Your Grape Wine Fermentation Style

[seth8530]

So, one of the things that I have found interesting is the differences in preferred fermentation styles people pick up for fermenting grape wines. I plan on starting my first batch this fall So I am hoping I can find some useful information from this thread.

Typically, when you ferment a mead the motto is low and slow as to preserve delicate aromatics and retain the fruity flavour profile. However, I have been reading a bunch of stuff online saying that the policy for red wines is the opposite. Hot and fast as to preserve optimal colour. Would this not damage the subtle aromatics associated with the grape? Or perhaps the push the fruitiness of the grape out of the picture? I would of assumed a nice slow fermentation would of been the preferred path. Is is the same story for white wines?

I assume on both you ferment on the skins correct? I am thinking of the big European style wines such as Chard bord, pinonoir or Merlot btw.

 

[JohnT]

Seth,

IMHO, here in lies the art..

It all depends. lets tackle this one bit at a time

rate-of-fermentation: The rate of fermentation can impact the outcome in a very drastic way. a "hot" fermentation tends to "Burn off" more of the fruit characteristics of a wine. For example, most merlots go through a hot fermentation while many rieslings undergo a cold (low and slow) fermentation to make the wine more "fruity".

Hot or cold, well that all depends on what you are going for and not really linked to white/red. Not all white wines undergo cold fermentation. Most chardonnays are hot and many sav blancs are also hot.

Maceration: Again, this largely depends on what you are going for. Some whites are macerated to pick up more (amung other things) tannins. I do not macerate, say, a chardonny simply because I find my chards to be heavy on the tannins already.

Additionally, fermentation rates can/do affect maceration. the increased temperature of a hot fermentation tends to increase the amount of extraction you can get.

On more important thing: Yeast Strain. Some take this lightly, but the flavor profiles in the finished product are greatly affected by the particular yeast strain you use. A lot of folks tend toward EC-1118 to ensure a full/complete fermentation, but this strain (IMHO) is like a bull in a china shop. The only time I use this strain is when I have a stuck fermentation or am making champagne.

I hope that I am not overstating anything. Sorry to be so long winded.

 

[seth8530]

So, I guess the question is, do I like a fruity merlot or pinot noir? I tend to like red wines that have lots of mineral character to them.. I plan on avoiding ec1118 if at possible..

Have you ever tried any of the traditional big reds on a low and slow ferment with fruity character?

 

[JohnT]

So, I guess the question is, do I like a fruity merlot or pinot noir? I tend to like red wines that have lots of mineral character to them.. I plan on avoiding ec1118 if at possible..

Have you ever tried any of the traditional big reds on a low and slow ferment with fruity character?

Yes and have found that the "Fruit" really does not suit a Cab or Merlot. I am a big fan of classic French Vinifera style red, but prefer the more German/Austrian soft/crisp/fruitiness style in my whites.

 

[seth8530]

What kind of fermentation would you expect at around 70 degrees? Ie not exactly hot but certainly not cool like you would try to do with many beers. Would it still be on the fruity side or more on the more European style?

 

[JohnT]

What kind of fermentation would you expect at around 70 degrees? Ie not exactly hot but certainly not cool like you would try to do with many beers. Would it still be on the fruity side or more on the more European style?

To me, a fermentation that does not climb over 70 degrees is a cold fermentation. For me (others may dissagree) a hot fermentation exceeds 85 degrees, sometimes as high as 90.

When I do a reisling and ferment cold, I shoot for 70 degrees. I find that this still retains a lot of fruit.

There really is no defined border between a hot fermentation and a cold one. The colder the fermentation, the more fruit you keep. The hotter the fermentation, the less fruit you keep.

How do you plan on controlling the temp of your fermentation? I am just wondering what method you have in mind.

 

[seth8530]

If I intend on keeping the fermentation cold I will ferment my wine inside of a large bucket of water with some ice inside of it to help keep the temperature low. If I intend on keeping it warm I will wrap it in blankets or the such or put it inside of a tub full of warm water to help keep the temp stable. I would of course refill the water needed.

The thing I am having trouble deciding is whether I want to do a hot or cold fermentation and with which kinds of juice/grapes would I do it with. I plan on making a chard so I might try and create a fruity chard to try and bring out the peach notes and aroma... So that leaves the red.... Possibly I could do a side by side for each wine 1 part done cold the other hot and compare the difference?

 

[JohnT]

Seth,

The comparrison is a good idea for you.

 

[Calamity Cellars]

55f for whites
90-100f for reds

 

[joea132]

Dont over think it. Choose your yeast for your end characteristic you're shooting for and go for it. Many a wine maker has driven themselves crazy worrying about temperature. Winemaking is an art cloaked in science, don't forget which one comes first.

 

[phillipanth]

Hi Seth8530 can you tell me what is merlot or pinot noir.

 

[seth8530]

This is merlot

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merlot

This is Pinot noir

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinot_noir

These guys can explain much better than I can. However, both are red wine grapes.

 

[jamesngalveston]

seth..i just started a 6 gallon batch of wild mustang grape (50lbs)...i screwed up and dumped to much sugar in it. and starting sg is like 1.110..I used skins seed and stems...I used pasteur red yeast, that should give me a full bodied red ...it works well in high temp range...for me it will be around 78 to 80 degrees...I had no yeast nutrient so i boiled down 3 whole bananas and will add in three stages.
I just pitched yeast today, and added 1/3 of yeast supplement.
WIll let you know how it goes..

 

[seth8530]

Thanks, keep me up to date. Pics are always nice. Sounds like it could be good.