# First "real" attempt at grape winemaking



## acorn (Oct 18, 2014)

Hello, everybody!

Before today I made a dozen wines (while still learning all the various techniques and additives) from seedless table grapes, but mostly from non-grape fruits. Some of my first country wine batches were successful, even though I managed to pull it off with wild yeast alone  .

However, I decided to attempt some real grape wine making, so I got 72 lbs of Californian Merlot grapes at local wine grape retailer. It came chilled, in wood boxes with just a bit of mold visible. Having brought it home I sorted it, destemmed, and crushed it, thus making it 7 gallons of must (with skins). Added 1/3 tsp K-meta. Here are the stats of the "untouched" juice:

S.G. 1.100 (24* Brix). Great, no sugar is necessary!
pH is around 3.9 and acidity 0.48% tartaric acid (measured using acid testing kit). Instructions recommend bringing it to 0.60%-0.65% for red wines.
Room temperature: 70*F - 72*F.

So, before I pitch the yeast tomorrow, I guess it is time to add some more acid (I have a triple acid blend), some pectic enzyme, and yeast nutrient.

1) Since it is my first attempt at "real" grape wine, I would like to pose a few questions as the fermentation progresses. But, at this point, does anything catch your eye being wrong? 

2) I have these Red Star yeasts: Pasteur Red, Montrachet, Cote de Blancs, and Premier Cuvee. I am thinking to opt either for Pasteur Red or Montrachet. What would you advise?

Thanks in advance for any feedback.


----------



## ColemanM (Oct 18, 2014)

I would ditch the triple acid blend and use tartaric acid. Others with more knowledge will reply soon but that is the one thing that "caught my eye". 


Sent from my iPhone using Wine Making


----------



## nicklausjames (Oct 18, 2014)

I have also heard tartaric is better. I think the acid blend includes some tartaric but I think the other acids can easily convert into something not great for the wine. Anyways I remember reading to just use tartaric.


----------



## vacuumpumpman (Oct 18, 2014)

I also like using tartaric on grape wines - and I think I would of added a bit more meta that 1/3 tsp


----------



## acorn (Oct 18, 2014)

Thanks for all the cool suggestions. I had bad thoughts about this acid blend, but now, having it confirmed by you, I think I might just go to one of the local shops and see if I can find pure tartaric acid there.


----------



## acorn (Oct 19, 2014)

Update: Just came back from the store. They neither have tartaric acid, nor do they know what it is . Since I have to pitch the yeast today, what is the best option under the circumstances, to order tartaric acid online and wait a few days for it to be delivered and add it then, or just go with the blend now? If adding later, does this have a potential to stress the yeast and cause stuck fermentation?


----------



## seth8530 (Oct 19, 2014)

I would order it online and adjust after fermentation and mlf in this case.


----------



## acorn (Oct 19, 2014)

Thanks. Just ordered online, it should come around day 4 of primary fermentation, and I'll add it once the alcoholic fermentation stops. All I need to adjust is about 0.13 - 0.15, so I expect it won't affect the taste all that much. 

Here are some more questions: 

1) At what point during the winemaking process to add oak (chips, in my case), and how is it done best (I heard one can pass the chips onto a fishing line for easier removal)?

2) For full bodied wines (Merlot, in my case), is it advisable to go with MLF, or it depends? My books say Merlot has a moderate affinity for both oak aging and MLF. At this point it doesn't taste all that tannic or acidic, but I guess it hasn't been extracted all at crushing.


----------



## seth8530 (Oct 19, 2014)

For a red MLF is practically a must. Not only for the flavour profile but for stability purposes. As far as oak, I would stay away from chips and do cubes or even better staves or spirals. Oak can be added up front to help fix colour ( during fermentation) or it can be added in secondary for flavor and tannins. 

I would wait until MLF finishes before adjusting acid since it will bring down the TA on its own.


----------



## acorn (Oct 19, 2014)

seth8530 said:


> I would wait until MLF finishes before adjusting acid since it will bring down the TA on its own.



Since a MLF can take as long as 1-3 months to finish, does it mean I will be adjusting the acid that far in the process, or am I misunderstanding something?


----------



## seth8530 (Oct 19, 2014)

Pretty much, but MLF does not always take that long. Get yourself a test kit and test after a few weeks and see how it is doing. Or, if you have the $$$ to pony up for it, a vinmetrica can make testing for it pretty easy.


