First Full Grape Batch - Confirming Steps

[Boatboy24]

I'll be picking up 3 lugs of Petite Syrah from Harford Vineyard soon and just wanted to confirm my thinking before I get too far into this new territory. A little background:

1) the lugs are 36lbs each
2) I don't have a crusher/destemmer, so I'll be utilizing Harford's crush/destem service
3) I do have a press, but have never used it - just got it a week ago

My plan:

1) Have the grapes crushed/destemmed
~I assume I'll need 2-3 five or six gallon buckets to hold the must
~I'll give the buckets a spritz of Meta before leaving and seal them with lids, so they'll sanitize on the trip up.
2) Add sulfite to the must
~I'll probably do this right at the winery, before I start the 2 hour drive home. How much should I be adding?
3) Measure TA/SG/pH when I get home and adjust as needed
~I have tartaric acid and some K Carbonate on the way
4) After 24 hours or so, based on temp, pitch yeast
~I'm going to use D80 and D254 on this, since I'll have at least 2 buckets

Am I missing anything? I plan to add the sulfite at the winery since I have a 2 hour trip home. I'd rather not wait, unless it makes not sense to tinker with the must at the winery.

Any other thoughts for this "grape rookie"?

 

[ibglowin]

You should end up with about 10-11 gallons total of must. Fresh grapes will produce a cap around 6-8" tall so you better have the head space to punch down or you'll have a mess.

Mix your SO2 in some water before hand and take it in a small vial with a lid and pour in at the winery and stir with your spoon. You will need 0.33 grams KMETA per gallon of must on average.

Seriously doubt you will need any Carbonate. If you do there is something really wrong with the grapes.

When/If you need to add Tartaric, do your math twice, then add only 1/2 the calculated amount, stir it in well and let it sit for a few hours before retesting the TA/pH

Add the rest only after retesting and if needed.

 

[LoveTheWine]

I usually add about 1/2 tsp of KMETA per 100 LB of grapes. mix it into some water and splash it on as you crush.

Other items you may want to add:
-Opti-red (add this at crush or right after) This extracts color and flavor
-Yeast nutrients (I use superfood)
-Malolactic bacterial added during or right after fermentation
-A new 20 gallon brute trash can or plastic food grade fermenter. This will hold the amount of grapes you want to do almost perfectly

If you are thinking of adjusting acid or PH make sure you use a PH meter for both measurements, not an acid titration kit

 

[Bartman]

I'm not sure why you want to do two different yeasts (you will need at least two buckets, 2 6-gallon buckets should do fine), because you will probably be mixing the must together after pressing in 8-10 days after pitching the yeast. Unless you plan on splitting it into two different 3-4 gallon batches batches, which is ok, but I would not be confident I would have the right vessels for the unpredictable volume. Some grapes yield more juice than others (despite starting out in the same 36-pound lug), and it is difficult/impossible for me to tell ahead of time if it's going to be high or low volume. So you might get 5.5 gallons or you might get 7 gallons of juice after pressing, there are a couple of other factors involved too.

So, my point is, if you are going to blend them back together into one 6-gallon carboy (which I would recommend for your "first rodeo"), don't bother using two different yeasts. Pick one and run with it. Fresh grapes are more work, for sure, but more pride gets mixed into the final product too. Good luck!

 

[Boatboy24]

Thanks for the input!

Bart: I've been reading that D254 and D80 sort of "compliment" each other, but you make a good point about combining them in secondary. Maybe I'll just throw some RC 212 in the whole batch and "fuggetaboutit".

Thanks again!

Jim