Tannins - additives to enhance a Red Wine

[tdawg]

Hi Guys,
My first batch of wine(Syrah) i made in the fall with a lot of help from this forum. Looking back there are some changes i would have made to my techniques. One of them was that I added 2.5 gallons of water to reduce brix from 28 to 25 so wine wouldn't have to much alcohol, it recommended in a book i have to a maximum brix of 25 before beginning fermentation. After i pressed the must I was left with about 15 gallons of wine which is now fining in carboys.
My question is this, having tested and seen the wine in a glass it is not quite the Syrah I am used to (dark, rich, spicy) It is much lighter tasting and in color than my typical syrah. Are there any wine additives i can use to enhance the flavor. Tannin or anything else that would help make this batch better. For next year I learned my lesson.

 

[Turock]

Was this made from juice or grapes? You can benefit from watching TA on these grapes--did you do that? I think balancing out, as best you can, the TA and the PH would make a better wine. High brix grapes take a lot of special concerns at the primary. Not so sure about tannin--extra tannin doesn't really add flavor. It adds astrigency to the wine which then affects the flavor. It's a subtle flavor too and kind of hard to get an idea of until you've done a lot of it. I had a commercial winery owner tell me it took him years to finally develop a palate for it. You can always try some bench testing to see how a tannin addition works for you.

Don't be disappointed--you learn a lot from not having it turn out just right. All the failures we had pushed us to learn best techniques with the grapes or fruits we use. Every failure only pushes you more toward getting it down to a finite place in the future. That's why this hobby will never be boring---so much to learn, no matter how long you been doing it.

Sometimes I wonder about those spicey notes in wines. Commercial wineries use a lot of techniques the rest of us might not know about. They also do a lot of blending with other years. I read one time that there is no "straight year" wine--it's all blended.

If you use grapes, you can always do a warm ferment--THAT will bring out tremendous color.

 

[Turock]

By the way--this wine is VERY young yet. Maybe too young for a good opinion. If it was mine, I would let it age up until at least 9 months--1 year is even better. THEN evlauate it and bench test with some tannin. Don't get too ahead of yourself. You'll be amazed how much better it tastes by fall of this year, then it does right now.

 

[Bartman]

From Wikipedia (the source of all pure information):
Most countries allow a vintage wine to include a portion of wine that is not from the year denoted on the label. In Chile and South Africa, the requirement is 75% same-year content for vintage-dated wine.[1][2] In Australia, New Zealand, and the member states of the European Union, the requirement is 85%.[3][4][5] In the United States, the requirement is 85%, unless the wine is designated with an AVA, (e.g., Napa Valley), in which case it is 95%. Technically, the 85% rule in the United States applies equally to imports, but there are obvious difficulties in enforcing the regulation.[6]

Blending different years' product might be considered the 'next dimension' of the art of winemaking that most of us hobbyists never consider, especially since we don't the faciliaites or space to store wine for blending from multiple years (at least I don't). I believe a lot of smaller, "weekend warrior" wineries are probably in the same boat.

I agree that mistakes and partial failures are some of the best teachers available. "If it wasn't for disappointment, I wouldn't have any appointments."

 

[robie]

From where did your grapes come?
You said you ended up with 15 gallons of wine. Adding 2.5 gallons to enough must to make 15 gallons of wine, is not that much water.
Adding that water would affect the acid level of the wine. Did you add acidulated water or just plain water? Did you check acid level (TA)
before you fermented? Have you adjusted acid level since fermentation?

Making sure the TA is good for your taste just might make a big difference.

I wouldn't think that small amount of water is your issue. A Syrah can benefit greatly from a cold soak before fermentation or a period of maceration after fermentation. Higher fermentation temperatures can also help extract more of the above. These will usually result in better color and materials extraction from the grape pulp, skins, ..etc. (Some wine makers don't like a cold soak, so read about the pros and cons before you proceed.) Additives like OptiRed can be added when grapes are first crushed. It helps in this extraction process for reds.

Tannins can easily be added before fermentation. Something like Tancor Grand Cru, a tannin, can be added after fermentation is completed, even after clearing, as it will drop only a small amount of sediment, which can be racked off later. This is not going to help color, but can help with mouth-feel.

