Zinfandel grapes -> wine! A new member's introduction via a 75L of red deliciousness.

[Nebbiolo020]

True! But there are lots of kinds of sour. I was referring to the tell-tale acetic acid bitter/sour that doesn't really age out like strong malic or tartaric acids do.

Clarified on the data post, thx!

Tartaric is not that bad, high malic can be really rough and abrasive. It’s easy to tell if a malolactic fermentation has finished by taste.

I have had white wines made from grapes that were probably picked a bit early and since they don’t go through malo they can be super sour sometimes

 

[tjmeyer]

Couldn't help myself so I pulled a wine thief worth out to taste it. It has already darkened, but still very bright red. Currently it is high tannin, low acid, high alcohol, and sweet (sweet in a dry way, fermentation is totally complete). It has notes of sweet currant, something flowery almost like a gin, and can't smell anything but alcohol for now. Very impressed with how this turned out, I think I'm going to move RP-15, Assmanshausens, and Bm4x4 into regular you rotation in the winery for reds.

 

[Nebbiolo020]

Couldn't help myself so I pulled wine thief worth out to taste it. It has already darkened, but still very bright red. Currently it is high tannin, low acid, high alcohol, and sweet (sweet in a dry way, fermentation is totally complete). It has notes of sweet currant, something flowery almost like a gin, and can't smell anything but alcohol for now. Very impressed with how this turned out, I think I'm going to move RP-15, Assmanshausens, and Bm4x4 into regular you rotation in the winery for reds.

That’s Zinfandel for you, particularly that sweet but dry note that usually shows up in my Zinfandel fermentations.

The alcohol will calm down eventually. And as I said RP-15 is the go to yeast for quality Zinfandel. I also like it for Syrah and for Cabernet. BM4x4 tends to produce more red cherries and floral more of what you find in a well made barbera as it is an Italian yeast.

 

[tjmeyer]

BM4x4 tends to produce more red cherries and floral more of what you find in a well made barbera as it is an Italian yeast.

Perhaps this is where that gin-like quality is coming from. It's not unpleasant and adds a complexity I didn't expect.

 

[Hazelemere]

Data 3/19/24
Temperature
RP-15:
74.2°F and 68°F ambient. (23.4°/20°C)
BM 4x4:
75.3°F and 68°F ambient. (24.1°/20°C)


Brix
RP-15:
Measured at ~16°Brix.

Spoiler: RP-15 Brix

View attachment 111152

BM 4x4:
Measured at slightly higher than 16° so I'm going to estimate 16.5°Brix.

Spoiler: BM 4x4 Brix

View attachment 111150

SG
As fermentation continues, Brix can be inaccurate, so I find occasional SG readings helpful even through they're a lot more effort.
RP-15:
Significantly more foamy, so was hard to read. Image was taken after about 5 minutes of settling. With the foam still in the way, I'm going to estimate 1.052.

Spoiler: RP-15 SG

View attachment 111161

BM 4x4:
Foam settled right away, has a more creamy texture. Also going to take that read to be 1.052.

Spoiler: BM 4x4 mix SG

View attachment 111160

Additions
I added 8g of FermFed to the RP-15 and 12g of Fermaid K to the BM 4X4 mix. Used a simple kitchen food scale, a small bowl, and a protein shaker bottle. Added just enough well water to allow the power to rehydrate (doesn't take much at all) and shake to break up clumps. The following are the images of the process in order:

Spoiler: Adding yeast feed

View attachment 111154View attachment 111155View attachment 111156

Look, Feel, and Taste

Spoiler: RP-15 image

View attachment 111153

Spoiler: BM 4x4 image

View attachment 111151

Looks are very healthy across both. No negative comments or visible problems.

Feel is vastly different. The BM 4X4 forms incredibly dense, intense foam with bubbles so tiny you can't really see them individually. It's so dense and thick that I've confused it with the surface of the wine more than once, but it is just foam, not a solid forming. I've seen similar foam on great wines before, so I'm not at all worried. It is in stark contrast to the more common loose and aggressive bubbles of the RP-15. It forms large bubbles and is loud when agitated.

Taste is also very different already--neither of them taste like wine yet, however. The RP-15 has a pleasant woody tang. The BM 4X4 has a surprisingly long aftertaste that isn't present in the RP-15. I don't detect any of off flavors or smells in either.

this is a helpful post to winemakers. Well done!

 

[Nebbiolo020]

Perhaps this is where that gin-like quality is coming from. It's not unpleasant and adds a complexity I didn't expect.

I did a split fermentation one year with the same syrah must in 3 containers totally different wine in each fermentation used D-21,BM45 which is the main strain in 4x4 and RP-15 and each was wicked different. I liked the D-21 the most had darker fruits, a richer rounder body more mellow tannins. BM45 was like cherry cola aggressive tart acidity mild tannins, notes of oregano and thyme was very different almost polar opposite. RP-15 produced brighter dark fruit notes, a fuller body, smooth but noticeable tannins and a flinty minerality.

I like splitting up musts and doing trials if I can to see how the wines differ with different yeasts.