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skhnmh · 01-03-2010, 12:12 AM

You'll find that MLF is advantageous on nearly every red wine and Chardonnay (if you like the "buttery" mouth feel in Chardonnay) as opposed to crispy citric taste for Chard. The "greenness" in reds is oftentimes considered a fault, and mlf will oftentimes make a big difference.

Cheers!

Omerta · 01-03-2010, 12:15 AM

I'm using RC212 in one and Pasteur Red in the other. The RC212 batch has been Kmeta'd too much for malo. The Pasteur Red won't be sulfited till the very end.
I picked up White Lab Malolactic Bacteria to try after the Pasteur Red. No extra SO2 added to this batch.

Wade E · 01-03-2010, 12:21 AM

Since this is a juice it would be beneficial to you to do it. it will smooth out a harsh wine and a Cab?Sauv can surely benefit big time from it. It is not complicated at all. When its done fermenting you just add the bacteria to it and let it go for awhile. You do not add sulfite nor sorbate at all until it has finished and it could take up to 2 months but the end result will be big! An addition of Tannin like Grand Cru or Tan Cor can really make this wine totally awesome! You can test if you want to see if its done with a simple test kit when you dont see anymore action. It wont be vigorous like a regular fermentation but you usually can see a MLF in progress.
http://www.finevinewines.com/ProdDetA.asp?PartNumber=WLP790

Omerta · 01-03-2010, 02:46 AM

Wade... yup thats the stuff. Got it chillin in the fridge as we speak. Gunna pick up a few tests... ph, malo, so2, acid... if not for anything else but to learn as much as possible about the processes of wine making. Gunna research the tannin additive idea as well. Thanks for the input

Wade E · 01-03-2010, 02:59 AM

George sells the Tannin also and I highlt recommend it. It will make a decent wine great and a great wine awesome!

**Rock** · 01-03-2010, 03:01 AM

I ml all my reds.What a big difference.It converts malic acid to lactic acid.Gives wine a better mouth feel.You should test the wines after 4-6 up to 8 weeks to see if all the malic acid has been converted.Paper Chromography test kit will give you these results.

**Manimal** · 01-03-2010, 03:05 AM

Quote:

That's a good idea, you could even blend the two together in some bottles and see how that is.

This is a bit risky... even if you practice careful SO2 management to keep MLF at bay, it won't kill the bacteria, only inhibit their activity. As Free SO2 levels decrease in storage, they may drop to a level which allows MLF to occur in bottle. Some commercial wineries blend MLF wines with non-MLF wines, but they have the advantage of using truly sterile closed-system membrane filtration in the bottling line, which will remove all ML bacteria. This is virtually impossible to achieve in home winemaking, so a good general rule is that if a wine has been put through MLF, don't blend it with one that hasn't. If you're really careful with sanitation, filtration, SO2 and you let the blended wine bulk age for awhile prior to bottling, you'll probably be alright, but I wouldn't recommend it.

Wade E · 01-03-2010, 03:13 AM

Good catch manimal, I didnt even see that in a post. Not a good idea at all unless you like red and purple floors and ceilings!!!!!!!

**deboard** · 01-03-2010, 03:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Manimal

This is a bit risky... even if you practice careful SO2 management to keep MLF at bay, it won't kill the bacteria, only inhibit their activity. As Free SO2 levels decrease in storage, they may drop to a level which allows MLF to occur in bottle. Some commercial wineries blend MLF wines with non-MLF wines, but they have the advantage of using truly sterile closed-system membrane filtration in the bottling line, which will remove all ML bacteria. This is virtually impossible to achieve in home winemaking, so a good general rule is that if a wine has been put through MLF, don't blend it with one that hasn't. If you're really careful with sanitation, filtration, SO2 and you let the blended wine bulk age for awhile prior to bottling, you'll probably be alright, but I wouldn't recommend it.

That's why you guys are the experts! I thought blending was just a good way to add complexity. I never considered the implications with regards to MLF. Sorry

**deboard** · 01-03-2010, 03:41 AM

I am interested in Wade's post about tannin. You mention a couple of specific tannins. Are there a lot of differences in quality of tannins? I just buy the "Wine Tannin" containers. Are some always meant to be added after fermentation?