Next year, I would learn as much as possible about cold soak, fermentation temperature, and maceration. I think these will enhance the richness and color.

There are other factors, like maybe it rained heavily before picking and the grapes were loaded with water. However, in that case the brix would likely have been less, but who knows now.

Sorry I can only generalize, but good luck next year. It' a learning experience!

 

[tdawg]

It actually had a fairly warm fermentation , I think it got up to about 90degrees if i remember correctly. It fermented fairly quickly (went from 25 Brix to 1 Brix in about 48-55 hours or so) I let it sit on the skins for another week after that and finish up. I did use both pectin additive to help pull out color from skins and i did add some Tartaric Acid according to book that provided rough measure according to how much water added, I did not measure TA though. The wine isn't bad , it just not as 'big' as i expected it to be I guess.

 

[Turock]

It would be fun for you to do it all over this year. Take some time now to study up on this grape--study up on TA and PH adjustment for it. That will help a lot. And don't forget to age it--I guarantee it will be better,later this year, than it is now.

In my experience, pectic enzyme works on the gel of the grape is doesn't really add much to color. You actually did do a warm ferment on it. Altho, 90 is a bit high in my opinion. If you get the must too hot, you can blow off the aromatics. I've never worked with this grape so maybe others who have can give you some techniques in working with it. The advantage to a cold soak is fabulous color while preserving aromatics. Might be something to look into. This grape might need some opti-red--it helps mouthfeel. Also, the culture you use could really impact flavor. Use a culture recommended for this grape.

 

[tdawg]

I think if i could go back I would have added half as much water...maybe ended up with a 14.5% alcohol wine, little on the high side, but I think i would have diluted the flavor/color less.

 

[tdawg]

is the cold soak recommended for other tanic red varieties ? Cabernet, Zinfandel ? I think I maybe want to try a Zinfandel next year. My local grape place is also getting in Chile grapes right now of all types but unfortunately just do not have the time right now, will have to wait till the fall.

 

[Turock]

I think if i could go back I would have added half as much water...maybe ended up with a 14.5% alcohol wine, little on the high side, but I think i would have diluted the flavor/color less.

That might not be a half-bad idea. I was thinking the same thing but didn't say it because you are adding water to get the brix under control. I notice that a lot of bottles I wash, from high brix grape wines, have an ABV of 14-14.5% So you might be on to something.

 

[Turock]

I've had such rotten luck with Chilean juice buckets. REAL diluted. It's so easy for us to check weather conditions in the States, but not so easy to monitor rainfall in Chilean grape regions. We've been disappointed so often, that we've sworn off of Chile and if we get grapes or juice buckets, it's gonna be from IN the USA. In 1995 we got FABULOUS Chardonney juice from Calif. I would do it again. With the crazy global warming, it's hard to know who gets a boatload of rain and who doesn't, around the world.

 

[tdawg]

That's good info about the chile juice buckets. Although my local grape guy does get the actual grapes. Hopefully that would help it from being diluted?

 

[Turock]

We ALWAYS take into account the weather conditions in any grapes we get. Local vineyards are the best because you can monitor your weather conditions. If he's getting them from a different region, you might want to watch the weather there so you know the condition of the grapes. All the Calif. people were crying the blues last year because their weather was bad. If there's a big rainstorm forcasted right before harvest, you might want to quickly go get your grapes. Last year, we hustled to get all of our concord, even picking them a tad early, because a week of rain was forcasted. I'm glad we did that because it rained even MORE than a week, then it got cold. There's just nothing worse than diluted grapes.

 

[mmadmikes1]

I've had such rotten luck with Chilean juice buckets. REAL diluted. It's so easy for us to check weather conditions in the States, but not so easy to monitor rainfall in Chilean grape regions. We've been disappointed so often, that we've sworn off of Chile and if we get grapes or juice buckets, it's gonna be from IN the USA. In 1995 we got FABULOUS Chardonney juice from Calif. I would do it again. With the crazy global warming, it's hard to know who gets a boatload of rain and who doesn't, around the world.

