South African Cab Sauv

Winemaking Talk - Winemaking Forum

Help Support Winemaking Talk - Winemaking Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
Received the Chromatography kit yesterday. Going to test the Malbec, Cab Sauv and a kit Cab Sauv on Saturday. The instruction seem straight forward. Anything that I should be aware of outside of the instructions? And is it actually best to dry outside?

Yes, dry outside but not in the sunlight. Stuff is way potent. Also drying takes all day, or overnight--I didn't realize this at first.
Oh and one more thing, make sure it DOES NOT look anything at all this. My 1st attempt rushing and VERY briefly skimming through directions.

IMG_5578.jpg
 
Oh and one more thing, make sure it DOES NOT look anything at all this. My 1st attempt rushing and VERY briefly skimming through directions.

I still think you should frame that one. I'd buy it for $25. To me that captures the essence of my early winemaking experiences. And only a winemaker would understand...

As always, thank you for sharing.

I too dry it in my garage for a few hours (have a nail in the wall where I hang it). Then I bring it down to a second nail in my basement among the rafters where a constant airflow dries it within a few hours, with minimal smell upstairs.
 
Last edited:
I still think you should frame that one. I'd buy it for $25. To me that captures the essence of my early winemaking experiences. And only a winemaker would understand...

As always, thank you for sharing.
.


Well I still have it. And it hasn't lost the color much.
I can see myself hosting a dinner party.
"This piece? Well this piece represents the struggle for success of an early winemaker. It captures the difficulty of the vast scientific knowledge they seek to learn. But at the same time, if you look closely, you can see the faded malo. This piece is saying 'making mistakes is inevitable, but the potential for success keeps us moving forward". Whatcha think? Lol
 
Well I still have it. And it hasn't lost the color much.
I can see myself hosting a dinner party.
"This piece? Well this piece represents the struggle for success of an early winemaker. It captures the difficulty of the vast scientific knowledge they seek to learn. But at the same time, if you look closely, you can see the faded malo. This piece is saying 'making mistakes is inevitable, but the potential for success keeps us moving forward". Whatcha think? Lol

"Intimates the melancholy despair and emergent banality of existence, yet tempered by the numinous, the immanent, that dwells within each solitary, imperfect being." :b
 
"Intimates the melancholy despair and emergent banality of existence, yet tempered by the numinous, the immanent, that dwells within each solitary, imperfect being." :b


Im speechless! Must be that prestigious HS education. And now I am way too attached with emotional investment. Sorry Craig , not for sale. This piece has just become near and dear to my heart.
 
Yes, dry outside but not in the sunlight. Stuff is way potent. Also drying takes all day, or overnight--I didn't realize this at first.
Oh and one more thing, make sure it DOES NOT look anything at all this. My 1st attempt rushing and VERY briefly skimming through directions.

I'll try and learn from other people's mistakes. OK no sunlight. No huffing the fumes.

We'll see how it goes. Samples on sheet drying right now, about 50 min so far. Solvent in about 10 min or so.

See if I can find an office stapler around here. Even paperclips are tough to find in this house. I do have a shingle stapler, but that might be overkill.
 
I'll try and learn from other people's mistakes. OK no sunlight. No huffing the fumes.

We'll see how it goes. Samples on sheet drying right now, about 50 min so far. Solvent in about 10 min or so.

See if I can find an office stapler around here. Even paperclips are tough to find in this house. I do have a shingle stapler, but that might be overkill.

I sometimes use a stapler, but the staple instantly rusts when the fluid wicks up to it. I permanently borrowed some coated paper clips from my daughter, they seem to work the best.
 
So I had Fr. Dennis for senior English. Who did you have?


Priests were only teaching Theology classes during my time. Though there was one amazing English teacher who we may have shared; Mr. Mooney. Probably the most energetic, genuine and passionate teacher I ever had. Reminded me of Robin Williams from Dead Poets Society.
 
