Chilean Juice at Consumers in Pittsburgh

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I picked up my buckets Thursday morning at 6:30. One hour later, at home, the temp of the buckets were 44 degrees. By Noon I had transferred to the fermenter and the temp was 52 degrees, at which point I took the yeast out of the fridge and sprinkled on top. (Ron told me that the must was already sulphited, so I skipped that. Also, when I broke the seal on the buckets and pulled up the lid there was a slight vacuum in the bucket.) Today, I have lots of bubbles on top, and the smell is permeating the house.

I bought Merlot. SG=1.094, pH=3.40, TA= .51
Sounds promising. I'm going to check the ph sg etc later tonight or tomorrow. I have the lids all just sitting on the buckets. for now.
 
Hey Doug, you should have listened to us and got it at Luva Bellas. Consumers just had a recall on all of their juice. Please put the lid back on it and keep it cool. Tonight drop it off at the chat room and Steve and I will dispose of it properly.
 
Hey Doug, you should have listened to us and got it at Luva Bellas. Consumers just had a recall on all of their juice. Please put the lid back on it and keep it cool. Tonight drop it off at the chat room and Steve and I will dispose of it properly.

I already left it there. Didn't you see it in the corner. Oh that must have been what the dogs were lapping up.

I calibrated my ph meter and checked everything tonight. Here are some preliminary numbers.

Sav Blanc 1.090 ph 3.24
Musacat 1.088 ph 3.22
Chardonay 1.088 ph 3.22
Pinot Grig 1.088 ph 3.24
Cab Sav 1.092 ph 3.20
Chianti 1.090 ph 3.20

I'll re calibrate and re check everything in tomorrow as well as checking acid then update numbers if necessary.
 
I re-calibrated the meter this morning and checked ph again. SG remained very close at 60 degrees. Last night when I checked everything it was about 47 degrees. My ph readings changed from last night until now. I'm using the phep 5 ph meter from HANNA.

Sav Blanc 1.090 ph 3.42
Musacat 1.088 ph 3.46
Chardonay 1.088 ph 3.27
Pinot Grig 1.088 ph 3.46
Cab Sav 1.092 ph 3.43
Chianti 1.090 ph 3.43

Is it normal to see a change in ph as indicated by the numbers today vs yesterday? I think I'll calibrate the meter again later and check readings again. On a side note, all solutions are fresh and I'm very careful not to cross contaminate.
 
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Everything is fermenting vigorously. Only question I have is; the Chianti has an abnormally strong sulphur (rotten egg) smell. I'm using lavin 212 for both the reds and this is the only one with an odd (abnormal) smell. I don't recall this from last year's batch.
 
Everything is fermenting vigorously. Only question I have is; the Chianti has an abnormally strong sulphur (rotten egg) smell. I'm using lavin 212 for both the reds and this is the only one with an odd (abnormal) smell. I don't recall this from last year's batch.

Sounds like the yeast is getting stressed. Try adding a little yeast nutrient and giving it a good stir to help drive off the rotten egg odor.212 can be a little needy when it comes to a slightly off (low nitrogen level)fermentation.
 
Sounds like the yeast is getting stressed. Try adding a little yeast nutrient and giving it a good stir to help drive off the rotten egg odor.212 can be a little needy when it comes to a slightly off (low nitrogen level)fermentation.


I did add a nutrient last night just before I posted this and gave it a good stirring afterwards. I'll check it today after work and see if it has disipated.
 
Our Chilean juice (Muscat) is coming in on Thursday next week.
Is it already adusted for pH, acid and sugar, or should I expect to have to make adjustments?
Anybody have a good recipe for this?
 
Our Chilean juice (Muscat) is coming in on Thursday next week.
Is it already adusted for pH, acid and sugar, or should I expect to have to make adjustments?
Anybody have a good recipe for this?

Hi Doug,

I got the Chilean juice bucket of muscat from Lva Bella and it was adjusted for ph, acid and sugar, I left it alone. It fermented nicely and now is clearing very nicely. I will take an acid reading probably next week. I think you can let this stuff go ahead and ferment and do any adjustment after fermentation.
 
I got 4 Chilean Juice buckets from Consumers Produce yesterday. Taking SG readings today 3 are 1.080 - 1.090 but the Pinot Grigio is .995??? Like it already has finished fermenting. It is also very milky/hazy looking. Any ideas?
 
Yes I tasted it. It was tasty, definitely not sweet at all. How do I know there is a alcohol content to it? Should I just put it in the carboy and airlock it. They were closed so I couldnt talk to anyone there.
 
Sounds like the Pinot Grigio wasn't kept cold at the Produce store. It actually sounds like it's been fermenting for a few days already. Was it actively bubbling when you picked it up?
 
Most of these wines are starting around 1.090, so you can guestimate your ABV and probably be close. I would rack put it under airlock.
 
It actually was under pressure and showing some pressure coming out of the rubber ring in the lid. Hmm I dont know I guess its fermented out..... I really hope its ok and not bad now.
 
It actually was under pressure and showing some pressure coming out of the rubber ring in the lid. Hmm I dont know I guess its fermented out..... I really hope its ok and not bad now.

I really don't think it is, I believe it has fermented out, you tasted it and it tasted good, if it had gone bad you would have known that when you tasted it.
 
Just wondering if anyone ordered grapes from Consumers? I ordered Carmenere and Syrah from them and was told they would be in around the
18th of May. I keep trying to Get in touch with Ron, but no luck.
 
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