Yamima Valley in Washington is unbelievably consistent,. Not just prejudis we have great grapes growing in the horse Heaven Hills.If weather was not consistent, you would know by the hoops shortages( that don't happen )

 

[Manimal]

If you're after a big, burly style Syrah/Shiraz, I would agree with your idea of reducing the amount of water you add... high alcohol contributes a tremendous degree of weight and body and can lend a certain "sweetness" that brings out the fruit. I don't personally go for this style of wine, but if that's what you're after, I would try to add less water.

Also, using tannin additions or untoasted oak chips during fermentation can help stabilize colour and ensure that you retain it after fermentation. These tannin/anthocyanin compounds also help to soften and build the texture of the wine.

Length of maceration is also something you might want to consider. Longer time on the skins tends to result in bigger tannic structure, etc. I think the warm temperature that you fermented at is a good thing for extraction, but if it means that the ferment was done in a couple of days it might be counter-productive.

If I were aiming to create this style of wine, I would do the following:

Check pH and TA and adjust accordingly. If Brix is excessive, add the minimum amont of water necessary to allow fermentation to progress successfully. Sort out any rotten or under ripe fruit. Destem but don't crush entirely. Try a cold soak with enzyme addition for up to 4 days with gentle punchdowns done twice daily followed by a rapid warming to about 18-20 degrees Celsius and yeast inoculation to get fermentation going quickly after the cold soak. During the early stages of fermentation, I would add fermentation tannins or untoasted oak chips. I would try to control the temperature at the warm end but not to let it get so out of control that fermentation finishes too quickly. I would perform a minimum of two punch downs/pumpovers a day during fermentation. Once the fermentation has finished/slowed right down, I would perform an extended maceration to extend the time which the wine spends on the skins. I would aim for a total maceration time from the start of cold soak to pressing of about 25-30 days. This is somewhat risky and requires the ability to protect the surface of the wine using inert gas or closing up the vessel and allowing the CO2 blanket of the wine to protect the wine. However, long maceration times are considered key to quality wine production in lots of old world regions. Press the wine, let it settle for 24hrs and then rack off the gross lees. Leave the wine dirty on the fine lees during aging. Lees contribute a lot to mouthfeel, reductive strength, etc. After pressing I would try to use some sort of oak in the elevage process. If you like a lot of vanilla/coconut notes, use American oak. If you like more restraint, use French. Put the wine through MLF. After MLF, recheck pH and TA and adjust if necessary. Add KMS as appropriate to pH. During elevage, taste regularly to determine whether the oak level is sufficient/excessive and whether there are any other defects developing.

This is long-winded but still very general and the quality and characteristics of the fruit will ultimately determine the decisions that should be made. Many other posters will likely disagree with some or all of this approach, but that's the beauty of winemaking, right?? Anyways, I hope this helps at least somewhat.

 

[tdawg]

Hi,
thanks for the really complete answer! I have a couple questions for you.

1> how do you control the temperature for the cold soak? - do you put frozen water jugs in ? or just room temperature in the basement is fine 60 degrees or so? Would I use frozen jugs to control fermentation temperatures as well?

2> I think the elongation of the maceration period is probably super essential to making the kind of wine I am after. My wine fermented down to a BRIX of about 1 within 3 days, and I let sit only 5 days after that as I was nervous it would be overly tannic, and/or spoil with the lower amount of CO2 being produced. If you letting it sit for two weeks or longer, would you leave the lid on the fermenter and avoid punching down so you do not lose the protective CO2 layer? 25-30 days might be a little aggressive for my equipment and experience level, but I certain to do at least 2-3 weeks this fall. Would you recommend this longer maceration period for say a Zinfandel, Cabernet etc?

Thanks,
Trent

**Been doing some research online of typical fermentation /maceration time for a Syrah for some Napa Valley wineries. Ones that i found were about 14-16 day. They also had controlled fermentation temperatures of like 85 degrees, and an initial BRIX of 26-26.5. I think I will go for that this year !

 

[Manimal]

As far as the cold soak goes, you need to get the temperature down pretty cool if you want to minimize risk. 4-10 degrees Celsius is a good range. If you leave the fruit at the 60 degree Fahrenheit range, you really run the risk of some wild yeasts (Kloekera, Hanseniospora,etc.) becoming active and creating large amounts of VA.

