Samthedionisian
Junior
- Joined
- Apr 8, 2018
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My dad always did 3 times a day from beginning to the end and pressed once the cap had totally fallen, or at least a puddle of clear wine was at the top. This year in the Willamette Valley was a good sunny and relatively dry one and the fruit came in looking pretty good. The juice was probably as dark as I have ever seen it, our pinot pretty much looked like a syrah. I gave both of my fermentation totes 3 punch downs a day, vigorously until the cap got weaker, then went to twice a day. My reasoning was to not agitate the harsher tannins of the seeds and whatever stems ended up in the must. I am assuming, based on nothing other than a hunch, that most of the fruit characteristics are extracted earlier in the fermentation, you know that phase when it smells amazing before it calms down a bit and is nearing dryness.
My questions are;
What do yall think about the frequency of punch downs?
Am I right in assuming that the later in the fermentation, the harsher and more coarse the components being extracted are?
If it is already dry, do you wait for the cap to completely fall as I described?
My questions are;
What do yall think about the frequency of punch downs?
Am I right in assuming that the later in the fermentation, the harsher and more coarse the components being extracted are?
If it is already dry, do you wait for the cap to completely fall as I described?