First "real" attempt at grape winemaking

[acorn]

Hello, everybody!

Before today I made a dozen wines (while still learning all the various techniques and additives) from seedless table grapes, but mostly from non-grape fruits. Some of my first country wine batches were successful, even though I managed to pull it off with wild yeast alone .

However, I decided to attempt some real grape wine making, so I got 72 lbs of Californian Merlot grapes at local wine grape retailer. It came chilled, in wood boxes with just a bit of mold visible. Having brought it home I sorted it, destemmed, and crushed it, thus making it 7 gallons of must (with skins). Added 1/3 tsp K-meta. Here are the stats of the "untouched" juice:

S.G. 1.100 (24* Brix). Great, no sugar is necessary!
pH is around 3.9 and acidity 0.48% tartaric acid (measured using acid testing kit). Instructions recommend bringing it to 0.60%-0.65% for red wines.
Room temperature: 70*F - 72*F.

So, before I pitch the yeast tomorrow, I guess it is time to add some more acid (I have a triple acid blend), some pectic enzyme, and yeast nutrient.

1) Since it is my first attempt at "real" grape wine, I would like to pose a few questions as the fermentation progresses. But, at this point, does anything catch your eye being wrong?

2) I have these Red Star yeasts: Pasteur Red, Montrachet, Cote de Blancs, and Premier Cuvee. I am thinking to opt either for Pasteur Red or Montrachet. What would you advise?

Thanks in advance for any feedback.

 

[ColemanM]

I would ditch the triple acid blend and use tartaric acid. Others with more knowledge will reply soon but that is the one thing that "caught my eye".


Sent from my iPhone using Wine Making

 

[nicklausjames]

I have also heard tartaric is better. I think the acid blend includes some tartaric but I think the other acids can easily convert into something not great for the wine. Anyways I remember reading to just use tartaric.

 

[vacuumpumpman]

I also like using tartaric on grape wines - and I think I would of added a bit more meta that 1/3 tsp

 

[acorn]

Thanks for all the cool suggestions. I had bad thoughts about this acid blend, but now, having it confirmed by you, I think I might just go to one of the local shops and see if I can find pure tartaric acid there.

 

[acorn]

Update: Just came back from the store. They neither have tartaric acid, nor do they know what it is . Since I have to pitch the yeast today, what is the best option under the circumstances, to order tartaric acid online and wait a few days for it to be delivered and add it then, or just go with the blend now? If adding later, does this have a potential to stress the yeast and cause stuck fermentation?

 

[seth8530]

I would order it online and adjust after fermentation and mlf in this case.

 

[acorn]

Thanks. Just ordered online, it should come around day 4 of primary fermentation, and I'll add it once the alcoholic fermentation stops. All I need to adjust is about 0.13 - 0.15, so I expect it won't affect the taste all that much.

Here are some more questions:

1) At what point during the winemaking process to add oak (chips, in my case), and how is it done best (I heard one can pass the chips onto a fishing line for easier removal)?

2) For full bodied wines (Merlot, in my case), is it advisable to go with MLF, or it depends? My books say Merlot has a moderate affinity for both oak aging and MLF. At this point it doesn't taste all that tannic or acidic, but I guess it hasn't been extracted all at crushing.

 

[seth8530]

For a red MLF is practically a must. Not only for the flavour profile but for stability purposes. As far as oak, I would stay away from chips and do cubes or even better staves or spirals. Oak can be added up front to help fix colour ( during fermentation) or it can be added in secondary for flavor and tannins.

I would wait until MLF finishes before adjusting acid since it will bring down the TA on its own.

 

[acorn]

I would wait until MLF finishes before adjusting acid since it will bring down the TA on its own.

Since a MLF can take as long as 1-3 months to finish, does it mean I will be adjusting the acid that far in the process, or am I misunderstanding something?

 

[seth8530]

Pretty much, but MLF does not always take that long. Get yourself a test kit and test after a few weeks and see how it is doing. Or, if you have the $$$ to pony up for it, a vinmetrica can make testing for it pretty easy.

 

[acorn]

Alright, I'll get the chromatography testing kit soon. My main concern for the time being, though, is how to keep the wine sufficiently protected from bacterial spoilage and oxidation at such high pH while also maintaining less than 10 ppm free SO2 for MLF to proceed at the same time?

 

[seth8530]

Hmm, PH is a little high. You might want to check to see if it has dropped a bit as f rmentation goes through.. You could make a small addition prior to MLF. But, make sure you dont drop the PH to the point where MLF wont work or move the TA out of balance just to move the PH down.

 

[acorn]

Oh, okay, that sounds like it could work. I got a liquid White Labs MLF culture whose manufacturers claim it to work in as low pH as 3.0 and temperature above 55*F, and up to 15% alcohol by volume tolerance. So, even if I adjust the acidity by 0.15, it should still be well accepted by the culture. But yes, I will be careful: maybe I will split the acid addition in two, so as to make it gradual and put less stress on the wine and yeast that's in it.

But thanks for your help.

 

[seth8530]

Yup NP, hope it works out for you.

 

[vacuumpumpman]

Acorn -
Did you already pitch the yeast ?

If not you can add 1 gallon containers of ice to cold stabilization - you will get better color and tannins

 

[seth8530]

Porque? _

 

[acorn]

Acorn -
Did you already pitch the yeast ?

If not you can add 1 gallon containers of ice to cold stabilization - you will get better color and tannins

Yes, (un)fortunately, I did it this afternoon. The fermentation hasn't started yet, but I did add 3 ice packs to the must (probably around 1/2 gallon of volume) for a day prior to pitching that kept the internal temperature at around 63*F.

 

[seth8530]

Generally higher temperature gives better color and tannin extraction while cooler temps give fruiter flavors. However, I know some people like to go 90+ during ferments. I personally would not exceed the yeast listed temperature tolerance. I have tried splitting a ferment into a cool and a warm portion before and I liked the blended result a good bit.

 

[acorn]

So, it is now the end of day 1 of primary fermentation. The wine went down about 4.5* Brix. Measured pH and now it seems that it's around 4.1-4.2, which is 0.2-0.3 increase from unfermented juice (but that may be due to CO2 concentration). I calculated that I need to add a total of 1.2 oz or 34 g of tartaric acid to bring up the TA to about 6.0-6.25 g/L based on the original measurement. I am still waiting for it, so hopefully it arrives right before the end of the primary fermentation.

Now, I have another forthcoming dilemma. The instructions that come with the malolactic culture say that it is better to pitch during the primary at about 5* Brix left to go. So, I have the following questions:

1) Is it better to press early, transfer to secondary, rack off the gross lees and then add MLB, OR should I pitch in the primary with skins still present? I am leaning toward the first option, but then I will deprive my wine from extra contact with skins, which means less color and tannin extraction.

2) I decided I will add the 1.2 oz of aforementioned acid in three stages (well, when it gets delivered), so as not to stress the yeast too much and cause a stuck fermentation. Is it better to have it all added before the start of the MLF, or adding a bit more after the start is still okay? Again, my TA is so low and pH is so high that I feel I am going to panic, especially because I cannot add any SO2 for the MLF to proceed as it should.

Thanks for your help.