Co-inoculation

[Tnuscan]

I thought it useful to revive this productive discussion of yeasts, MLB, and inoculation timing to see how everybody did with their MLF this year. Please update your progress.

Dave, couple posts up you were going to split up your grapes, use different yeasts and experiment with inoculation timing. Any results to report yet?

Here are my results, remember I started late with frozen must from Fall harvest:

I decided to experiment as well, did two different cabs, a merlot, and a PS, fermented everything with BM 4x4 except the merlot, which got RC 212. Lallzyme EX-V and standard Fermaid K were used.
My calculated wine volume after pressing was 65 gallons, so I used one pack of VP 41, rehydrated with Acti and fed once with Opti, all pitched into the must several days after alcoholic fermentation had begun. All of the pH's were above 3.45, all of my PA% were 14%-15%.
Pressed skins and went to glass 11/7 & 11/8, took my first chromo on 11/20 and found that all of the cabs were finished, the merlot has a barely visible malic spot, and the PS has made progress but isn't quite across the finish line yet. Posted the chromo below for reference.

John, I didn't get to use this technique this season, they forgot to send my MLB in my order and I caught the mistake to late. Thanks for the info on doing yours, this technique had really excited me and I will hopefully get to try it in the spring. It's interesting to know that the Merlot did well.

I will look foward to all future info on this, you've had a very productive 2016 with the wine room and all your wines. You must hit the ground running, lol.

Thanks again and Happy Holidays!!!

 

[Johnd]

John, I didn't get to use this technique this season, they forgot to send my MLB in my order and I caught the mistake to late. Thanks for the info on doing yours, this technique had really excited me and I will hopefully get to try it in the spring. It's interesting to know that the Merlot did well.

I will look foward to all future info on this, you've had a very productive 2016 with the wine room and all your wines. You must hit the ground running, lol.

Thanks again and Happy Holidays!!!

It really did work out well. Initially wasn't going to give it a go, but after talking to a few professional winemakers that do it this way, and listening to their reasoning, it made more sense. The merlot was a worry because, well, it's merlot and they are sometimes very finicky.

Have another shipment of frozen must being prepared for shipping right now, 5 pails of Tempranillo and 5 pails of Merlot from Spain through Grapemasters, so we'll have another run at a Merlot and at co-innoculation. He almost has me convinced to do a natural yeast fermentation, still on the fence. Numbers on the Spanish must are similar to the Californians, Brix in the 26 - 28 range, with pH's a little on the high side 3.7 / 3.8, so they're nice ripe grapes.

Happy Holidays to you as well!!