PCharles
Senior Member
- Joined
- Apr 22, 2011
- Messages
- 460
- Reaction score
- 10
Hey friends,
This is my first go around with wine from grapes. I've included several pics of my fall projects including my freshly pressed Cab Sauv.
I'm concerned I may have over exposed my ML bacteria to more air then I should have. I'm wondering if I should re-inoculate the wine.
Here is what I did - I purchased two vials of White Labs MF bacteria. Instuctions were on the label and very incomplete. I checked White Labs web page where they instructed me to add the bacteria when the brix level was 5. I took this to mean before pressing (perhaps a bone headed interpretation). Anyway, I added it before pressing. Since then, the SG dropped to 1.000. I've now siphoned the free juice into secondary, and bucketed the skins into my press (I used the colander method which worked fine with my smaller volume). On day two, I siphoned off the wine from the gross lees.
I have a copy of the MoreWine procedure for MLF. I realize they instuct to add the ML bacteria after pressing and, if I'm not mistaking, after removing the gross lees. I recognize what I've done diverges from the suggested procedure.
The wine I have looks great... nice and dark. I have it under air lock.
Should I leave it alone or re-inoculate with ML Bacteria.
Next year I plan to use dry ML bacteria and I will not be adding it until after press and removal of gross lees.
Regarding the pics, one shows the red wine with gross lees and the second shows the wine after gross lees was removed. You can see I moved from one 6 gallon and one 3 gallon carboys to one 6 gallon and 2 one gallon, and one .75 gallon carboys.
Thanks for your feedback,
Paul
This is my first go around with wine from grapes. I've included several pics of my fall projects including my freshly pressed Cab Sauv.
I'm concerned I may have over exposed my ML bacteria to more air then I should have. I'm wondering if I should re-inoculate the wine.
Here is what I did - I purchased two vials of White Labs MF bacteria. Instuctions were on the label and very incomplete. I checked White Labs web page where they instructed me to add the bacteria when the brix level was 5. I took this to mean before pressing (perhaps a bone headed interpretation). Anyway, I added it before pressing. Since then, the SG dropped to 1.000. I've now siphoned the free juice into secondary, and bucketed the skins into my press (I used the colander method which worked fine with my smaller volume). On day two, I siphoned off the wine from the gross lees.
I have a copy of the MoreWine procedure for MLF. I realize they instuct to add the ML bacteria after pressing and, if I'm not mistaking, after removing the gross lees. I recognize what I've done diverges from the suggested procedure.
The wine I have looks great... nice and dark. I have it under air lock.
Should I leave it alone or re-inoculate with ML Bacteria.
Next year I plan to use dry ML bacteria and I will not be adding it until after press and removal of gross lees.
Regarding the pics, one shows the red wine with gross lees and the second shows the wine after gross lees was removed. You can see I moved from one 6 gallon and one 3 gallon carboys to one 6 gallon and 2 one gallon, and one .75 gallon carboys.
Thanks for your feedback,
Paul