----------



## acorn (Oct 19, 2014)

Alright, I'll get the chromatography testing kit soon. My main concern for the time being, though, is how to keep the wine sufficiently protected from bacterial spoilage and oxidation at such high pH while also maintaining less than 10 ppm free SO2 for MLF to proceed at the same time?


----------



## seth8530 (Oct 19, 2014)

Hmm, PH is a little high. You might want to check to see if it has dropped a bit as f rmentation goes through.. You could make a small addition prior to MLF. But, make sure you dont drop the PH to the point where MLF wont work or move the TA out of balance just to move the PH down.


----------



## acorn (Oct 19, 2014)

Oh, okay, that sounds like it could work. I got a liquid White Labs MLF culture whose manufacturers claim it to work in as low pH as 3.0 and temperature above 55*F, and up to 15% alcohol by volume tolerance. So, even if I adjust the acidity by 0.15, it should still be well accepted by the culture. But yes, I will be careful: maybe I will split the acid addition in two, so as to make it gradual and put less stress on the wine and yeast that's in it.

But thanks for your help.


----------



## seth8530 (Oct 19, 2014)

Yup NP, hope it works out for you.


----------



## vacuumpumpman (Oct 19, 2014)

Acorn - 
Did you already pitch the yeast ?

If not you can add 1 gallon containers of ice to cold stabilization - you will get better color and tannins


----------



## seth8530 (Oct 19, 2014)

Porque? _


----------



## acorn (Oct 19, 2014)

vacuumpumpman said:


> Acorn -
> Did you already pitch the yeast ?
> 
> If not you can add 1 gallon containers of ice to cold stabilization - you will get better color and tannins



Yes, (un)fortunately, I did it this afternoon. The fermentation hasn't started yet, but I did add 3 ice packs to the must (probably around 1/2 gallon of volume) for a day prior to pitching that kept the internal temperature at around 63*F.


----------



## seth8530 (Oct 20, 2014)

Generally higher temperature gives better color and tannin extraction while cooler temps give fruiter flavors. However, I know some people like to go 90+ during ferments. I personally would not exceed the yeast listed temperature tolerance. I have tried splitting a ferment into a cool and a warm portion before and I liked the blended result a good bit.


----------



## acorn (Oct 20, 2014)

So, it is now the end of day 1 of primary fermentation. The wine went down about 4.5* Brix. Measured pH and now it seems that it's around 4.1-4.2, which is 0.2-0.3 increase from unfermented juice (but that may be due to CO2 concentration). I calculated that I need to add a total of 1.2 oz or 34 g of tartaric acid to bring up the TA to about 6.0-6.25 g/L based on the original measurement. I am still waiting for it, so hopefully it arrives right before the end of the primary fermentation.

Now, I have another forthcoming dilemma. The instructions that come with the malolactic culture say that it is better to pitch during the primary at about 5* Brix left to go. So, I have the following questions: 

1) Is it better to press early, transfer to secondary, rack off the gross lees and then add MLB, OR should I pitch in the primary with skins still present? I am leaning toward the first option, but then I will deprive my wine from extra contact with skins, which means less color and tannin extraction.

2) I decided I will add the 1.2 oz of aforementioned acid in three stages (well, when it gets delivered), so as not to stress the yeast too much and cause a stuck fermentation. Is it better to have it all added before the start of the MLF, or adding a bit more after the start is still okay? Again, my TA is so low and pH is so high that I feel I am going to panic, especially because I cannot add any SO2 for the MLF to proceed as it should.

Thanks for your help.


----------



## seth8530 (Oct 20, 2014)

I would not panic. First off, how are you measuring your PH? Second off, I would add the MLB during secondary after fermentation so long as the ABV does not get high enough to endanger the MLF in this case.


----------



## acorn (Oct 20, 2014)

I measure the pH by taking a cotton swab, dipping it in a wine sample, and lightly brushing the tip of a testing strip just enough for it to react with the indicator on the surface and not soak in with color (I use 2.8 - 4.4 range pH strips with 0.2 gradations). I know I shouldn't rely on precision with those, but I can definitely tell blue color when it is over 4.0 apart from green when it is 3.6 or 3.8. Besides, the grapes seemed to be overly ripe and sweet when I got them. I tasted no pronounced acidity or bitterness even when I chewed on the skins and seeds. 

