Upcoming season help

[ttaje16]

Hey everyone, I am looking for a bit of guidance on my wine making process.
The plan so far:
Because I live in Edmonton Alberta, I cannot be picky with what I get for grapes. The local grocery store imports them from the Lodi region (I believe). I will have no clue what condition they are until I get them home.
I have done this two other years and the wines have always turned out better than the kits I have made but I would still like to try and get the most out of the grapes I get.

Getting 4 lugs of Cabernet and 4 lugs of Merlot, so not a large amount of wine.
Will run off 10-15% for a rose and to hopefully concentrate more flavors and colors.
I made a flow chart which I will try and post that I want to follow, but will invite anyone to add to help me make the best wine possible with what I have.

Also are there any must read threads of other peoples processes? I have gone through many but I could be missing some good ones.

Thanks in advance!

 

[salcoco]

compare your steps to those in these manuals MoreManuals! Winemaking Guides | MoreWine

 

[NorCal]

I like your flow chart.

- Your up-front SO2 addition should be based on must volume.
- Didn't see a place for acid adjustments, if it is high brix Lodi wine, it will probably need it.
- When co-inoculating, I add mlb a few days into fermentation vs. at cap formation.
- I rack immediately after malo is complete
- I test SO2 make additions every 3 months for carboys
- I also rack one or two more times before bottling (some say its a bit heavy handed)
- I'd let it sit for 12 months vs. 6 months before blending/bottling, the wine changes a lot in that time and you can still have new sediment develop in bottle

 

[ttaje16]

Thank you for the replys! Already making changes, I have not tried co-inoculating mlb but with other peoples successes it seems like a no-brainer.

 

[NorCal]

I co-inoculate about 1/2 the time. The only reason I choose not to co-inoculate is if I have a high (3.7-3.9) pH wine. This way the mlf will last a few extra months, thus avoiding an SO2 dosage, which can add up with a high pH wine.

 

[ttaje16]

Another question for everyone:
Once the wine has completed the fermentation processes and the wine is in carboys for bulk storage with some oak cubes, how often if at all would you lightly stir the wine? Does stirring it occasionally help integrate the oak better?

Thanks

 

[CDrew]

No need to stir. The oak cubes extract over 2-3 months just fine.