"Pressing" question

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DAB

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Okay, pressed today and here's what I can tell you.

First wine making attempt (previous home brewer)
Chilean grapes 12 lugs--230lbs total
Juicy and in good shape.

Day 1
Crush yielded 21-22 gallons of must at 57 degrees.
NO SO2 additions
Brix reading 23--did not have hydrometer yet
30 grams go-firm + 24 grams MT yeast

Day 2
PH 3.56
Add 4 oz oak chips

Day 3
Fermentation finally obvious--first cap 36 hours after itching yeast
Added 20 grams of Firm-aid

Day 5
Must tasted very good, but too sweet. Seemed to have lots of body though
Hydrometer reading 1.020
Added 17 grams Acti-ML with 1/3 packet of Viniflora Oenos (1 package good for 66 gal) (thinking co-innoculation)

Day 9
Pressed
PH 3.5
Hydrometer reading 1.000
Titratable Acidity Test yields 8.25
Tastes thin, acidic, maybe a little boozy

I'm worried...any thoughts? I presume it will improve!?!?

Thanks,
Newbie
 
Last edited:
The booziness or hotness will fade with time. pH is good. Your TA will probably come down after MLF.

I would test again after racking off gross lees and then again 30-60 days out. I think you are in good shape.

What variety of grapes?
 
Cab is one of my faves, congrats on your first crush. I'm a home brewer turned home vintner a few years ago now. Are you still brewing?
 
Cab is one of my faves, congrats on your first crush. I'm a home brewer turned home vintner a few years ago now. Are you still brewing?
You bet! So far it seems way easier than Wine. Just racked and tapped an American IPA--very refreshing! I just wish I had as good of an understanding of wine making as I do home brewing...in time perhaps.
 
You'll find once you get your head around it, it's actually easier than brewing. You need to have more patience for the product to develop.

I started brewing with kits, then went to all-grain and now to extract brews. I have an american IPA conditioning that was an experimental 15 minutes boil. All-grain brew day use to kill me.
 
You'll find once you get your head around it, it's actually easier than brewing. You need to have more patience for the product to develop.

I started brewing with kits, then went to all-grain and now to extract brews. I have an american IPA conditioning that was an experimental 15 minutes boil. All-grain brew day use to kill me.


I'm all-grain but I use the BIAB method. Works great and a little less work that traditional methods!
 
You didn't mention; how many times a day did you punch the cap down? I made a 60 gallon barrel of 3.5 pH Cab this year and also found it thin and acidic compared to other wines I have made. It was however pretty low brix grapes (23.5) I was told by a trusted commercial winemaker that tasted the wine that it is good but needs time; he recommended two years in the barrel, which I am going to do.
 
You didn't mention; how many times a day did you punch the cap down? I made a 60 gallon barrel of 3.5 pH Cab this year and also found it thin and acidic compared to other wines I have made. It was however pretty low brix grapes (23.5) I was told by a trusted commercial winemaker that tasted the wine that it is good but needs time; he recommended two years in the barrel, which I am going to do.


That's indeed good to hear...To answer your question: I punched it down about five or six times a day. It's my understanding--correct me if I'm wrong--that you can't punch it down too much.
 
That's indeed good to hear...To answer your question: I punched it down about five or six times a day. It's my understanding--correct me if I'm wrong--that you can't punch it down too much.

I think there’s a couple exceptions to that. Depending on the type of wine your going for and if enzymes are added to really breakdown the skins you can punch too much. As the skins turn to mush excessive punching can overload the wine with tannin- creating additional years for everything to fall into place. At least theoretically.
 

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