Originally posted by Duffbeer
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2011 Ferments
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I (as you all know) am a numbers geek, but i dont rely on numbers alone.
My taste buds tell me the Merlot is very acidic, (and I have been here before) after adjustment with sugar syrup this evening, before and after taste tests tell me it is now much better balanced.
So i made up the sugar syrup to 1.085, and bunged it in, along woith a hefty handful of toasted american ok (I love the vanilla tones from it)
regards
Bob
(Ric, I adjusted your grenache too, and upped the SG to 1.080)N.G.W.B.J.
Member of 5 Towns Wine and Beer Makers Society (Yorkshire's newest)
Wine, mead and beer maker
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I'll just wade in hear and say that your carefully calculated TA will end up slightly different if you do a MLF fermentation.
Those who were at my talk will mind I mentioned that different acids can have a different number of acidic sites per molecule. In the conversion from malic to lactic acid you'll go from:
Malic acid (2 acidic sites)
To
Lactic acid (1 acidic sites)
I can't predict off hand what the effect on the TA will be as it will depend on the amount of malic acid and to be quite frank, my knowledge of wine making doesn't extend far enough, but it will have an effect.
Not that I'm saying that it isn't worth checking the TA just now, but if your doing and MLF fermentation you might want to consider not doing a mega-brutal acid reduction at this point.
You can do what Rich (and myself) are planning which is to use a cold garage/shed/'warmly heated scottish bedroom' to drop the temperature and force some tartaric acid out as crystals over the winter months.Dutch Gunderson: Who are you and how did you get in here?
Frank Drebin: I'm a locksmith. And, I'm a locksmith.
-Police Squad
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Good point Graham......
if it were just acid reduction I was chasing....I would follow the cold stabilisation route, coupled with MLF
however the sugars are also low, so i have elected to up the sugar content, which as it happens also reduces the acid content. (i added the sugar dissolved in water)
two birds ....one stone....I factored all of that in reducing acidity by 1 g/l less than my target value..... to account for MLF and cold stabilisation
regards
bobN.G.W.B.J.
Member of 5 Towns Wine and Beer Makers Society (Yorkshire's newest)
Wine, mead and beer maker
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Originally posted by NorthernWiner View PostA couple of recommendations I can make about Zinfandel.
Used BM4x4 yeast - Lallemand's closest. 60 grams.
I am planning to OAK - would you use green or toasted* oak?? I am using 1 ounce per gallon ratio.
Myth-buster - contact time - ferment on skins 'till they sink ??
*Just so you know toasted Oak gets me in trouble with SWMBO, but don't let that influence you decision?Gluten free, caffeine free, dairy free, fat free – you gotta love this red wine diet!
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Originally posted by Cellar_Rat View PostMyth-buster - contact time - ferment on skins 'till they sinkN.G.W.B.J.
Member of 5 Towns Wine and Beer Makers Society (Yorkshire's newest)
Wine, mead and beer maker
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Originally posted by Rich View PostCellar rat, at your warm fermentation temps, how long does your wine take for the cap to drop?Last edited by Cellar_Rat; 14-09-2011, 09:29 PM.Gluten free, caffeine free, dairy free, fat free – you gotta love this red wine diet!
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Originally posted by Cellar_Rat View PostI am planning to OAK - would you use green or toasted* oak?? I am using 1 ounce per gallon ratio.
Myth-buster - contact time - ferment on skins 'till they sink ??
*Just so you know toasted Oak gets me in trouble with SWMBO, but don't let that influence you decision?
If the grapes are ripe (brown seeds, good Brix level), I would leave them on the skins until the cap sinks. If at all underripe, I'd press when dry.Steve
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What is the benifit of waiting untill the cap sinks (extended maceration?) over an extended cold soak. I would have thought that the high alcohol content of the finished wine is more likely to leach the harsh tannins from the seeds, where as a cold soak is more likely to get the water soluble goodies out? Does waiting till the cap sinks add body? or is it to help racking? When you press do you have quite alot of the gross fruite pulp, seeds, yeast, etc. as your cap has been at the bottom? I am really interested in this technique as it seem popular with some wine makers.
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