Grapefest 2012 Ferments

[NorthernWiner]

I will follow Steve's lead here - wait a day, then rack off the lees. At least that's what I thought Steve did (I'm sure you'll correct me if required ).

You are correct, sir.

[fatbloke]

With my meads, I've learned to be patient, well reasonably so (some of it is laziness), but I've just done the cap punch down and added the step feed honey.

The last one treated was the pure Merlot, so I couldn't resist a tiny taste of.the must. Damn! It tastes like a mega dark, light, very fruity wine already.

I'm hoping nature grants me an extension on the patience, well at least enough to get the grapes finished, pressed and into glass, so I can hide it somewhere out of sight......

{edit} I wonder if I can get 5 boxes into one of those 60 litre fermenters ?{edit/}

[SiSandrine]

The downside is that the press bag is a lot coarser, so there is a lot more sediment in the DJs and carboys.

You could of course go and buy sufficient amount of net curtain of the desired hole size to reduce that initial sediment or some muslin/cheesecloth at Fabric Land or whatever your local fabric place is (if you don't have such a place I would welcomely send you some). This worked a treat on my home made press last year (and I am hoping this year - tomorrow).

[SiSandrine]

Breakfast while watching your wine press - the only way to start the day.

Brian - I agree but not all of us can afford a chap to do the wine pressing for us.

Or do you mean you have some automatic press gadget thingy which takes away the burden?

[goldseal]

You are correct, sir.

Thank you Steve .

Racking duly done. Played 'find the right combination of fermenters and topup bottles to leave no headspace and waste no wine', and won.

I was going to get MLF going, but Mrs. Goldseal has occupied the kitchen. Tomorrow morning then.

[Cellar_Rat]

Brian - I agree but not all of us can afford a chap to do the wine pressing

LOL

No chap - hydraulics.

[Delmonteman]

Pressed my grapes last night (I'm not really sure if I was supposed to but every one else seems to be doing it so I am basically copying/ following others!).

Out came the steel colander and I scooped off the skins from the cap into a seperate sanitised bucket... That was easy I thought, came back to it later after confidently explaining to the wife that 'it won't take me too long this evening to sort the rest out'...

Talk about jinxed! I started later in the evening on the remaining liquor thinking that it should strain quite easily in series through the colander, then my strainer funnel, then the sieve to try catch some of the crud. Well, sieve got blocked on the first litre and that nearly overflowed and went flying over the kitchen floor. I managed to stop pouring and saved the sieve so ditched that and used the first two. Then the improvised funnel strainer got blocked and that one did spill all over the kitchen. I decorated a clothes airer, the tumble dryer, the doormat and my boots on top of it, it even got on a carrier bag full of donated baby clothes, not to mention the cupboard doors and table legs in the immediate vacinity! Lesson learned, pour the whole lot through the colander and worry about the crud later?

Sanitation went out of the window half way through the mopping up stage (but I finally gave up on it when the wife (who was doing her best to help) picked grape skins up off the floor and threw them into the 'clean' bucket of grape skins I was going to use for the port...!)

So, I have a 5 gallon carboy and a 2.5l demijohn of fermenting wine... Do I need to worry about the sludge or can I wait for it to finish off then rack for maturing?

Help/ advice much appreciated!

[robwrx]

So, I have a 5 gallon carboy and a 2.5l demijohn of fermenting wine... Do I need to worry about the sludge or can I wait for it to finish off then rack for maturing?

Help/ advice much appreciated!

Sorry to hear of your woes over spillage. You must have a very understanding wife

You should be ok with the gross lees whilst still fermenting as you will need to rack when the ferment is over. Everything should have settled to the bottom of the carboy by then.


Racked and got the rose and Trebbiano under airlock. The Trebbiano is very interesting already with a nice sharp and definite lemony taste. I have high hopes for this.

[Delmonteman]

Thanks Rob, that's good to know. I'll relax now on the main ferment then until it finishes itself off!

[fatbloke]

Potentially stupid question & progress........

Evening all (knee's bend a la "George Dixon").......

Just done another gravity measurement. Pleased to see that this evening the 10 litre bucket with Tempranillo is at 1.010, the 27 litre buckets with Tempranillo and Merlot are both at 1.014 and the mixed 27 litre bucket (2 boxes Merlot and 1 of Tempranillo) is at 1.016

So I've just done a second step feed, of 250g per "box" of honey. This will likely be the last step feed, given what the start gravities you lot reported and that I've now managed to add 1kg of honey per "box".

I'm pleased with how this is progressing, but it's prompted a potential stupid question.

My aim to leave the skins etc until they sink. Can someone clarify "sink" ? Is it sink to the bottom of the bucket ? Or just sink below the surface ?

I'd like to know, because it seems likely that the main ferment would have finished before the skins sink to the bottom of the bucket and continual pressing down of the cap, would surely expose the grape skins/juice/wine/must/whateverit should be called at this stage, to oxidisation ? Especially as wine oxidise more and quicker than meads do.

Not worried per se, just that as it's my first go using fresh grape, I'd appreciate a bit of a steer on when to move to the next stage (of course, it's got nothing to do with the fact that I need to prep the glassware to rack it into, or that if it is nearly time to rack/press the pulp, I won't have time to do that before the weekend).

As ever, any guidance is very much appreciated

[goldseal]

All frementers innoculated with ML cuture.

[Cellar_Rat]

Can someone clarify "sink" ? Is it sink to the bottom of the bucket ? Or just sink below the surface ?

Proper sink to the bottom of the fermenter. Yes it will be after fermentation has ceased.

[fatbloke]

Proper sink to the bottom of the fermenter. Yes it will be after fermentation has ceased.

Ok, TVM for the confirmation Brian.

Guessing but I suspect its best to stop punching the cap down and let them finish/skins sink then.

[goldseal]

Personally I would keep punching down. When fermentation is finished they'll stop rising, and just sort-of hang there (a bit like it looked before fermentation started).

[Cellar_Rat]

Ok, TVM for the confirmation Brian.

Guessing but I suspect its best to stop punching the cap down and let them finish/skins sink then.

No don't stop punching. Particularly once the carbon dioxide cover is getting thinner