As for the MLF, I thought so too, otherwise it will be too much hassle making sure everything goes right if I have to add acid, pitch the culture, press, transfer, rack, etc. 

I hope I am not losing much by pressing a bit early, though.


----------



## WineQuest (Oct 20, 2014)

The test strips are useless for pH.


----------



## acorn (Oct 20, 2014)

WineQuest said:


> The test strips are useless for pH.



I wouldn't argue about that, except to say that I only rely on it to give me a general picture and supplementary evidence for other tests, not a precise measurement. I am currently saving some cash for the vinmetrica sc-300 device, so hopefully that won't be an issue when I get it for my next batch. 

Still, using the acid testing kit, I know that TA is off, so pH is likely, too.


----------



## seth8530 (Oct 20, 2014)

Yeah, in your case I would simply adjust TA then and not worry about PH and make a conservatively high SO2 addition once MLF is done.


----------



## acorn (Oct 20, 2014)

Alright, thanks a lot, you gave me some peace of mind. I don't know why I overreact so much, considering how much blind and thoughtless winemaking I have been through just a couple of years ago, and yet managed to get drinkable wines in the end.


----------



## seth8530 (Oct 21, 2014)

Yeah, it usually turns out pretty good if you got good produce and so long as you don't do something to ruin it. I imagine, it is going to work out ok.


----------



## acorn (Oct 28, 2014)

UPDATE:

7 days ago I added 1.25 oz tartaric acid that brought down the pH to around 3.8 and TA up to 0.63, SG = 1.002

6 days ago I pressed and transferred to a secondary. Added liquid MLB culture.

4 days ago I splash racked from the gross lees into a 6 gallon carboy (I have a 5 gallon that I'll use later on to minimize headspace). It is still bubbling at a rate of about 1 bubble per 1.5 minutes. Here are the stats last time I checked about 3 days ago. 

S.G. 0.996 (I expect it would be close to 0.992 or so now, but I'll check)
Residual Sugar about 0.25% - 0.5%
TA = 5.5 g/L
pH around 3.8-3.9
Temp. 72*F

The chromatography kit is on its way, so I can mesure the progression of MLF.

The pictures below are of the wine at the current time. As you can see, I still have some lees forming from residual fermentation. 

Questions:

1) Since my alcoholic fermentation was not completely over when I racked off the gross lees, should I rack once again, based on the lees that you can see in the picture? 

2) From the information I provided, does anything else draw your attention? Any suggestions as to what should be my next step?

Thanks.


----------



## JohnT (Oct 28, 2014)

My greatest concern at this point is that headspace you have in your carboy. It is time to get that carboy filled up! That air in there is just trouble!


----------



## acorn (Oct 28, 2014)

JohnT said:


> My greatest concern at this point is that headspace you have in your carboy. It is time to get that carboy filled up! That air in there is just trouble!



Yup, I am going to rack it into my 5 gallon carboy within the next 2 days, as it finishes the fermentation.


----------



## seth8530 (Oct 29, 2014)

If the fermentation is not really moving at where it is right now, I would go ahead and rack into a 5 gallon.. However, if it is still moving I would go ahead and wait to rack... But, either way you are fairly close to a terminal gravity. Either way, it should finish within a day if it is at .996 right now.


----------



## acorn (Oct 30, 2014)

Okay, so as I racked the wine from the 6 gallon to a 5 gallon carboy I couldn't but notice a hint of a rather foul smell (not sure what is was), but when I smelled it in the 5 gallon carboy it was gone. I expect it had something to do with the residual gross lees left from the first racking. 

Speaking of lees, let me know if my shortcut to distinguishing gross lees from fine lees is good enough to apply it in practice. Basically, I notice that after pressing red grapes, for example, the lees on the bottom are white and creamy. Would I be correct in suggesting that these are gross lees? But after a racking or two, I begin to get a nebulous red-colored sediment on the bottom of the carboy. These are the fine lees, right? 

If so, what is the procedure of ageing the wine on the lees with oak? Should I just add oak staves/cubes to the wine and gently stir the fine lees once a week or two for the next 4-6 months?

