I have 108 lbs of Malbec grapes. I am going to make a rose from them. I am also making a red from another 100 lbs. My question is about time on the skins. Is 24-36 hours enough or is there no real set value? Or is it a personal preference.?
I am trying to make a light red rather than a specific color, but I'm leaning lighter.It’s likely less than you think. Usually 2-4 hours is about right. How dark do you want it?
I was looking for general guidance. So, thank you for the response. I will be adding the skins into the red batch. I was looking to make a rose and a full bodied red.This is pretty much impossible to provide solid advice on.
Soaking on the skins is going to give you color, which makes for varying colors of rose. If you want a light red, you'll need to ferment on the skins for some period of time to get the body and tannin extraction.
Think more about exactly what you want to produce. Once you're identified that, we can provide better advice.
Regardless of what you want, take the skins/pomace from the rose/light red and add it to the red. It will help make it a heavier wine.
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