So the South African Cab Sauv is completed with MLF. The Malbec has clearly not, nor the Kit wine of course. But I did test the pH on the Malbec and it is now 3.60 on the nose. Re-calibrated Hanna pH meter and tested again, 3.60. The K-bicarb I added was supposed to bring from 3.15 to the range of 3.25 - 3.30. Anyways, I have vial of Wyeast Malo and will try one more time.

chroma.jpg
 
So the South African Cab Sauv is completed with MLF. The Malbec has clearly not, nor the Kit wine of course. But I did test the pH on the Malbec and it is now 3.60 on the nose. Re-calibrated Hanna pH meter and tested again, 3.60. The K-bicarb I added was supposed to bring from 3.15 to the range of 3.25 - 3.30. Anyways, I have vial of Wyeast Malo and will try one more time.


Rock n roll! To quote Meatloaf, "Two outta three ain't bad."
-successfully removed the nasty smell
- successfully raised the ph. Ive read on here to cut the dose in half and then check for this exact reason. But 3.6 works right?
-unsuccessful MLF.
Hopefully this MLF takes off. The free So2 is the only concern now. Maybe feed it properly with starter and nutrient. With Acti-ml and opti-Malo to ensure best chance for success. They're cheap- probably pay more for s&h.
Good looking test btw.
 
I have both Act-ml and opti-Malo. So2 is definitely a concern, but will give it one more try.

Ajmassa and everyone else's thanks for all your help.
 
Looks like the Chilean Malbec is moving along with MLF at 29 days since added. It has few weeks to go but it's moving. Will give a stir today. Had no other wines to test so I did a blueberry and cherry wine also for the heck of it.

Want to thank everyone here who helped me nurse this batch along. I had at point written it off. Thank you thank you

DSC_7890b.jpg
 
Looks like the Chilean Malbec is moving along with MLF at 29 days since added. It has few weeks to go but it's moving. Will give a stir today. Had no other wines to test so I did a blueberry and cherry wine also for the heck of it.

Want to thank everyone here who helped me nurse this batch along. I had at point written it off. Thank you thank you


That's great news. Research and hard work paid off. Good timing too. You might be putting this one to rest just before the fall grapes demand all of your attention. Somebody up there lookin out for ya!
 
Did another chromatography test overnight. Malbec is still showing some malo, Zin/Cab/PS blend was co-inoculated and is showing progress at 18 days. Sangiovese/Syrah juice buckets were not inoculated with MLB and the test appears to be showing that. I will add MLB tomorrow to the sangio/syrah.

Am I reading this correctly?

IMG_20170920_194612168.jpg
 
Please need advice....should I give up and any further MLF on the Malbec and move on with it? It looks like it hasn't changed in 30 day.
 
I was waiting to see what some of the more experienced MLFers thought about it just like you.
Without any direction, I'm sure you could come up a logical way to proceed. What I think is probably the same as what you think.

About a month in the first test showed good progression. But a month later seems like it there's been no change.
So your going to inoculate your Syrah/sangio and will be doing another test in a few more weeks right?
I'm thinking you'll probably be advised to maybe give the Malbec maybe a half dose of Opti-malo, try and keep the temps up, and stir up the lees maybe 1-2x a week. If the next test shows progress, then great. If no change, then rack and stabilize with K-meta. 60% MLF is still better than no MLF.
I did an obsessive amount of reading on MLF before this season, and partial MLF is a very common thing in commercial wines. For a gadjillion different reasons. But it doesn't hurt anything at all.
Hopefully somebody else can impart some MLF wisdom here.
 
Thanks, seems like sound advice, I think I might be obsessing too much. But I need to read more on MLF myself.

Learning this stuff, ever so slowly, but I'm learning.
 
If it were me, I would wait, but that is almost always my answer with MLF. I am sure your worry is oxidation more than anything. Think to the way commercial wine is made, particularly in Europe. Rack into the barrel, let the barrel sit for several months, like over the winter, topping up, but not really much more. Let it get warm and MLF finishes. The time period is probably 6 or more months. I don't worry about or even hardly check for MLF completion in my basement for 3 months, then I wait an extra month just to make sure it is all done. It will finish, let it be.
 

Latest posts

Back
Top