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Permalink Reply by George Phiniotis on December 13, 2011 at 8:15am

Ortega is a cross of Siegerrebe and  Muller-Thurgau created in 1948. Back when I was a vineyard manager it was one of my favourites to grow, stands up straight, reliable crop, thick skins provide mildew resistance (this is a good one for the Coast!), and Bortrytis that started growing on one berry doesn't flare throughout the crop like wildfire...it begins and actually works very well as a late harvest Bortrytis affected dessert wine. From a winemaking perspective the flesh is on the dry side...overnight maceration with a pectolytic enzyme will increase juice yield more than other varieties. after the juice is pressed it's a good idea to settle it overnight for clarification, at this time I would recommend using a calcium bentonite. The reason being the muscat heritage can make protein (heat) stability difficult to achieve (Siegerrebe = Gewurztraminer + Madeleine Agevine). Other than that...it can make a very nice wine fairly easily. It is usually made without oak or malolactic fermentation, often as a late harvest. Best of luck.

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