Cabernet and Merlot Fresh Grapes from Deming, NM

[AlFulchino]

fair enough...now let me know what actually happens

so one year of use..just a few weeks more

so you are saying that your port is going into a neutral barrel?

 

[ibglowin]

I will probably start the port (this fall) and put into a carboy temporarily (along with the supplied oak) and then when the barrel opens up transfer to barrel for long term aging.

When it goes neutral you can always add beans or chips for oak flavor. Its the concentrating effects I want.

I am already thinking I need another Vadai!

 

[Wade E]

Im not sure it will go neutral in that short amount of time, it will just wont have that strong flavor most likely that we are mostly looking for. I would imagine it would take 2 years or so to truly go neutral. One of my next investments will be a barrel.

 

[ibglowin]

I am just going by what other users from another forum have advised. I will definitely be tasting along the way but the volume to surface area on these small barrels is so much higher you get the oak flavor faster.

On another note Sandor the owner at Vadai claims you can't over oak a wine in one of his Hungarian Oak barrels due to the special qualities of the oak......

Not going to test that theory!

 

[Wade E]

Oh I am pretty sure those #'s are about right as far as oaking, just saying that I highly doubt the barrel goes neutral that fast. Ive heard the same about not being able to over oak a wine using Hungarian barrels but have no evidence to back that up.

 

[AlFulchino]

will one wine immediately replace the previous wine in your schedule? what if anything will you do between wine? any cleaning or sterilizing etc?

 

[ibglowin]

Yep,

I will have them lined up and ready to go so when I pull one another goes right in.

Just a light rinse with warm water to get rid of any sediment/crystals etc.

Main thing is to keep em' full so you don't have to worry about drying out or leaking or messing with sulfur sticks etc.

 

[ibglowin]

Question for those who have Cold Stabilized their wines (Rich e.t. Al) Pun intended!

I moved my Cab and Merlot Carboys into my garage last night as we have gotten into a cold snap this last week or so and it looks like it will not let up.

If you recall I added Tartaric to both batches to adjust the TA and lower th pH. I got em dialed right in. I have seen quite a lot of stuff falling out of the wine in the past months. It doesn't look like lees or the normal wine sediment so I am thinking its possible some of the Acid I added. No wine diamonds that I can see, just a hefty amount of very fine sediment.

The temp in my Garage was 26 degrees this AM. Is this too Cold?

How long should I leave it in the deep freeze?

Both Carboys are on Carpet, not the Concrete.

 

[grapeman]

Mike what you see is probably a combination of fine lees and acid crystals. Wine diamonds aren't always diamind or gritty crystals, but may be a solid layer of acid crystals. Don't fret it- it will be fine.


26 is getting to the edge of where you will be comfortable. You can leave there for as long as you want or as short as a couple weeks.

 

[ibglowin]

So is 26 too cold? Not cold enough?

Not sure what you just said.

Its been in the 5-9 degree range this whole week for the low (outside).

 

[AlFulchino]

adding to Rich...usually wine will freeze in the nineteen degree rangelower temps wont just freeze the wine..it has to be consistent...the body of wine will hold the higher daily temps that may be in the 30's

 

[ibglowin]

I have (you guessed it...

) a wireless thermometer out in the garage on the carboy. Last night when I placed them in the garage the temp was 40 degrees, this AM 26 so I don't think it will get that cold long enough to freeze the wine. The Cokes out in the garage are starting to freeze but then, just a little bit and they are after all mostly colored water in small containers.

I will keep an eye on them and probably stick a thermometer in the wine itself every few days just to see what temp the wine actually is sitting at and not just monitor the garage temp.

 

[Randoneur]

If you had a cardboard box big enough to put them in and close up, it would moderate the day to night temperature swings. Do you have solid stoppers in these?

 

[AlFulchino]

diet coke will freeze first...regular classic coke and others will go into the mid 20's usually......

 

[ibglowin]

Roger on the solid stoppers. Used in the Winter only!

If you had a cardboard box big enough to put them in and close up, it would moderate the day to night temperature swings. Do you have solid stoppers in these?

 

[ibglowin]

Why yes they are, now you know my Coke type!

diet coke will freeze first...regular classic coke and others will go into the mid 20's usually......

 

[AlFulchino]

one yr at one of my 24 hour gas stations i was there at about 2 am when i thought i heard gun shots outside.....lo and behold diet coke cans were going off like crazy popping

ps the stuff that makes up that sugar replacement in coke is very dangerous for you

 

[Bartman]

one yr at one of my 24 hour gas stations i was there at about 2 am when i thought i heard gun shots outside.....lo and behold diet coke cans were going off like crazy popping

ps the stuff that makes up that sugar replacement in coke is very dangerous for you

"dangerous" as in it's not healthy for you because it's not naturally occurring, or "dangerous" as in the diet cokes will explode and put out your eye?

 

[ibglowin]

Ah Hell, I think the Plutonium will get me long before the Aspartame does......

ps the stuff that makes up that sugar replacement in coke is very dangerous for you

 

[AlFulchino]

its the artificial sweetener....as far as the cans popping, the stopper peels up and makes a snap sound like a .22 and then you get a bunch of icy fizz shooting everywhere...makes a mess