Harford Vineyard 2014 Californian Harvest

[ibglowin]

Dry Ice is your friend in these situations.

Those ice bottles were there during the cold soak. Then I found out that I would need a lot more than my freezer can produce to keep the temperature down, so I ended up pitching the yeast earlier than planned.

 

[Treeman]

Interesting suggestion. The reason to separate the juice from the cap and seeds?

If the seeds aren't ripe you can get some green or "sappy" tannin extraction especially when you get to high alcohol levels toward the end of a ferment. I'm battling these "sappy" flavors in a cabernet sauv/malbec coferment and a cabernet franc from last season. Wish that I had taken the time to get rid of the unripe seeds.

Note, you want to keep the cap and the juice, but get rid of any seeds that fall to the bottom of the fermenter through this delestage process.


Cheers!

 

[Boatboy24]

I'll be at Harford tomorrow (Saturday) around noon to pick up my Amador grapes. Anyone else?

 

[heatherd]

I will be there tomorrow (10/18) picking up italian pinot bianco. And possibly an extra cal. chardonnay if they have it on hand.

 

[Boatboy24]

I will be there tomorrow (10/18) picking up italian pinot bianco. And possibly an extra cal. chardonnay if they have it on hand.

Check those before you leave - they're probably fermenting by now.

 

[heatherd]

Good advice....

So for the pinot bianco my plan was to take measurements, sulfite, and then pitch new yeast. That should still work.

I was considering a Chardonnay and doing MLF so that won't work.

Heather


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[heatherd]

How are everyone's Harford batches going?

My Cab Franc and Zinfandel are through MLF now. The Cab Franc tastes really good for it's phase of development. However the Zinfandel tastes flabby and lacks any fruit flavor or intensity. I added a lug of grapes to each during ferment, but for whatever reason the Zin is not good.

Should I add currants? Or grape concentrate?

Thanks for any advice.

Heather

 

[Boatboy24]

How is your pH/TA on the Zin?

I need to run the chromo on my Amador Zin. Will probably kick that off tomorrow. I'll do some scientific taste measures while I've got the carboys open.

 

[heatherd]

pH is 3.6 for the Zin.