Beginner's diary - Shiraz making

[Ajmassa]

For the non-MLF wine- Id add just a touch of tartaric acid after it’s finished fermenting and sulfited and all that. Something near 3.6 would be more comforting.
The MLF wine- you may get differing opinions- but just ride it out as is— making sure that headspace is handled is crucial since you lack a lot of acid protection and no sulphites yet. Once MLF finished the ph should change slightly. Don’t wanna adjust during though.
Btw Amazon has meters for real cheap Redrum. Whether $12 or $1,200 I’ve learned that as long as they are cared for properly they should work well. proper care is tedious but necessary. Careful tho. My 1st meter was $12 from amazon. 90% of meters need to be calibrated with specific buffer solutions and probe kept wet 100% of the time. I had no clue about any of that at 1st.
Most meters used in winemaking use 4.0 and 7.0 buffers. My cheapo needed 9, 6.86, and 4.04 and had granulated packets included. Huge hassle to mix for every calibration. 4 and 7 is what ya want.

* disclaimer- just don’t take this info straight to the bank. I’m just a noob offering advice to another noob. The blind leading the blind. *

 

[Obelix]

Hi Redrum.
eBay - this model is from $9 and is the mist common model. Looks like a highlighter pen.
I looked for a supplier with a good feedback so paid $12 delivered.
Had two calibration packets and an instruction how to calibrate - simple. The use - dip in the liquid and read the number. Simple
Well worth the investment.

This is where I bought it from (need to select the PH Tester from the dropdown list)
https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/322400566552

 

[Obelix]

Thanks Ajmassa.
Will let it finish then, and measure again and adjust.

I don't think I'll stir the MLF batch again. I am uncomfortable to expose it to air again. Better to allow it more time to complete and not remove the lid.
Whatever CO2 has been generated should stay under the lid and provide a buffer

 

[Ajmassa]

Unfamiliar with your tank. But don’t you have a way stir through airlock hole without removing entire lid? I’ve seen videos of a metal rod with a couple bends in it with a chain hooked to the end inserted though the bunghole of a barrel. Was how some wineries would stir the lees for battonage or MLF. Tho stirring the lees isn’t exactly 100% crucial. Many ppl do not do it.
I use a racking cane to stir so very little wine is displaced and overflows (learned the hard way). Depending on how deep the tank is I’m sure you could fabricate something similar so that lid can stay put.

 

[Obelix]

Thanks Ajmassa,
the airlock can be removed but the lid needs to taken off and the inner nut removed. I would be left with a hole then, and I'll still need the airlock for a while .
I'm glad for you comment on the lees stirring not being 100% crucial. Will probably just leave it as is.
If it takes an extra 4-6 weeks - so be it.
I'll rake it again after 4-6 weeks, and then let it settle for some months with the sulphites.

 

[Obelix]

Added 3/4 of an egg white into this small Grenache batch. Let's see if it would turn into a Rose after 10 days...

 

[Stressbaby]

For the non-MLF wine- Id add just a touch of tartaric acid after it’s finished fermenting and sulfited and all that. Something near 3.6 would be more comforting.

After 5 years of winemaking I changed my approach. The acidity you taste isn't reflected in the pH it is reflected in the TA.

As an example, right now I have two 5g batches of white, a CA Sauv Blanc and Vignole sourced locally. The acidity by taste is fairly close, and by TA it is 9 and 10.5. But the pH wildly different, 2.7 vs 3.5. The pH then just guides the sulfite additions.

Check your TA and taste the wine before you add anything and then decide. If I got 5 and flabby, then I'd adjust; but if I got 6.5 with decent taste, I'd probably leave it.

 

[Obelix]

Thanks.
How does one check the TA?

3.8 is still within acceptable range for red wines - if just s bit on a higher end of acceptable range. Hopefully to be slightly reduced aftrr the MLF.

The taste... It's currently complicated - the process is still going on - the taste changing every time I try it. Losing fruitiness and gaining complexity.
Hard to say where it will end up.
The process is heaps of fun though

 

[Ajmassa]

After 5 years of winemaking I changed my approach. The acidity you taste isn't reflected in the pH it is reflected in the TA.