Yes, I know I have too many questions I want answered, but I very much appreciate your feedback, as I learn to put the theoretical knowledge from reading books to practice.


----------



## seth8530 (Oct 30, 2014)

For the most part gross lees are the stuff that consist of fruit particles and other relatively large or heavy things. Fine lees tends to be stuff that participates out over time and mostly includes yeast and other fine particles. Typically you want to rack off from the gross lees.


----------



## acorn (Oct 30, 2014)

seth8530 said:


> For the most part gross lees are the stuff that consist of fruit particles and other relatively large or heavy things. Fine lees tends to be stuff that participates out over time and mostly includes yeast and other fine particles. Typically you want to rack off from the gross lees.



Thanks. Does it mean that I should leave it ageing from now on until a few weeks before bottling? What is the typical lees stirring and oaking schedule during bulk ageing?


----------



## seth8530 (Oct 30, 2014)

Lee stirring is not typical, but it is done. Read up on bottonage and surlie for that info. Could you take a picture of the sediment? It might make it easier to call.


----------



## acorn (Oct 30, 2014)

Here is the picture of the sediment. Some of it is still suspended in wine after the racking. As far as I can tell it is currently undergoing MLF, but I will check when I get the chromatography kit. 

Thanks, I'll read on battonage and sur lie ageing, but if I don't go with it, I should rack off the sediment that's in the picture before bulk ageing, right?


----------



## seth8530 (Oct 30, 2014)

Kind of hard to tell from the picture how much sediment you got. Could you illustrate with paint? Or describe where it is at?


----------



## acorn (Oct 30, 2014)

Sorry for my painting skills  . The sediment is about 0.5 inches from the bottom of the 5 gallon carboy, but I expect it will go up to about 3/4 of an inch when it all settles down. 

View attachment carboy_lees.bmp


----------



## seth8530 (Oct 30, 2014)

If I was you, I would let it settle out a bit more before racking, then I would move on to surlie or bottonage depending if your style of wine is compatible.


----------



## acorn (Oct 30, 2014)

seth8530 said:


> If I was you, I would let it settle out a bit more before racking, then I would move on to surlie or bottonage depending if your style of wine is compatible.



Alright, sounds good. Thanks a lot! I'll post an update when I get to that stage.


----------



## seth8530 (Oct 31, 2014)

Sounds like a plan.


----------



## acorn (Nov 2, 2014)

Having read a few articles on battonage and sur lie ageing, of which this one was pretty exhaustive I decided to give it a try, as I shouldn't be losing anything from it. Since it is my first time doing this, I will play "safe" and go with weekly stirring for the next 6 months. As the wine is going through MLF right now, I won't be degassing it now for extra protection, while I cannot add SO2.


----------



## acorn (Nov 6, 2014)

Another update (Day 21 since crushing)


S.G. (final??) = 0.995
Residual sugar = 2.5 g/L
pH (approximate) = 3.9
TA = 5.75 g/L
Temp. 72*F
Chromatogram (below) -> MLF started (lactic acid is present but not in the same quantities as malic)
A rim of CO2 bubbles can be observed stuck to the walls of the carboy on the surface of the wine

I stirred the fine lees and added medium toast oak chips in a nylon mesh bag that I made specifically to suggly hold the chips together as a stick for easier removal.

Potential issue that needs attention: I transferred the wine from the 6 gallon carboy to 5 gallon one, but there is still headspace left. At this point I see two options, I buy 2-3 bottles of Merlot from the store and top it up, OR I use my 3 gallon carboy that currently holds clarified raspberry wine (ready for bottling in a month) and fill it up. The problem is that commercial wine will probably contain a high ppm of SO2 which may inhibit the MLB if added at this point. I feel that the second option will be better once the 3 gallon carboy is emptied, so I won't degas or try to open this wine often until that happens. In fact, I injected some inert gas so as to minimize the oxygen content.

Any thoughts so far?


----------



## seth8530 (Nov 6, 2014)

I would add the wine from a bottle. Even if the SO2 is high on the bottle of wine you add it will be diluted down so I would not worry about it.


----------



## WineQuest (Nov 6, 2014)

If it is still going through ml there should be enough co2 in solution to protect the wine from oxidation. I would purge the headspace as an added precaution and let it finish. Ml bugs can be very sensitive to so2 so I would wait on topping with the store bought wine.


