Thanks Lum.

Bob

On Nov 16, 11:54*am, "Lum Eisenman" > wrote:
> Bob,
> Some people do not approve, but most California wineries are now producing
> "big red fruit bombs." *This style of wine is being produced because it
> SELLS.
> Very ripe grapes are needed to make this style of wine. *But, very ripe
> grapes have high Brix and high pH values. *High Brix can produce too much
> alcohol and make the wines taste too hot. *I like to hold *the alcohol to
> less than ~16% hence the water addition. *In general, I do not dilute to
> less than 26 Brix.
> Tannin and TA work _together_ to produce astringent, rough tasting wines.
> These big red wines contain lots of tannin so many winemakers deliberately
> try and keep the TA values low (~0.6%) to avoid overly rough wines.
> I have found that trying to adjust pH in these big red wines doesn't work
> very well because the resulting TA values are often too high (~0.65 - 0.75)
> and the wines become very rough and astringent. *I want people to use words
> like "big," "smooth," "soft," "round" when they describe my big red wines..
> In general, adjusting the pH produces higher TA values. *The wines are
> harder and rougher. *Consumers often describe pH adjusted big red wines
> using words like "clean," "focused," "vibrant," "sophisticated," etc.
> These very ripe grapes are often too high in sugar and too low in TA. *So,
> the common pre fermentation must adjustments are......
> 1. *A few gallons of plain water per ton of grapes to reduce the Brix.
> 2. *A small tartaric acid addition to get the TA up to ~6 grams per liter.
> 3. *Plenty of yeast nutrients because high Brix levels are hard to ferment
> to dryness.
> Lum
>
> > wrote in message
>
> ...
>
> Lum,
>
> What's the advantage of ameliorating the must over adding tartaric
> acid? Why would you water down the grapes? Is it the brix level? Would
> you add water if the brix was 26 to start to adjust the ph? Do you, as
> a rule ,leave the ph and only adjust the brix if too high?
>
> TIA
>
> Bob
>
> On Nov 14, 8:07 pm, "Lum Eisenman" > wrote:
>
> > "Darin" > wrote in message
>
> ....
>
> > > Today, I will take delivery of 1/2 ton of premium Napa Valley Cabernet
> > > Sauvignon, courtesy of the Caldwell vineyard and Peter Brehm. This is
> > > by far the most expensive barrel we've ever made, and fittingly it
> > > promises to be the most challenging.
>
> > > Every variable seems to be extreme, including 28 Brix, pH 3.80, and TA
> > > at 0.67. My goal is to make a "big red California fruit bomb",
> > > without excessive intervention.
>
> > > Hopefully, the masters of this news group can give me some guidance
> > > and I can thereby avoid screwing up what has potential for an
> > > incredible vintage.
>
> > > The first thing I'm going to do is confirm the chemistry and then
> > > ameliorate with acidulated water (7g/L) to reduce brix to 24.5 (I'll
> > > remove as much free run as water added).
>
> > > Then I'll have a look at TA and pH and see where I stand. I'm
> > > considering raising the TA to as high as 0.75 to get what meagre
> > > decrease in pH might be possible. Then, with a pH I expect to be
> > > around 3.7 - 3.8, I'll have to start the ferment, follow with ML,
> > > press, and then send the sulphited wine to the cool cellar to age,
> > > precipitate KHT, and enjoy life in its new oak barrel.
>
> > > Does this sound reasonable? In the past, I've always used the rule of
> > > thumb that pH should be less than 3.5 before fermenting. I don't want
> > > an overly acidic wine, though - isn't that the California approach
> > > these days (4x4)?
>
> > > Thanks much in advance,
>
> > > Darin
>
> > Darin,
> > That is the only kind of red wine I make.
>
> > I would add about four gallons of plain water to the 1000# of grapes.
> > Should produce a Brix of about 26+ and a TA of 0.63 or so.
> > I would ferment with Prise de Mousse or Premier Cuvee yeast.
> > Punch down the cap at least four times a day.
> > Press after 7 or 8 days on the skins.
> > Start MLF.
> > Add 50 mg/l of SO2 when MLF is finished.
> > Age in a neutral barrel for ~12 months.
> > Raise SO2 to 0.5 mg/l of MOLECULAR sulfur dioxide and bottle.
>
> > Don't mess with these high quality grapes and don't be afraid of high pH
> > wines (seewww.vinovation.com/ArticleWinepH.htm).
>
> > Good luck,
> > Lum- Hide quoted text -
>
> > - Show quoted text -