Spring Wine Plans
- Thread starter Matty_Kay
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bakervinyard
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Matty, I made a bucket each of merlot and pinot noir in 2013. Added a lug each of similar grapes to each. When I bottled the pinot in the spring of 2014I wasn't to pleased with the results. Let me tell you it is really good now! I'm getting a couple more juices this spring, just haven't decided which one. Bakervinyard
Boatboy24
No longer a newbie, but still clueless.
The 18lb lugs will get you an additional 1-1.5 gallons. That worked out perfectly, as each wine spent 5-6 months in a Vadai barrel and the angels were thirsty.
Yes, I used the same varietal to keep things simple. It was my first attempt with fresh juice or grapes.
Boatboy24
No longer a newbie, but still clueless.
The beautiful thing about this method is that you really don't need any special equipment, other than some paint strainer bags. I got the grapes home and destemed by hand, putting the grapes into the bags - two bags per 18lbs, IIRC. Then I put the bags into buckets and crushed with a potato masher. Once that was done, I added the juice. From there, it was just like doing a kit with grape pack. If you can measure your pH and TA, I'd recommend that. I didn't have a pH meter when I did this, so I was flying a little blind. It came out OK though.
The 18lb lug of grapes and 6 gallons of juice will be more than the juice bucket can handle. So you'll need a large fermenter or will have to split them up. I had 5 gallon food grade buckets on hand, so used those. Once primary was done, I squeezed the 'grape packs', then racked to a carboy and a gallon jug for secondary.
Boatboy24
No longer a newbie, but still clueless.
Nope. In hindsight, adding 50ppm of sulfite for 24 hours might not have been a bad idea - to kill any wild yeast that was on the grapes.
