Making Rosé wine from cab and merlot

[Sashie]

Hello all

just crushed our grapes, added pectic and camden tablets. How long before I press? I know the juice has to sit on the skin - but for how long? Thanks....and if anyone knows where I can get a recipe...

 

[homer]

Why would you add Camden, that kills all the yeast? bk

 

[robie]

Hello all

just crushed our grapes, added pectic and camden tablets. How long before I press? I know the juice has to sit on the skin - but for how long? Thanks....and if anyone knows where I can get a recipe...

Not very long at all! Usually just a matter of a few hours, depending on how pinkish you want the rose. Much more than a couple of hours and it won't always be a rose anymore. Are you making a sweet rose or a dry rose?
Here is a web site that may help you:
http://www.terroir-france.com/wine/rosewine.htm

Good luck.

 

[robie]

Why would you add Camden, that kill all the yeast? bk

The camden tablets are sodium meta-bisulfate or potassium meta-bisulfate (Kmeta). They are a convenient dosage, but hard to crush; I would just as soon use the powdered version.

Kmeta is added first in a small dose to kill the naturally occurring yeast that all grapes naturally have on them. The dosage is small, so its affects last only long to kill that yeast, then the desired, commercially processed yeast, which is typically much stringer and in a much higher dosage, is added.

Lots of wine makers, particularly if they grow their own grapes or they specifically know the source of their grapes, ferment only with the naturally occurring yeast. If you don't know the source or are unsure, always add your own yeast.

 

[ellijaywinemaker]

Rose Wine

I just go by the color you are desiring. Just keep an eye on it and when it is the color you want then take off of skins...

 

[Sashie]

Thanks all for your replies.

We let it sit on the skins for three hours and then we pressed. I think the process for rose as well as red (we only made white) is ferment and then press. But since this is our first year we decided to experiment. I should have done some reading on rose, but we had to pick right away since the bees were attacking our crop.

 

[robie]

Sounds like you are going to have something to look forward to. Darn those bees! What kind of bees and give us some details.

Good luck.

 

[cpfan]

Why would you add Camden, that kills all the yeast? bk

Campden (or K-meta or Na-meta) does NOT kill any yeast. It does stun it. In this case, the campden will stun the natural yeast, and then when the wine yeast is added it's built in killer factor will handle the natural yeast. If the natural yeast is strong when the wine yeast is added, the natural yeast will suppress the wine yeast.

If campden was addded, and a wine yeast was not added, the natural yeast would start up again.

Steve