Malo in kits

[qyhcat]

Why do kits don't have a malolactic step?
I understand this helps with lactic acid conversion and reduces acidity...so why kits dont have this step, at least that I can see...
Does that mean that kits dont go through it at all?

thanks.

 

[Rocky]

I guess the short answer to your question is that having a malolactic fermentation step, or steps, would complicate the production of wine from a kit and introduce greater risk in the successful outcome. I believe the original intention of wine kits was to provide a simple way for relatively inexperienced people to make wine at home with minimal investment and risk. The quality of wine being produced from kits has improved markedly and I would not be surprised if the manufacturers added a malolactic step to the instructions at some point in the future. It seems the next logical progression to improve the wine.

One could put a kit wine through malolactic fermentation but this would require deviating from the instructions, starting with the step when yeast fermentation is complete and before adding Potassium sulfite or Potassium sorbate. Either of these would have a negative effect on the wine. However, your question has given me an idea. I have a couple of kits waiting in the wings and I might give it a try. If I do, I would take the kit through the yeast fermentation step and then induce malolactic fermentation by adding an appropriate culture, complete malolactic fermentation and then continue with the instructions, i.e. adding k-meta (I don't use k-sorbate).

CAVEAT: I am not recommending this to anyone and I am assuming the risk with the kit I have. I believe it will work but I am not sure. If it does, I may have a better wine. If it does not, I will blow a c-note and change.

 

[qyhcat]

Got it, thanks!

Appreciate the feedback once you complete the test. It may be worthwhile for premium kits....

 

[grapeman]

To answer your question simply, wine kits are not put through malolactic fermentation because the wine has had the acid reduced through the processing steps. It is designed to end up in the proper pH and TA range without it. If you then use mlf you will probably have a wine with too high of pH and too low TA and MAY have a less desireable wine.

An experienced winemaker such as JohnT may be able to pull it off but a new winemaker tries it he or she will likely be unhappy with the results. It would require test equipment to monitor the pH and TA at all steps of the operation and then requires some sort of test for detecting the end of mlf (titrets, Accuving, Vinmetrica test or chromatography kit).

 

[sour_grapes]

See this post: http://tinyurl.com/nokrfx9

Tim Vandergrift (Technical Services Manager for Winexpert at the time), says:

you can’t do malolactic on the kits. It will end in tears if you try.

 

[ibglowin]

Probably the best explanation as to why you should never attempt MLF on a kit wine comes right from Daniel Pambianchi's book Techniques in Home Winemaking.

Do NOT attempt MLF on kit wines because these types of juices have been tartrate-stabilzed during their production and thus contain a very high proportion of malic acid, which would be converted to lactic acid. The resulting wine would have very little acid (taste flabby), and a high pH making it very susceptible to bacterial infections....

 

[Rocky]

Well!!!!....then, again, maybe I won't try it.

Seriously, I was reading somewhere, I think on EC Kraus' site, that it could be done but was risky and not for the faint of heart. Since there seems to be a lot of risk and not much upside potential, I will "re-think" my this plan and continue to avoid any type of malolactic fermentation.

Thank you Grapeman, Paul and Mike for keeping me on the straight and narrow. Sometimes I wonder how I got this far.

 

[ibglowin]

If and I repeat IF you could actually get MLF going on a kit you would just have to readjust the TA and pH afterwards. If you want to go to all that work you might as well make wine from fresh grapes. Much better end product!

 

[qyhcat]

Thanks to all!
Im just enjoying the ride on kits, some better than others but overall enjoyable.
I be switching to start from frozen must in a month or so...just completing my reading and getting ready on materials and equipment.

luis

 

[Boatboy24]

If and I repeat IF you could actually get MLF going on a kit you would just have to readjust the TA and pH afterwards. If you want to go to all that work you might as well make wine from fresh grapes. Much better end product!

Just curious - do you think it'd be a challenge to get an MLF going on a kit? Why is that? I'm wondering because I have kits and non-kits in my basement and worry about a spontaneous MLF in my kit wines while they are in the barrel. I keep the kit wines in their own barrel, but wonder about the possibility of contamination.

 

[ibglowin]

Kit juice has been tweaked nine ways to Sunday by the manufacturer, even after adding back the water and turning it into wine you can always tell a kit wine from a wine made from fresh materials just by the nose (or at least I can). MLF doesn't seem to want to happen very easily in my cellar at least. I have white kit wines in carboys sitting right next to my carboys and barrels of fresh grape wine that have undergone MLF. I even use the same hose(s) on the kit and wines as well as fresh grape wine. Never have had a single problem.

Of course the kits are sulfited in short order. As long as you have a decent amount (proper SO2) I don't think there is a chance in …….. Now that said I do think it might be possible to have it happen if you mixed a kit wine into a contamainated barrel and the SO2 levels were not monitored and fell below the safe level