"Tom S" > wrote in message
. com...
>
> "c4miles" > wrote in message
> hlink.net...
> > Hi folks,
> >
> > Nice group you have here!
> > I hope you can help me out.
> >
> > I've been making a 50/50 blend of Alicante/Grenache for the past 4 years.
> > It's a total of 780 lbs of grapes that makes about 60 gallons of wine by
> the
> > time it's done.
> > I crush the grapes with an electric crusher into a large primary
> fermentation
> > tub.
> > I've always relied on the natural yeast on the grape for fermentation and
> never
> > sulphited.
> >
> > I basically followed a simple, old Italian recipe passed on by a friend of
> my
> > father.
> >
> > But .... I'd like to improve my wine and have been reading a lot lately.
> > I've figured out how much pot. meta. to add, but I'm having trouble trying
> > to come up with the quantity of yeast.
>
> I encourage your attempt to improve on your product. Just a few simple
> things can make a _huge_ difference in quality.
>
> IMO you should not add _any_ sulfite until after pressing (assuming clean
> fruit [no rot]), and preferably not until ML is complete. SO2 slows down
> the ML, and you _want_ that to go smoothly.
>
> You should check your initial pH to make sure it's within acceptable limits.
> 3.4 - 3.6 is reasonable. Higher than that suggests adding tartaric acid to
> bring it down to ~3.5 or so.
>
> As far as yeast is concerned, you can hardly overdo that - but let's be
> reasonable. Right after crushing, sprinkle about 50 grams of dried,
> cultured yeast (your choice of strains, but Pasteur Red is a good choice)
> over the top of the must (assuming 700 lbs of fruit, crushed into one
> container). Leave it alone (covered) for half a day or so. It should begin
> frothing as it rehydrates, and the easy access to air will help the yeast
> along. It's not a bad idea to add yeast nutrient at this time to promote
> yeast growth and prevent potential problems down the line, such as stuck
> fermentation or "the stinkies". When the fermentation is obviously going
> (white, foamy mung on the surface), stir it into the bulk of the must.
> Punch down the cap several times a day during the active fermentation and
> keep it covered.
>
> As the fermentation slows down, you should keep the walls of the
> fermenter(s) wiped clean, and it's not a bad idea to lightly spritz the
> surface of the must (after punching down) with a sulfite solution from a
> spray bottle, just before putting on the lid. I know I said "no sulfite",
> but a little here is a good idea.
>
> When the wine is dry, press the juice into drums or a tank. Let it settle
> for a couple of hours and rack the clear portion into a barrel. Combine all
> the rest into kegs and let it settle. Rack that too within a day or so.
> The idea is to separate as much of the clean wine from the lees as quickly
> as possible. The wine won't be anywhere near clear yet, but the difference
> between the clearest fraction and the mucky stuff will be quite apparent.
> You can salvage wine from the muck over the course of time, but at some
> point the heavy lees may tend to go reductive on you and start to stink like
> rotten eggs. By then, you should have already separated almost all of the
> good wine from the goop, so you can just dump the latter. Believe me, it
> isn't worth the trouble to try to salvage that last little bit. If you have
> a fraction of clear stuff that's marginally stinky, _don't_ mix it into the
> good stuff or you'll ruin the entire lot. Put some clean, pre-1982 pennies
> (or even better, sterling silver) into it for a few days. That might clean
> up the stink.
>
> Keep the barrel topped up and airlocked until ML is complete. Then sulfite
> it, top it up and bung it tight. Taste and top once a week or so until it's
> nearly ready to bottle.
>
> Then it's time to think about fining trials. Come back in a year or two and
> we can get into that.
>
> Tom S
>
>
Tom,
Thanks for taking the time to give me your detailed advice.
I really appreciate it.
A couple of follow-up questions if I may ...
I was thinking of adding pectic enzyme to the must immediately after crushing.
Would it be acceptable to add the yeast and yeast nutrient immediately after
that? Or wait a few hours? Or just skip this step altogether?
I was apprehensive about adding the sulphite during the primary, so I will
follow your advice to wait until later. Do you think it would also be a good
idea to add potassium sorbate while adding the pot. meta?
Mike
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