You can keep the fruit cool by using frozen water jugs. If you can get your hands on dry ice, it works really well for chilling the must when you load it into the fermenter and has the added benefit of providing a protective CO2 blanket. You can add a little more each day during cold soak. Gentle punchdowns should be done twice a day during cold soak to keep the fruit on the top wet.

Once temperatures begin to climb, try to heat the must in order to get it into your desired range for inoculation. You want to minimize the time that your must stays in that danger zone for spoilage yeast activity. Fish tank heaters work well for heating the must, but space heaters, brew belts, electric blankets, etc. can all be employed effectively.

You can keep some frozen jugs or dry ice on hand to try to knock down fermentation temperatures if they get out of control, but an immersion plate or something similar would be much more efficient.

The key to long maceration is controlling the rate of fermentation, which is difficult in a home winemaking scenario. When dealing with small volumes, if the ambient temperature is too warm, the ferment can take off and be done before you know it, and if it is too cool, it can be difficult to reach the desired temperature spike for maximum extraction. However, the plus side of small volumes is that you can rapidly adjust the temperature if you feel it is necessary and if you have the proper tools to do so.

If you consider 4 days for cold soak, 10 days for alcoholic fermentation to complete and 7 days post fermentation maceration, you're already at 21 days which is a pretty long maceration... that might not happen exactly as planned, but it goes to show that you can extend maceration without going crazy and exposing yourself to too much risk.

When doing a post-ferment maceration, continue to push the cap down twice daily, but just enough to keep it wet, and do it very gently. Cover the fermenter tightly at this point. The wine will be saturated with CO2 and should be relatively safe. Taste daily to ensure no problems with reduction or VA formation are beginning. If you want to extend the maceration even longer, the use of inert gas to protect the wine is recommended. If the cap has fallen, there is obviously no advantage to punchdowns anymore.

I think the info you found regarding Napa wineries is a good place to start. If you want to learn more about truly extended macerations, look more to the old world, though.

 

[Bartman]

Wow. Cold soak maceration sounds like an attractive strategy to get the most out of those grapes, but it seems too risky to me for the home winemaker. For the commercial producers with refrigerated tanks, I think it is a must, and it is in large part responsible for the better quality, cheap commercial red wines available in the last 15-20 years. Between the dry ice, the greater daily attention required for 3 weeks and the risk of oxidation or spoilage, I wouldn't try it myself. If it works, it would almost certainly improve a 'big red' wine substantially, but I would hate to ruin otherwise good grapes if it goes wrong.

I have found that keeping the ambient temperature down around 68-70 slows fermentation by several days, compared to ambient temperature of 78 or 80 (4-5 days vs. 7-8 days). And the Petit Sirah/Barbera blend I got as a result was well-structured without excessive tannins. But, hey, experimentation is what's all about, right?

 

[tdawg]

Been doing some research regarding cold soak technique and when and why its employed. I have a good video link below. but it seems thin skin variety grapes such as Syrah, Pinot, and Sangiovese really benefit from a 3-5+ day cold soak, it brings out the fruit flavors, increasing color, body. Richer varities such as Merlot and Cabernet a 2-3 day cold soak can make a wine more tannic, structured if you are going for that type of wine. So getting a fuller tasting wine out of thin skin grapes it seems almost a necessity, of course I am sure you could increase maceration time on the other end as well but I am sure that would have a slightly different effect to the final product.

http://www.crushnet.com/video/series/winemakers-minute/ep6-winemakers-minute-episode-6-cold-soak

 

[robie]

Keeping the temperature down is not that hard. As mentioned, dry ice or frozen water jugs work well and last for many hours. As long as the temperature stays down, there is no worry of spoilage or wild yeast taking off. Just be sure to add kmeta beforehand.

Not every grape benefits from cold soak. Like anything else, there are pros and cons. Calamity had a good writeup on this subject a month or so ago, I just don't remember which thread it was in.

Before you do a cold soak or an extended maceration, always read as much on the subject as you can and always do it with your particular grape varietal in mind.