Bidules and Sparkling Wine

[lawrstin]

I have a year old Catawba and will be making a sparkling wine using bidules for the first time. Does anyone have a unique experience or a tip they may want to share. Thanks!
Lawrence

 

[lawrstin]

Ended up abandoning the Catawba in fear that it was to high in alcohol to be a cuvée. My front yard Cab was borderline but went ahead with the tirage and crown capped 15 bottles. I looked around for a inexpensive riddling rack but settled on the cardboard box.

 

[lawrstin]

Update: no burst bottles as of yet. I am still uncertain if the second fermentation (methode champenoise) is taking its correct course of action? Anyway one might tell, bubbles, lees etc, etc, etc...?

 

[ColemanM]

I am very interested in your outcome. I wish you luck. One thing I heard of was that you take some cuvée and put in 16 oz plastic soda bottle so you could tell when fermentation was going on. Just a thought. Not sure that helps now. Sorry.

 

[Pumpkinman]

I'll be starting a half dozen or so bottles of Catawba as a sparkling wine in a few weeks using the 2 week, no riddling method.

 

[ColemanM]

Is that the encapsulated yeast method? I have some frontenac blanc but fear that its too high in abv. Tastes like it would be good sparkled.

 

[Pumpkinman]

yes, it is the encapsulated yeast method, real easy, really fast, really good.

 

[lawrstin]

No I used Redstar Pasteur Champagne Yeast. It is a strain of Saccharomyces Bayanus derived from pure culture. Encapsulated yeast cells are aliginate beads extracted from seaweed containing Saccharomyces yeast cells. I believe the difference is that encapsulated yeast does not release yeast into the second fermentation?

 

[lawrstin]

There was no doubt the yeast was active before I added it to each bottle. I took a 50% sugar solution (250g sugar/250ml water) and added it to the yeast (37.5g) and the 62.5ml of water solution and 2.5g of yeast nutrient. 24 hours later the mixture was added to each bottle (15 total).