Thinking outside the box

[sour_grapes]

The airlock on the carboy with the currants was much, much faster than the quart sample. I imagine it might be possibly due to the smaller container, but I don't think that is the case.

Absolutely the size of the carboy matters when it comes to how fast the bubbling is. Imagine two containers, one of which has 100 L, the other has one L. The must in them is identical otherwise, and the airlock is the same on the two of them. The 100 L volume will produce 100 times more gas per second than the 1 L jug,, but this gas has to go out through the same-size hole! It will take more bubbles per second for that to happen.

 

[vernsgal]

summer is coming and party wines are at the forefront of the game plan,check this out.:: THIS IS MY WIFES FAVORITE SO THERE'S ALWAYS THIS AROUND BUT HER HORSE RIDING LADIES ENJOY IT............ AFTER THE RIDE.............TRICKS ARE TO KEEP THE ABV AT 1.10 THEN WHEN THE FPAC IS ENTERED IT CREATES A MUCH BETTER BALANCE BETWEEN TASTE AND ACHOLO...............THIS IS THE ONLY TWEAK NEEDED..........

I actually picked 2 of these up a few weeks ago. So do I just add enough sugar to bring SG to 1.100 and all else is good?

 

[LoneStarLori]

Absolutely the size of the carboy matters when it comes to how fast the bubbling is.

Yes, that is what made sense to me too. More gas, more bubbles.

 

[joeswine]

Surface area

THINK OF IT AS A LARGE BOWL LOTS OF SURFACE SPACE ON THE TOP COMPARE TO A CUP WITH THE SAME PRODUCT INSIDE,ALSO THE CONTENTS IS DIFFERENT IN THE BOWL AS APPOSED TO THE SMALL BOTTLE CORRECT? SO THE OVERALL RESPONSE WOULD ALSO BE DIFFERENT....SEE...THAT'S WHY I DO EVERY THING IN THE BIG WHITE FOOD GRADE FERMENTER LOTS OF SURFACE FOR THE YEAST ,OXYGEN AND WINE MUST TO WORK TOGETHER.. NO TIGHT SPACESES...

 

[LoneStarLori]

This was really kind of an accidental experiment. After the white primary bucket, when I racked down to the 5 gal with the currants in it, I had about a quart left over. That's when I decided to do a little test to see how the SG would differ.
Although I didn't test it every single day, the SG on the non-tweaked quart stayed 2 points lower than the carboy to the end.

 

[joeswine]

Current affect???

DO TO THE FACT THAT THERE WERE KNOW CURRENTS INVOLVED NO ADDED SUGARS,THE SG AND ABV WOULD BE DIFFERENT..

 

[LoneStarLori]

Yes joe, and with that being said, would there be any way to calculate the end ABV % of the currant tweaked wine? I imagine not.

 

[ou8amaus]

Nice pictures and commentary Lori!

 

[LoneStarLori]

Mezza Luna Red pt 3

I racked the Mezza Luna Red which I added black currants to from the initial less after clearing.
I have to say, I am really liking is wine. It hits you with a blast of dark fruits (maybe plum) on the nose and some spices. Medium body and moderate oak. It is quite dry with a long fruity finish. I can tell it has the young 'tang', but I believe this will be a good drinker, rather early. Maybe it's too early to tell, but I think it's just about what I was going for in a nice red social wine. Without the $150 price tag.
I am a little concerned about the ABV. Now, I freely admit I stink at math, but what I am getting is with a starting ABV of 1.108 and ending right now at .993 I am getting a 15.6 ABV. Is that correct?



Here's the current SG. .993

Lees after the initial clearing and racking.

Since the SG is still falling and I have no intention of back sweetening, I am not going to sorbate this. I am going to let nature do her thing and keep the chems to a minimum. I plan to bulk age for about 6 more weeks. I am not going to use any finishing tannins because I think it is perfect the way it is.


This has been a fun tweak for me using zante currants for the first time. I have another bag in the freezer and am sure I will find another project for them. If this ages like I am hoping, I think I have found the perfect wine that tastes like a $150. kit and only costs $77 with tweaks. I may just do this one again.




This is part 3 of a series. If you would like to see the process of the first two parts, here are the links.

PART 1 http://www.winemakingtalk.com/forum/f84/thinking-outside-box-9155/index38.html#post506944

PART 2 http://www.winemakingtalk.com/forum/f84/thinking-outside-box-9155/index38.html#post507588

 

[sour_grapes]

I get more like 15.1 ABV, but close 'nuff.

 

[LoneStarLori]

That juice was high out of the bag. I wonder of leaving out just that 1/2 gal of water made that much difference.

 

[sour_grapes]

By my reckoning, making your kit to 6 gallons instead of 5.5 gal would have resulted in a SG of 1.099. Still seems just a mite high for Mezza Luna. Mine was 1.083, but I added too much water (because I did not yet know that my carboy was larger than 6 gallons). I think mine would have translated to a starting SG of 1.095 if I had done it correctly.

