Central Texas Wine Guild

Overview
Our intent is to purchase quality grape fruit and juice from a reputable grape broker for the purpose of home wine making. We have had great success with M&M two years in a row, and will attempt to use them again this year.

Both members and non-members are welcome to participate in the Central Texas Wine Guild Group Grape Purchase and Crush, and to cast their vote (read: dollars) for particular varietals in the group purchase. The final decision is at the discretion of the Organizer who is talking to the broker. At this time, that is Jon Loeliger. He can be bought.

The overall process will go like this:

• We start arm wrestling for varietals on the CTWG list
• I try to track it and create a spreadsheet of the mess
• Money will be collected in advance
• Fruit and juice will be delivered to a cold storage facility
• We'll move it to the crush site
• Everyone shows up at the crush site to make a mess
• Everyone then helps clean up the mess
• Everyone goes home happy with juice and must!

This year, I would like to have a Crush Shift Sign-up Sheet where people volunteer for a time-slot at the crusher, lifting lugs, handling empty lugs, and cleanup duties. That is, you should help do something! A volunteer to manage this would be welcome.

Varietals
Discussion about varietal and delivery date will occur on the CTWG mailing list. No discussion of price will occur on a public mail list. A separate, private address will host any discussion of cost.

Our intent is to purchase at least two red varietals. Likely, and if quantity permits, we might have a third red. We will try to obtain a white varietal as well.

The selection of varietals is subject to reasonably coincident locality in time and space. That is, we're not going to get one varietal from Sonoma, one from Lodi, wait two weeks, and pick up a third from Paso Robles. Plan on same region, and within a couple days harvest of each other. Large influence here from what the broker suggests is possible as supplier.

If possible we will target lots of one pallet per varietal. A pallet is 48 RPC (reusable plastic container) lugs. This is subject to change, and might arrive as wooden lugs with a slightly different pallet count.

You will buy fruit by the lug. A lug is 36-lbs of grape. Two lugs will get you about 5 gallons, maybe a little less, maybe a little more. It depends on a lot of factors such as the varietal, maceration, pressing, etc.

Last year, we purchased a white varietal as juice in 55 gal barrels and distributed it. It worked reasonably well. This year, to make it work better, we'll bring a the right drum
plug wrench!

Grape Purchase
All money will be collected in advance of the actual purchase from both Guild members and non-members. Likely, this will be a check or cash to either our Treasurer, our Accountant-in-residence, or the Organizer. We're not sure yet. Last year Jon collected all money and provided spread-sheet accounting.

Grapes will be charged a per-lug fee as determined by the broker per varietal, plus any pro-rated shipping charges divided equally per-lug and per-gallon as well. Shipping will be charged by the broker and might also include the cost of going to pick up the grapes at a semi-local cold-storage drop off site. Gas, in case you haven't noticed yet, isn't cheap again this year.

An additional nominal, flat fee may be charged for non-Guild members to participate in the group purchase. Last year we requested $10.

As per our agreement with the broker, we will not discuss the precise cost of our grapes in a public forum nor on a public mail list. Private discussion is acceptable. Note that the main CTWG on Google groups list is public.

Delivery
Let's understand one thing. It's a crop, harvested in another state when the Brix has reached its zenith and the pH is in the house of Aquarius, packed by moon-light, collected with other crops, packaged and warehoused, trucked across state lines, delivered to third-party cold storage facilities that might be in a different city, with delivery status communicated over the Infobahn using tattooed squirrels.

That is, there's no guarantee when the grapes will arrive. And we really don't know what shape they will be in. One year, it was mid-September and the grapes were in really, really good shape. But past performance is not an indicator of future performance. Or something.

We will have, at most, 3 days notice of their arrival. Which will in turn set the crush date. The one certainty in this process is that you can rely on it NOT happening on the first date that I announce. The packers lie to the broker, the broker lies to me, I lie to you. You know.

The crush date is NOT likely to be a weekend. One year it was, like, a Monday, as we needed to pick up our grapes from a cold storage facility during normal business hours.

It is expected that you are "on call" and will be able to pick up your grapes on the day of the crush. There is no further storage facility available.

And we're not going to store your grapes.

If you are not present to pick up your grape, and we are not able to contact you, or have not heard from you, your grapes will be designated as "Overage" and distributed.

You are welcome to make "extra" arrangements as needed. We don't care if you send your ex-wife's cousin Luigi to pick them up. But we want to know about that in advance so that we don't distribute your grape under the "Overage" clause.

And we're not going to store your grapes.

Overage
In the event that more lugs arrived than were contracted and desired according to the original schedule, they will be made available in the following priority:

- Anyone present at the crush who wants grape but did not originally sign up for any at all.

- Anyone who was signed up for and paid for a different varietal but for whatever reason was shorted some.

- Anyone who got a significantly small quantity, but would reasonably benefit from an additional lug or two.

- A rock-scissors-paper pair-wise tournament per-lug with elimination of winners until all would-be-takers have won a lug, at which point the tourney is again repeated for all takers.

To be eligible and to receive additional lugs, you must have cash on hand to purchase them on the spot. Or, you must have an honest face and be convincing enough that you are "Good For It". No, really.

Shortage
In the event that fewer lugs have arrived than were contracted or desired according to the original schedule, we will first attempt to rectify the shortage with the broker. Failing that, or in the event of communication failure, misunderstanding, transit problems or outright confusion, we will attempt to equalize the lug distribution as follows:

- Anyone with a disproportionately large percentage of the fruit will be kindly requested to yield a few lugs to anyone who signed up for, but got no fruit at all. They will not be obliged to yield any, however.

- A general plea will be made for anyone willing to forego a lug or two to anyone who signed up for, but got no fruit at all.

The underlying goal is that everyone who signed up for fruit should get some, even if that means we steal a little from the rich to accommodate them. In these cases, it is expected that appropriate payoffs and bribes will happen in back rooms and bars between the affected parties.

The Crush
Both Guild members and non-members are welcome to take their grapes as whole cluster, or to participate in the Group Crush that we will organize and carry out. In either event, all fruit will be dispersed at the crush. We will not be able to have several people pick up from the delivery site.

We don't know exactly when this will take place. The Organizer will make every effort to communicate updates on a timely basis. It is likely that we will have about 3 days notice.

The crush will be in Austin, likely in someone's driveway starting "after work" and going until Oh-dark-thirty. One year, it was roughly 4:00pm until midnight by the time we had it all cleaned up again. Last year the crush was at the business location of one of the Guild Members.

Both members and non-members are encouraged to make a donation to support Randy's recent crusher motorization enhancement. Perhaps, a $1 or $2 per lug. Purely voluntary, of course, but I do own a big stick.

There is a non-negotiable cost to participate in the crush: you must bring food or side dish to share around and either a six-pack of non-bad brew, home-brew or wine to share around. We're not messing around here. Remember, it takes a lot of beer to make good wine!

And we're going to have fun, dammit.