Walker's merlot started

[joeswine]

Walkers has a great product no dought.

 

[spaz61]

Walker's is less than 10 miles from where I live. I went to school with the kids too!

 

[Khristyjeff]

Walker's is less than 10 miles from where I live. I went to school with the kids too!

Lucky you. No shipping charges!

 

[joeswine]

Ya,lucky you their fruit juice is top shelf.

 

[jswordy]

I did add a bit more bacteria to the merlot, just to be sure. Yesterday, I took a wee sample of both out of the carboys for a taste test, and both are very rounded now so MLF has had an effect. They are too smooth now but that is OK, since I figured I would have to add acid blend and maybe even some extra citric, too, very close to bottling to get it like I want it. So all is well there.

The taste taste was really more of a check on the medium toast oak spirolls, and they do not seem to have over-oaked it at all so far after 3 weeks in, so they remain in there for maybe another 2-3 weeks and I will check again. I want to be real sure I do not over-oak, since I have been there before and I don't have a non-oaked wine to blend out a mistake.

The color is garnet, which doesn't please me aesthetically very much at all, so prior to bottling I may just go ahead and add sorbate, then perform the sacrilege of adding grape concentrate to deepen the color. That decision is still months away, though.

Both carboys are resting nicely with the caps in the 3-piece airlocks raised.

 

[jswordy]

Today I withdrew the medium oak spirolls from both wines, after 50 days. I suppose that soon I will rack them over off the secondary lees. We're 4 months in and it has been through MLF and oak.

Note to self: Try a truly cold secondary ferment sometime, even colder than recommended. I had saved the overage after the carboys were filled from the primary in a pint and a quart Mason jars, intending to use them for topping up. Both were immediately placed in the fridge. On testing them today, I found they had made tasty young wines, even in that cold. I did use them for topping, and have some merlot left now to use topping when I rack over.

 

[jswordy]

Today was a rainy day and so was perfect for blending day, and I am enjoying a glass of leftover wine curtesy of "the miracle of racking," lol. How so many "five gallon" carboys can be different in volume, I dunno. As my old buddy Jim @Arne would say, I got a bottle of refrigerator wine out of it.

The blend turned out to be 50% Merlot, 49% Cabernet and 1% Shiraz. After all this time, the lees were very compact and solid. Lots of tartaric acid diamonds in the Cab carboy. Possibly as a result, the wine lacks edge and depth on the front end, tastes watery there, but does have a nice pepper finish. It has a rich nose and there is a subtle oak. I suppose I will be playing with acid blend and maybe even tartaric alone to taste on the back end. It probably won't take very much. I'm thinking even just 1/8 tsp per carboy might do it. Just something to wake up the taste buds. I'll play with the glasses from my fridge bottle.

For now, it is going to sit in the carboys and incorporate awhile.

The color is another disappointment for me, very garnet. You'd think I added water to this, but it is all straight out of the Walker's jugs. Mega Purple is still on the table as a possible additive, as a result.

I thought for fun I'd poll the folks who wander by and see this.

Add purple or leave it natural? What say you?





Fortunately, there is nothing wrong with the alcohol content.

 

[jswordy]

Yes, adding acid blend to the glass makes it better, so that's a done deal. I may have to add back some tartaric by itself, too.

 

[TurkeyHollow]

If you sorbate after MLF won't it get that rotten geranium smell and cooked asparagus flavor (unless that's your thing - not judging)?

 

[jswordy]

If you sorbate after MLF won't it get that rotten geranium smell and cooked asparagus flavor (unless that's your thing - not judging)?

I do not plan to sorbate it. It gets SO2 only.

 

[TurkeyHollow]

Sorry... I misunderstood. I thought you said you were going to sorbate, then perform the sacrilege of adding grape concentrate to deepen the color. I just didn't want to see you do something I would do...

 

[Arne]

Just wandered by, been gone for a bit. @jswordy I would not mess with the color. Just me tho. Like all different colors of wine except brown. Don't much care for oxidation. Arne.

 

[jswordy]

Sorry... I misunderstood. I thought you said you were going to sorbate, then perform the sacrilege of adding grape concentrate to deepen the color. I just didn't want to see you do something I would do...

I actually polled the members on adding concentrate. Your vote has been noted!

 

[jswordy]

Just wandered by, been gone for a bit. @jswordy I would not mess with the color. Just me tho. Like all different colors of wine except brown. Don't much care for oxidation. Arne.

Great to hear from ya, Jim!

 

[Arne]

Hope you had a Merry Christmas and looking forward to a great and happy new year. Arne.

 

[jswordy]

Happy New Year, @Arne !

Playing in the wine again today. I tapped the acid up a bit, added another round of SO2. I think where I have it is where it's gonna sit for a while. Tell ya what, 3 sips goes right to your head, lol.

 

[jswordy]