 

[byathread]

You're right on, Paul. My 6gal ML started at 1.095, after 24 hours with 12oz Zante currants and some squeezing I hit a high of 1.100. At bottling, siphoned 3gal off into a carboy with 4g Tannin FT Rouge and aged another month before bottling that batch as well.

 

[LoneStarLori]

You're right on, Paul. My 6gal ML started at 1.095, after 24 hours with 12oz Zante currants and some squeezing I hit a high of 1.100. At bottling, siphoned 3gal off into a carboy with 4g Tannin FT Rouge and aged another month before bottling that batch as well.

How is it coming along? Do you think the added tannin in the 3 gal is much of a difference?

 

[byathread]

They are coming up on 6 months since pitching the yeast, but at last taste they weren't ready. It didn't help that the non-tannin batch (which was bottled a few weeks earlier) was not fully degassed (it was my very first batch). I'll probably do a side-by-side test after some decanting sometime in the next month.

So far the tannin batch is winning out, a bit fruitier and smoother. I now typically add some form of additional tannin (FT Rouge or Tan'Cor Grand Cru) to all my reds.

 

[LoneStarLori]

Pinot Blanc yeast test.

I started a low end WE kit the other day. WE Vintners Reserve Pinot Blanc. I couldn't decide what I wanted to do with it as far as tweaks, so I thought I'd do a yeast experiment. At $67. for the kit, I can afford to take a chance.

I am splitting the batches into two- 3 gals. One with the enclosed Premier Cuvee and the other with D47. I really like what D47 did to my LE2013 Pacific Quartet. At least I think it was the yeast, but I am not sure. It may just be a really, light a fruity wine. That's why I want to do the yeast test on this first, then I can decide on any tweaks as it nears the 1.02 mark. I want a very light bodied, dry wine, so I don't think I will do raisins. I am leaning toward some dried Elderflowers I have on had for whichever one seems to need something.

I'll try to keep some pictorial records of the stats, but this is a busy month so they may not get posted right away.

Yeast pitched

Next Day. Premier Cuvee looks anxious to get started.

Day 2, the D47 is more active and smells wonderful. Very little aroma coming from the Premier Cuvee.

Judging by the speed of fermentation, I better start deciding if I'm going to add anything. I may just let these be what they will.

 

[byathread]

One tweak you might consider on the D47 batch is batonnage (lees stirring) if you haven't tried it before. D47 is an excellent yeast for this and Pinot Blanc is considered a relatively neutral variety that is suitable for lees aging, though it will "fatten" it up a bit, so if you're not going for that on this wine, skip it. Shoebedoo has a good thread on this.

I like Pinot Blancs but am usually disappointed by commercial examples. Or rather, a delicious example I once tried haunts me and I have yet to find its equal. I think it was from Alsace and it was not fruity but ALL flower and mineral. Really beguiling (to me anyway).

 

[SouthernChemist]

This is actually a great experiment, Lori! This will let you see first hand what the effect of the yeast strain are on the wine. What is the fermentation temperature for the two wines? The battonage/sur lie idea is also a good one worth considering later on once things have settled.

 

[LoneStarLori]

I have read the D47 gives the wine a good benefit for bringing out different flavors when left on the lees a bit longer. I will use the battonage method. Good suggestions.

Fermentation temp is about 74º. At least that is what is was 12 hours after I started and BEFORE I broke my thermometer.

 

[LoneStarLori]

One tweak you might consider on the D47 batch is batonnage (lees stirring) if you haven't tried it before. D47 is an excellent yeast for this and Pinot Blanc is considered a relatively neutral variety that is suitable for lees aging, though it will "fatten" it up a bit, so if you're not going for that on this wine, skip it. Shoebedoo has a good thread on this.

I had to look this up and found a nice little video.( It made me want to try the batonnage even more. This guy seems like someone I could sit and talk with for hours. He's so excited about wine making

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uX23YU2vPi4&feature=player_embedded"]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uX23YU2vPi4&feature=player_embedded[/ame]


Now here's my latest update. I racked to secondary tonight. I will try the batonnage on the D47 batch. Like Byathread mentioned, it is supposed to be a yeast that likes to rest on the gross lees a while so that made sense. I don't have any barrels so it won't be a true aging batonnage like in the video, but I will give it a few weeks on the lees.

The second one, I racked off the gross lees and added ruby grapefruit zest to the carboy. Notice the SG on the Premier Cuvee. it went much drier than the D47 did. I also noticed the lees where quite a bit lighter. The D47 is more fruitier and the Premier has a definite lemony note.

These are going to rest for a few weeks before I rack again. I am going on a long awaited Alaskan cruise and so they will get to do their own thing for a while.