As an example, right now I have two 5g batches of white, a CA Sauv Blanc and Vignole sourced locally. The acidity by taste is fairly close, and by TA it is 9 and 10.5. But the pH wildly different, 2.7 vs 3.5. The pH then just guides the sulfite additions.

Check your TA and taste the wine before you add anything and then decide. If I got 5 and flabby, then I'd adjust; but if I got 6.5 with decent taste, I'd probably leave it.

I agree. I suggested a touch of tartaric for protection purposes since it is 3.8 and reducing the total amount of so2 needed during aging. But your right. Don’t wanna adjust w/o also knowing TA. And adjust by taste +TA while making sure ph stays in a safe range.
TA year kits are cheap. Like $10. Typically 2 ways to go about getting the level- by color change or by using in conjunction with your ph meter. And reading the exact amount solution used to get to that endpoint. A 10-20 mL plastic syringe and a bottle of sodium hydroxide is all you need. The actual kits come with everything you’d need.

 

[Obelix]

Wonder how people made wine centuries/millenia ago

 

[Arne]

Wonder how people made wine centuries/millenia ago

Wandering thru the trees and found a spot where honey had been dripping into a hollow. Dip in a finger and take a taste. Man that is good. Next day with head pounding light bulb came on with "I have a good idea." The rest is history. Arne.

 

[Obelix]

However did they manage without PH meters, TA meters, sulfites, hydrometers...

This balancing act is becoming slightly overwhelming :-(

Tasted the MLF wine today - really comming together nicely. May just let the nature take it's course.
Once the fermentation is over, I'll just add the minimal amount of sulfite and hope for the best.

 

[Johnd]

However did they manage without PH meters, TA meters, sulfites, hydrometers...

This balancing act is becoming slightly overwhelming :-(

They didn't know or worry about such things, sometimes the wines were better than other times, sometimes they just went bad. As we've learned and understand more about the process, we're able to supplement Mother Nature to produce a more favorable set of variables, and hopefully, more successful outcomes. When fruit is good and picked ripe, your process isn't much different than theirs, although you probably have more modern tools, they picked, fermented, separated wine from skins, stored, bottled and drank, just like you....

 

[Obelix]

Wonder when the sulphites were discovered. As s kid I remember Sulphur strips - these would be light up and hung into the barells through the hole to burn inside - to control the empty space on top of the wine . So the use of Sulphur is not new.

 

[Johnd]

Though i have not validated its authenticity or accuracy, here's and interesting article about sulfites in wine.............

http://www.academicwino.com/2014/09/history-sulfite-use-wine.html/

 

[Obelix]

Quite interesting. Seems to be in use for some millennia.

In my home town (Split, Croatia), a Roman emperor built a 100m x 100m palace on top of active sulphuric hot springs and built pools where nobles bathed and "cured illnesses".
These springs are still in use today.

 

[sour_grapes]

We didn't make it into Split, so the best I can do is some pix of Trogir.

 

[Obelix]

So I need to leave in two weeks - and will be away for 2 months.

The non-MLF batch seemed to have completed the fermentation.
The airlock is not bubbling, so I am happy to leave it as is and forget this one until I come back.

The MLF batch in the VCT - I am at loss if the MLF is finished. The airlock type doesn't give anything away.
The PH shows 4.1 - so a slight increase fron 3.9 I measured a few days ago. Something still happening. Having said that, the outdoor temperatures were in high 30s C then. Today wss 25C.

I would like to reduce the head space by lowering the lid to sit on the wine - but if still fermenting - this will cause problems.

Thinking of raking 50L into a beer keg where I can place the "S" airlock into the bung airlock and see it bubbling.

With only two weeks left, need to complete the process so it survives two months while I am away without anything exploding, spilling, going off...

Any advice given the situation?

 

[Slappy]

Rack it into sterilised keg with minimal headspace and put the airlock on and you'll have no dramas. 2 months away and you'll be pretty certain the mlf is well done on your return. Rack then and sulfite. Don't think you have many other options. Oxygen is more an enemy than time and the keg will ensure your o2 exposure is at the minimum. Sounds like it's all coming along well

 

[Obelix]

Thanks Slappy.
Have only two kegs available. I'll have 40 litres left in the VCT still.
I guess it's a risk reduction - limit any possible issue to 40 litres only.
Will do it through the week.