Grapefest 2008

[medpretzel]

Dear Pikey "Sir" (that's a form of honoUr in your country is it not?)

Perhaps you should have a word with yourself.....

Just because you took like a million trophies does not mean your "****" looks any better without your "swimming costume" on....

[Richard S]

Dear Pikey "Sir" (that's a form of honoUr in your country is it not?)

Perhaps you should have a word with yourself.....

Just because you took like a million trophies does not mean your "****" looks any better without your "swimming costume" on....

LOL, the pictures that wern't taken may have been too much for the forum anyway.

[goldseal]

I'm glad I stayed out of the hot tub now

Personally, I thought it was a splendid evening of cultural exchange, witty banter and repartee.

[goldseal]

On a serious note (briefly), what is the minimum temperature you'd recommend once this stuff is in secondary fermenters? I'd really like NOT to have an office full of Better Bottles for a couple of months!

(Yes I know, heater pads etc, but I'm a cheapskate )

[rjb222]

On a serious note (briefly), what is the minimum temperature you'd recommend once this stuff is in secondary fermenters? I'd really like NOT to have an office full of Better Bottles for a couple of months!

(Yes I know, heater pads etc, but I'm a cheapskate )

There should be a couple of stages in a carboy. First there will be still some activity from fermentation the temp should remain the same during this stage depending of course if you started in a open fermenter or an air locked one If starting in a air locked one I think you can ferment from start to finish in the first fermenter until its time to rack off the gross lees. When fermentation ceases and you get a steady hydrometer reading you will rack off the gross lees. This will be a post fermentation clearing stage this can be done at about 65F this will be where the wine drops the yeast still in suspension and clears.

[Rich]

On a serious note (briefly), what is the minimum temperature you'd recommend once this stuff is in secondary fermenters? I'd really like NOT to have an office full of Better Bottles for a couple of months!

Mine are out in the garage, and doing well. Apart from the 1 gallon bucket of Sangi, I brought that inside so I can press it earlier than the others!

[goldseal]

Whoa!

My Grenache has gone mad: SGs down to 1.032 and 1.020 in the two buckets. I wasn't expecting things to happen that quickly - the starters were only pitched on Monday

[lockwood1956]

YUP

thats how it works, you have a must that is balanced in every way, and you are using top quality yeast so the ferment will rip through.


fun eh?


p.s. isn't the colour on the Grenache just amazing?

[goldseal]

The colour? The texture too - it's like Ribena. Gets everythere

I just hope my Magnum kits are here in time. Also, I'm away Friday and Saturday. You just know this is going to need racking into secondary then.

Speaking of which, if I have fermenters which contain a high proportion of skins, what is the best way to rack? Syphon what I can, wait for more juice to descend to the bottom, repeat?

[lockwood1956]

What I do is this


when it comes to racking, i scoop as much of the cap from the top as i can, and then syphon. you may wish to rack through a nylon seive to catch as much big stuff as you can, but dont worry too much. you will rack again soon enough.

and rack and press the skins before you go away, you are low enough in terms of SG to press now if you wished, I like to leave it till about 1.004 if i can

regards
bob

[Richard S]

I have a stainless steel sieve for scooping the grape skins out (hands will do though). The skins then go into a coarse straining bag for a good old squeezing, you can then freeze the skins or add them to a kit etc. The wine then goes through my sieve into the secondary, it's difficult to rack by syphoning because of all the gunk/seeds at the bottom of the primary. A heavy sediment might form at the bottom of your secondary but from this point on you can rack in a normal manner.

[lockwood1956]

ah yes

I use an autosyphon that has a sediment tip on it and it is great for this task, but yes...normal syphoning may prove difficult...good point

[goldseal]

Thanks folks, that all makes sense. I need to go and blag some freezer space from the neighbours!

There's nothing like being prepared, is there?

Next concern is my 1-box batch. I think I'll be struggling to get a gallon from it, so I'm wondering what to use for a secondary fermenter. Possibly a 1/2gal DJ and some sort of pop bottle maybe?

What about topping-up to a gallon and, if so, what with?

So many questions ......

[lockwood1956]

I would keep it varietally intact for now (1/2 gal and other container)

but you could blend with some of your other stuff to make up to a gallon if you wished.

[Richard S]

I used some 1 pint glass milk bottles for the excess Monte, the bottle takes a bung and can go for recycling when you are done.