Tannin and yeast temperature/humidity questions

[skyfire322]

Greetings, all! I'll be starting my first batch of wine (Cab, Malbec, Carmenere blend) in a few weeks and was wondering about a few things; tannin and yeast temperature in particular.

I know that adding oak will provide wine with a certain amount of tannin, but does anyone add tannin powder along with oak without it turning into liquid 20 grit sand paper?

As for yeast temperature; I've seen the packets have a temperature range of 55/60 all the way up to 75/80. The room I'm storing it in differs wildly in temperature (10-15 degrees) but have seen great tips on here on regulating that.

That being said, I was curious of higher amounts of humidity would impact the fermentation process at all. I was thinking about purchasing a mini dehumidifier just as a safety net but don't really want to spend the money if I don't have to.

 

[NorCal]

Store the yeast in a fridge, until you are ready to use. The yeast ferment temp likes to be around 70 degrees, for reds letting it go to the mid 80's won't be a problem.

Can't say that I've ever heard of humidity effecting fermentation. However, once the wine is bottled, you wouldn't want to subject the wine to daily swings of 15 degrees; it can cause oxygen to be drawn past the cork.

I'm not a fan of tannin powder; bad taste and gives me a headache.

 

[salcoco]

I would add tannin about one teaspoon for fermentation. then once wine is clear use oak cubes or chip in wine to allow aging; taste test during oak addition will let you determine best time to remove oak.

 

[skyfire322]

However, once the wine is bottled, you wouldn't want to subject the wine to daily swings of 15 degrees; it can cause oxygen to be drawn past the cork.

I can definitely relate to that! One Virginia summer when I was working at a winery, we brought a few cases from the cool storage area to a warm tasting room. About an hour or two later, we kept hearing pops and bangs followed by glass shattering. Lost about $200 worth of wine that day.

Needless to say, it was a lesson well learned! Hahaha.

I would add tannin about one teaspoon for fermentation. then once wine is clear use oak cubes or chip in wine to allow aging.

Thank you for the insight on that! Is there a benefit between cubes over spirals by any chance?

 

[salcoco]

I have used both. I donot believe you can get Hungarian oak in spirals whereas you can get american, french and Hungarian in cubes. I found Hungarian to provide the best of both american and french oak without the worst of these two oaks. your choice. cubes might also be cheaper

 

[skyfire322]

I have used both. I donot believe you can get Hungarian oak in spirals whereas you can get american, french and Hungarian in cubes. I found Hungarian to provide the best of both american and french oak without the worst of these two oaks. your choice. cubes might also be cheaper

Thanks for that suggestion! The local brew store really only has bourbon oak powder and neutral American powder (their specialty is beer). I have found some great deals online, so I might just go that route.

In the end though, it's all about experimenting!