I currently have petite Sirah wine grape fermenting and it’s now at 1.008 or 2 brix. Per my research, if I want to do MLF, I shouldn’t add any sulfite in my wine. However, with pressing, I’m concerned with infection and oxidation. Of course, I’ll sanitize my wine press but I’m still a bit concerned. At what brix or SG do you press the wine and do you add sulfite after if you’re going to do MLF? Also, do you let the wine sit a bit after press to let lees drop out and rack again for MLF or do you MLF right after press? If you wait for the lees to drop out, how long do you typically wait? Thanks!
Petite Sirah Wine Grape Press, MLF and Sulfite
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stickman
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The sg at pressing is a winemaker's choice, some press early to avoid excessive tannin, while others looking for more tannin will let the wine go dry. For a wine like Petite Sirah I would rack 1 to 3 days after pressing to eliminate the gross lees, then add the ML culture. Don't add sulfite until MLF is complete.
And no need to worry about oxidation either. I press at or almost at dryness but the wines got so much co2 built up that o2 won’t be a factor at all. And then once racked off gross lees in a couple days is when I get topped up to complete mlf. (But in all reality you could probably get away with multiple weeks with major headspace and no sulphites post-AF due to co2 present)
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