP TO 38 STATES! Wine makes a GREAT gift! did you know that we ship to 38 states, making it an easy gift to send to your loved ones? Ordering is easy on our website! We ship to the following states: AK, AZ, CO, DC, FL, GA, HI, IA, ID, IL, KS, KY, LA, MA, MD, ME, MN, MO, NC, ND, NE, NH, NM, NY, OH, OK, OR, PA, SC, TN, TX, VA, VT, WA, WI, WV, WY |