PCharles
Senior Member
- Joined
- Apr 22, 2011
- Messages
- 460
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- 10
This years budget has been challenging. I had to buy a new car, new computer, new washer and dryer, and a new stove. Spare cash for grapes wasn't in the budget this year. As grape harvest season approached, I began to lament over missing out on the season. For the past years I've experimented with wines made from fruit with grape skins added. So, I decided I'd make all of this years wine from left over wine press, knowing I could obtain some.
Several weeks ago I lined up about 60 gallons of pressed Merlot and Chambourcin skins. I added them to my two 55 gallon ferments. I added water up to about 49 gallons per container. I added sugar bringing the SG to 1.090. The pH looked fine without adjustment at 3.7. I added in oak cubes during fermentation. There was no need to add yeast as the yeast in the skins were still full of life. It was difficult at first to punch the skins. The cap was about 18 inches thick and was hard to penetrate. I punched down three times a day for the full fermentation. After five days the mix became more like soup and was easier to mix. When the SG was down to 1.0 I bucketed out the mix into the wine press.
As there was such a great deal of skins, pulp, and seeds, I knew there would be lots of sediment. After pressing, I moved the juice into several fermenters. The following day I moved the liquid off the heavy sediment into my carboys.
This is where I'm at now. I expect I'll rack off several times in the next few months. I will use my vacuum pump to reduce CO2. Right now I have about 40 gallons of wine. I figure I'll loose some to waste sediment. I figure I'll clear 36 gallons.
Next season I hope to make my primary wine from grapes, but expect I will continue to use skins to expand my wine output. I call this my Saturday afternoon wine or my peasant wine.
Thanks for taking time to read my winemaking experience here.
Several weeks ago I lined up about 60 gallons of pressed Merlot and Chambourcin skins. I added them to my two 55 gallon ferments. I added water up to about 49 gallons per container. I added sugar bringing the SG to 1.090. The pH looked fine without adjustment at 3.7. I added in oak cubes during fermentation. There was no need to add yeast as the yeast in the skins were still full of life. It was difficult at first to punch the skins. The cap was about 18 inches thick and was hard to penetrate. I punched down three times a day for the full fermentation. After five days the mix became more like soup and was easier to mix. When the SG was down to 1.0 I bucketed out the mix into the wine press.
As there was such a great deal of skins, pulp, and seeds, I knew there would be lots of sediment. After pressing, I moved the juice into several fermenters. The following day I moved the liquid off the heavy sediment into my carboys.
This is where I'm at now. I expect I'll rack off several times in the next few months. I will use my vacuum pump to reduce CO2. Right now I have about 40 gallons of wine. I figure I'll loose some to waste sediment. I figure I'll clear 36 gallons.
Next season I hope to make my primary wine from grapes, but expect I will continue to use skins to expand my wine output. I call this my Saturday afternoon wine or my peasant wine.
Thanks for taking time to read my winemaking experience here.