2011 Ferments

[Cellar_Rat]

Stop press: News

Al thought there was a bit of a panic over the variety and type of grape avialable this year we have all done very very well.

Breaking news on Italian TV....

Due to crops being up on yeild but down on quantity most (not all) exports have stopped because they are required (being bought up by ) the home market.

The result being that most grapes have gone up by 70p PER box.

[Cellar_Rat]

Will you lot stop posting so bleedin' much in this thread!

It's only been a bleedin' week and it's 12 pages long already! How to you expect me to learn about bl00dy grape wine making with that lot to read!

regards


me !

There you go John - got it to page 13 for you ! Some bedtime reading!

[Rich]

In your user cp you can up the amount of posts per page to 40, thus bringing the total pages down to 4. Although it doesn't make it any less to read.

[lockwood1956]

SG's all around 1.010.............Pressing tomorrow

after I have judged at Licolnshire Federation show, was going to have an early night, thats that out of the window

ah the joys

[Cellar_Rat]

SG's all around 1.010.............Pressing tomorrow

Betcha skins haven't sunk !

[robwrx]

Betcha skins haven't sunk !

(nervous laughter) my skins haven't sunk yet........merlot 0.997........Sangiovese 0.995......can't press until Monday!

Ummmm...Should I be worried?

[goldseal]

Pete

Did you add any liquid to increase sugar levels and dilute the acid or is that the straight yield this year?

Rob

The Sangiovese was as-is. I added a bit of sugar syrup to the Merlot, but that was less than a litre. I got 5 gals easily from 4 boxes.

When I say 'easily', I was only lightly pressing, and adding some of the pressed juice to the 2nd runs. Last year I metaphorically had both legs braced against the worktop to put enough force on the press handle. I suspect the Rohamet may have juiced the grapes very efficiently, because I had an awful lot of free-run juice and had very little pressing to do.

Brian, I hoped I have avoided putting the harsher results of pressing into my fermenters. I noticed last year's merlot is quite harsh, possibly as a result of over-pressing, and possibly because it was 12 days on the skins. Or both. I'm sure it will smooth out, but not in the next couple of years.

[koomber]

I just pressed my Merlot and Sangiovasesesesesese.

Easily got 6 gallons from each, plus another 3 gallons of dreggy stuff from both. Lot of sludge in the dreggy stuff, but I lauched it in a Corny, purged with CO2 and I'll leave it to settle for a couple of days and rack of the bottom using the drip tube. Should be interesting.

Very impressed with the yield from the grapes myself!

[Cellar_Rat]

... and rack of the bottom using the drip tube

IMO not worth te hassle - tried it - you will end up having to take the valve apart to clean it! use syphon hose and a torch

[Cellar_Rat]

(nervous laughter) my skins haven't sunk yet........merlot 0.997........Sangiovese 0.995......can't press until Monday!

Ummmm...Should I be worried?

No panic - mine never have!! It will be fine until Monday.

[lockwood1956]

I have this every year, I really want to leave it later to press (perhaps even to let the cap sink) but always bottle it and press earlier......


maybe this is the year

they are under 1.010 so ready for pressing at any time, but maybe I will leave it another day or two

hmmmmm

colour extraction is tremendous, especially on the merlot.

[robwrx]

Thanks for the vote of confidence Brian/Bob. I started checking SG daily but haven't for the last couple of days due to being busy. To get as accurate SG figure as possible, I have been filtering the must and that takes a while.

Cap has been punched at least twice daily and I used Rohament P but I'm surprised how much colour is still in the skins. Second run should be good though.

[goldseal]

Tempranillo is a bit smelly. Where's that copper pipe?

[Cellar_Rat]

Tempranillo is a bit smelly. Where's that copper pipe?

Cheesey or sulphurous ?

[goldseal]

Hint of H2S