What's going on in your winery today..

[NorthernWiner]

Does it matter if the wine has been previously cold stabilised? Is there a limit to how much acid will drop out?

Rob, there is a limit, but it's not a predictable one. Wines precipitate tartrate until they reach equilibrium somewhere below the saturation point.

[NorthernWiner]

If its the same Grenache that I got at Grapefest then bleed it off quick. Thick and inky black. I tried to bleed some off after a couple of days by then too late. Still a little like treacle after a good couple of rackings too.

You guys are very fortunate to get Grenache with good color. That's one grape that doesn't grow all that well here in the states. Well, actually we grow a LOT of it, but it's not very good quality and almost always lacking color. From what I've read, the hot California sun bleaches the pigment out of it.

About the only thing we can make with it is White Grenache.

[robwrx]

If its the same Grenache that I got at Grapefest then bleed it off quick. Thick and inky black. I tried to bleed some off after a couple of days by then too late. Still a little like treacle after a good couple of rackings too.

Lovely though.

The Grenache is like two giant purple ice cubes at present. I think it needs to defrost properly before I do anything with it just in case there is any separation of its constituent parts. I will take my chances.

I bled the Tempranillo after 36hrs or so and that is probably the darkest Rose I've ever seen. I'm thinking of filtering it to see if I can remove a bit of colour.

[robwrx]

Rob, there is a limit, but it's not a predictable one. Wines precipitate tartrate until they reach equilibrium somewhere below the saturation point.

Ok thanks Steve. I will proceed slowly with small acid additions and see what drop in PH I can get without increasing the TA to undrinkable levels.

[robwrx]

Not a lot happening in my winery. Checked temperature of defrosting Grenache 24 hrs after they arrived and temp was a lowly 3c. Checked again 10hrs later and temperature has risen to only 5c. At this rate I will be pitching yeast on Christmas day.

[NorthernWiner]

Pressing Merlot and Cab Sauvignon this evening. The Merlot finished two days ago, but the Cab is still bubbling away. I had hoped they would all finish at the same time, because I only want to get the press out once. Oh well. Everything is going to be pressed tonight regardless.

It will all go into barrels Saturday morning, where it will have a nice yearlong sleep.

[goldseal]

Reassembled my floor corker yesterday. Another one of the plastic jaws broke, but it was only an internal rib, so a great lump of epoxy putty solved the problem (I hope).

I think the plastic jaws just get brittle with age, so it is living on borrowed time. I'd better start saving for a brass version

[Cellar_Rat]

so it is living on borrowed time.

I am sure I have seem replacement jaws somewhere - Brewland may be?

[RTPFUN]

Well that's the wine making finished for the year as we will have a house full over Christmas and we’ll need the room. So over the last two days I've filtered and bottled a WN1 a WN1 rose from Lidl mixed grape juice an elderberry wine and a chocolate raspberry port sorted out the cellar and put all the carboys up in the loft.

[Rich]

Some in depth carboy scrubbing today and racking 2 kits into clean carboys.

Not given them a good internal scrub for a while, just usually made sure they are clean looking and sanitised.

[robwrx]

Grenache from frozen grapes started last night after drawing off 6 litres for Rose. Trying Vintners Harvest VR21 in the Grenache and Lalvin 71B in the Rose.

Skins are very mushy compared with fresh 1st run skins and remind me of the condition that skins are in during a 2nd run. I assume this is due to the freeze thawing process but I imagine that means I've got good extraction from the skins as the Rose must is quite dark.

[Cellar_Rat]

Are they the same grape? Skins vary across the varieties.

[SiSandrine]

Rob - even the (unfrozen) ones I had became mushy very quickly. Really high colour extraction but a devil to filter.

[Cellar_Rat]

just racking the white - eeeeek - it actually tastes OK.

[robwrx]

Brian? Brian!!! Is that really you?

Good point about the mushy skins, I have never fermented Grenache before. Impressed with extraction though.

Cool ambient temperatures helping to keep ferment temperature down, no run away high 30's this time.