Grapefest 2012 Ferments

[Delmonteman]

All fine my end. Exciting stuff this reading how each is developing. The wife said mine smells the same as all the othe sh*t i ferment so i think i was worrying about nothing... certainly no rotten eggs...

Got my two black cherry kits on today too with vintners harvest sn9 so it will be well on its way before i squeeze my grapes...

Tempted to start another thread up for the port but think the honour should go to pete (hint hint )

[DaveH]

All good here too....nice heavy cap to punch down, and a nice toasty must temp of 29 deg C........

[goldseal]

Merlot and one Tempranillo fermenter down to 10-ish brix, so already thinking about MLF, pressing etc..

[robwrx]

As long as it doesn't smell of rotten eggs or dog farts, you are fine.

The high temps will help you get good extraction, especially with lighter body varietals like tempranillo.

No nasty smells and the colour is very good especially in the Merlot. I shall get the Copper rod ready just in case though.

[robwrx]

Merlot 20c SG1.012
Tempranillo 25c SG1.030
Monte 25c SG1.016

Pressing on Friday

[NorthernWiner]

I shall get the Copper rod ready just in case though.

The only thing you will need the copper rod for is to drive away the neighbors once they get wind of what good wine you're making.

[goldseal]

All the fermenters are in the 10 - 11 brix range. Cap temps are dropping by a couple of degrees, indicating that either the central heating is faulty, or the fermentations are slowing down a bit. Added a little nutrient to the BDX fermentations, just to keep the yeasts happy.

Planning on pressing Sun/Mon, so I'd better start thinking about 2nd runs. I think I'll just be doing a Black Cherry Port, and freezing the rest of the skins (no room for additional fermenters).

Hoping to innoculate with ML bacteria immediately after pressing. Good idea (mainly aimed at Steve)? I can't do it beforehand because I won't want 2nd run rosés and kits to come anywhere near ML.

[SiSandrine]

Merlot tasted very moldy ?

Silverfox

Paul - I had this problem too. I am hoping it goes away after fermentation.

[Cellar_Rat]

I shall get the Copper rod ready just in case though.

Being a bit pedantic here probably But, a copper rod is for finished wine. If a fermentation is smelly it needs nutrient.

[Cellar_Rat]

Well, ethanol fermentation is well on its way, temperature is good, pH good. Malolactic BioStart added - let's see if it works this year. It worked very well last year but half the sachet has spent the year in the freezer vacuum packed .

[robwrx]

The only thing you will need the copper rod for is to drive away the neighbors once they get wind of what good wine you're making.

Lol!

[robwrx]

Being a bit pedantic here probably But, a copper rod is for finished wine. If a fermentation is smelly it needs nutrient.

I didn't know that! Thanks.

I have already added a second dose of nutrient to the Tempranillo as I know RC212 can be a problem.

Imake who are the parent company for Vintners Harvest Yeast, sent me a nice reply to the question about fermenting hotter than recommended.

"Temperature control can be very difficult. If the temperature gets too high it can have a few different affects:
- It increases the rate of fermentation so the alcohol level will rise quickly, this along with the heat puts a lot of stress on the yeast which may die or stop preforming causing a stuck ferment. The quick fermentation rate may increase the likelihood of problems with hydrogen sulphide.
- Ideally the alcohol accumulation would be slower initially which allows time for tannin diffusion into the must.
- High temperatures may drive off volatile aromatic compounds and may give ‘cooked’ flavours to the finished wine.

If the temperature has been brought under control and it has continued to ferment then the yeast has survived so no need to worry about the stuck ferment aspect. I don’t believe there is anything that can be done about any ‘cooked’ flavours that may have developed. If they prove a problem you may be able to reduce their impact if you blended the finished wine with another batch."

I don't know if I should add any more nutrient (Nutrivin) to the Merlot. The SG last night was 1.012 and I haven't detected any nasty smells yet. I'm kind of thinking that as the ferment has slowed and cooled and is nearly done, there is probably no need or should I do it as a precaution?

[SiSandrine]

I wouldn't add nutrient too late in the fermentation. It will be available to spoliage bacteria if the yeast doesn't use it all.

[SiSandrine]

I wouldn't add nutrient too late in the fermentation. It will be available to spoliage bacteria if the yeast doesn't use it all.

Or rather, be careful how much you add.

[Cellar_Rat]

I don't know if I should add any more nutrient (Nutrivin) to the Merlot. The SG last night was 1.012 and I haven't detected any nasty smells yet. I'm kind of thinking that as the ferment has slowed and cooled and is nearly done, there is probably no need or should I do it as a precaution?

I have NEVER needed to use nutrient in fresh grape wine. I have fermented many grape musts - for the past probably 10 years or more.
YAN (yeast available nitrogen) is a big subject and it is also possible to have grapes must tested for it. I have used RC 212, BM 45, and BM 4x4. All of these have manufacturers nutrient warnings. I have never needed to add any.

That doesn't stop me having half a kilo of Tronozymol in the fridge just in case. At the slightest slightest hint of rotten egg I shall be doling it out - make no mistake.

Continental grapes have had a very good upbringing and are very well balanced. My whole philosophy is to gently help nature along and only interfere with additives if it's going wildly off course. Not to interfere and risk bringing it out of balance.

Everyone winemaker will be different, have their own ways of doing things. It will not be unusual to see opinions on the same subject can vary wildly.

Not only can too much nutrient increase the chances of spoilage, there is new research that says too much nutrient is bad for the wine longer term.
There has in the past been a lot of commercial vineyards throwing in nutrient as a 'failsafe' to protect their investment, only to find it brings other issues further down the line.

If you have already added nutrient - I will take the risk and say it probably has enough. (cos I am doing the same grapes as you and mine are fine with no nutrient at all ) so you do not need to add any more.

Hope this helps