when good wines gone bad

additional work

something from Italy Sangiovese the prince of Italian Reds

something peachy

HERE’S MY TAKE ON BLENDING, THE FIRST ITEM OF BUSINESS IS TO ESTABLISH WHAT IT IS IN A TASTE PROFILE, YOUR TRING TO ACCOMPLISH AND WHAT TYPE OF FINISH YOU WANT YOU’RE PROFILE TO HAVE.

NOW THAT YOU HAVE ESTABLISHED THE PROFILE AND FINISH LOOK FOR BLENDS THAT REALLY GO WELL TOGETHER, THAT MAKES WINE BLENDING A WHOLE LOT EASIER.

EX: MAKING A CAB AND MERLOT BLEND IS EASY RIGHT? BUT IF YOU’RE A KIT PERSON NOT SO. A WINEMAKER WHO USES GRAPE AND OR FRESH JUICE HAS THE ADVANTAGE OVER US, WHAT TO DO? UNDERSTAND? SO WHAT DO WE NEED TO KNOW AND HOW DO WE GET THERE?

BLENDING CONSISTS OF TWO DIFFERENT WINES OR MORE HAVING SOME OF THE SAME CHARISTERICTS YET DIFFERENT ENOUGH IN THE BLEND TO STAND OUT ON ITS OWN WITH RESPECT TO THE OTHERS ROLL IN THE MIX.USUALLY, THIS IS ALL DONE AFTER THE WINES ARE COMPLETED AND READY FOR BOTTLING.

KIT MAKERS CAN DO ALL THE SAME MOVES ONLY GOING DOWN A VERY DIFFERENT AVENUE, IF YOU THINK OF ALL THE DIFFERENT ELEMENTS WE HAVE TO WORK WITH THERE IS NO REAL DIFFERENCE. WE HAVE THE BASIC CONCENTRATES TO WORK WITH AND DEPENDING ON THE VALUE OF THE KIT A LARGER AMOUNT OF VERTICAL JUICE THEN CONCENTRATE, ADDING FRESH-MADE FPACS TO THE BASE OR ZEST TO THE SECONDARY ALONG WITH THE ADDED AMOUNTS OF OAK, OAK DUST AND TANNINS ADDED ALL ALONG THE WAY. OUR VOLUMES ARE SMALL ENOUGH TO TAKE CORRECTIVE ACTION AS LONG AS WE ARE PAYING ATTENTION TO THE BASIC WINE RULES AND SANITATION THAT ARE REQUIRED, WE CAN CHANGE PRETTY MUCH ON A DIME AND DO WHAT IS NECESSARY TO OUR PRODUCT.

LET'S SAY I WAS GOING TO MAKE A BLACKBERRY PINO NIOR, THE FIRST QUESTION I ASK IS WHAT THE PRIMARY FLAVOR IS AND WHAT THE SECONDARY. DEPENDING ON WHAT PROFILE I WANT THE WINE TO HAVE (TASTE) WILL LET ME KNOW WHO IS THE LEADER IN THIS DANCE, THE PINO OR THE BLACKBERRY, IF I USE THE PINO AS THE BASE AND THE BLACKBERRY FPAC IN THE PRIMARY THEN THE BLEND SHOULD BE A PARTNERSHIP OF FLAVORS, IF I USE THE PINO AS MY BASE AND THE BERRIES IN THE SECONDARY THEN THE BERRIES BECOME THE BACKGROUND.

I want to make a pinot Gris, from California and wanted to create crispness and a better bite to the wine's finish, I would finish out the wine making sure I first had good abv. At the finish then either in the secondary or as a closing step a couple of weeks before bottling I would add the zest of 1 grapefruit or lemon to the wine and allow it two sit to infuse its acidity and freshness into the wine, then rack and bottle.

Making your own fpac from fresh grapes whenever and wherever you find them adds a better mouthfeel to the finish.

There are a lot of different ways kit winemakers can infuse, enhance and create our wines to have a touch of our own hand in the making but you must take the time to plan your work and work your plan, and always think outside the box.

joeswine said:

BLENDING CONSISTS OF TWO DIFFERENT WINES OR MORE HAVING SOME OF THE SAME CHARISTERICTS YET DIFFERENT ENOUGH IN THE BLEND TO STAND OUT ON ITS OWN WITH RESPECT TO THE OTHERS ROLL IN THE MIX.USUALLY, THIS IS ALL DONE AFTER THE WINES ARE COMPLETED AND READY FOR BOTTLING.

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I disagree regarding blending grapes having the same characteristics. Blending is performed to achieve a specific goal, whether it's a desired profile, correcting deficiencies in a wine, etc. The Rhone Valley is case in point. Northern red Rhone is typically Syrah blended with Roussane or other white wines, to lighten the Syrah's heavy character. Southern red Rhone is often Grenache based - Grenache is a very light red with great flavor notes, and it's blended with Syrah and other reds to provide additional flavor, aroma, body, and especially color.

Just a matter of opinion, blending is thinking outside the box to a cellar dweller, we’re not all master wine makers.

joeswine said:

Just a matter of opinion, blending is thinking outside the box to a cellar dweller, we’re not all master wine makers.

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GOT IT?

The main thing I've learned about blending is never blend a good wine with a poor wine wine hoping to improve it.

can I add

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PATIENCE .........

black current port

Till the end............................

something from Spain

45 degrees is a good cold soak and keeping it constant is especially important. White's do especially well in a cold soak, Red's not so much, cold slows down the processes, as it drives down the solids to give great clarification, and sometimes you can also lose flavor. It all depends on the quality of your base wine. Red on the other hand, some of the solids that you can't see need to stay suspended for flavor and texture. Try this with a Chardonnay next time split a 6-gallon batch in the clearing mode and leave half in a 3-gallon carboy with French toasted oak or wooden cask, the other 3 gallons refrigerate, both for 4 weeks, then bring both up to room temperature blend together and bottle outstanding balance.

just a thought ............................. ..cold soaks and my usages

something from Spain.

Chaptalization is the process of adding sugar to unfermented grape developed by the French chemist Jean-Antoine-Claude Chapal, for whom it was named. Contrary to popular belief, this process does not make the wine sweeter but only artificially inflates the alcohol content. Additionally, the sugar in chaptalized wine cannot be tasted.

Potassium Metabisulfite is a common wine or must additive, where it forms sulfur dioxide gas (SO2). This both prevents most wild microorganisms from growing, and it acts an as a potent antioxidant, protecting both the color and delicate flavors of wine.

The typical dosage is ¼ tsp potassium metabisulfite, per 6-gallon bucket of must (yielding roughly 75ppm of SO2) prior to fermentation, and ½ tsp per 6-gallon bucket (150 ppm of SO2) at bottling.

Winemaking equipment is sanitized by spraying with a 1% SO2 (2 tsp potassium metabisulfite per L) solution.

Potassium Sorbate is used to inhibit molds and yeasts in wine. Also known affectionately as “wine stabilizer”, potassium sorbate produces sorbic acid when added to the wine. It serves two purposes. When active fermentation has ceased and the wine is racked for the final time after clearing, will continue fermenting any residual sugar into CO2 and alcohol, but when they die no new yeast will be present to cause future fermentation. When a wine is sweetened before bottling, potassium sorbate is used to prevent re-fermentation when used in conjunction with potassium metabisulfite. It is primarily used with sweet wines, sparkling wines, and some hard cider but may be added to table wines that exhibit difficulty in maintaining clarity after fining.