----------



## seth8530 (Nov 6, 2014)

WineQuest said:


> If it is still going through ml there should be enough co2 in solution to protect the wine from oxidation. I would purge the headspace as an added precaution and let it finish. Ml bugs can be very sensitive to so2 so I would wait on topping with the store bought wine.



I think it would be wiser to do the math and not risk oxidation. It is a simple matter to know the SO2 tolerance of your yeast and to come up with some base line predictions that you could expect the wine you will add to contribute to your overall SO2 profile.

Ie, if you have wine with 50 mg/l SO2 from comercial in it and you multiply The total volume of wine from 3 bottels to get 2.25 liters. Multiply that by 50 mg/l you get 112.5 mg of SO2. Divide that by the volume of 5 gallons (18.892 liters) you get an SO2 contribution of around 6 ppm ( mg/l). Or you could double it, if you were to make the bold assumption that wineries suck at so2 control and have 100 ppm so2 in their wine to get an increase of 12mg/l (ppm) in your wine.

So, yes I would top off with commercial wine.


----------



## acorn (Nov 6, 2014)

seth8530 said:


> I think it would be wiser to do the math and not risk oxidation. It is a simple matter to know the SO2 tolerance of your yeast and to come up with some base line predictions that you could expect the wine you will add to contribute to your overall SO2 profile.
> 
> Ie, if you have wine with 50 mg/l SO2 from comercial in it and you multiply The total volume of wine from 3 bottels to get 2.25 liters. Multiply that by 50 mg/l you get 112.5 mg of SO2. Divide that by the volume of 5 gallons (18.892 liters) you get an SO2 contribution of around 6 ppm ( mg/l). Or you could double it, if you were to make the bold assumption that wineries suck at so2 control and have 100 ppm so2 in their wine to get an increase of 12mg/l (ppm) in your wine.
> 
> So, yes I would top off with commercial wine.



Thanks for the tip. I was thinking about it, and it seems to be the best option at the time. My MLB has a tolerance <10 ppm free SO2, but I am unsure how much free SO2 is in commercial wine. I read it could be as high as 200 ppm. Since I have no way to know the SO2 content in red wine at the moment (due to lack of a more sophisticated equipment), I want to be prepared for the worst case scenario.


----------



## seth8530 (Nov 6, 2014)

I would be highly surprised if it was that high in SO2. Which MLB strain do you intend on using? Here is a question for you, why would a commercial winery with all its facny schamncy equipment and money waste money dumping extremely excessive amounts of SO2 into wine? These people who run these wineries know exactly what they are doing and I would venture to guess that they are certainly not winging it on the SO2. If the SO2 is at a certain level, I can almost guarantee you it is their for a good reason.


----------



## acorn (Nov 6, 2014)

I already pitched MLB about two weeks ago. I used White Labs Malolcatic Culture (liquid)

I'll do the calculations and add maybe 2-3 bottles to top the carboy off.


----------



## WineQuest (Nov 6, 2014)

It may not just be the amount of so2 but the shock of some suddenly showing up.


----------



## acorn (Nov 6, 2014)

WineQuest said:


> It may not just be the amount of so2 but the shock of some suddenly showing up.



Well, I'll try to be as careful and as dilligent as I can, but I don't see another way out at the moment. If I add the new wine 1 bottle at a time with 1-2 day breaks in between, it may just work.


----------



## seth8530 (Nov 6, 2014)

It looks like for the MLB strain you are using you should be able to tolerate the wine addition. If you are worried about it, you could aerate the wine you plan on topping off with to bind up some sulfites. All the same, that MLB strain seems picky.


----------



## acorn (Dec 28, 2014)

UPDATE 12/28/2014:

It has been 54 days since the first chromatography test (it's now day 75 from crushing), and it seems like MLF has finished (see picture). I had a box of store Merlot on hand, so I decided to put it onto the paper alongside my homemade Merlot, both of which you can see on the right hand side. The results are very similar, not only to the test, but also to the palate. I am very pleased all goes well so far. Anyway, this week I switched to fortnightly lees stiring schedule after weekly stirring for the past 5 weeks. The next time I stir, I think I will add the wine's first dose of SO2, as the MLF is complete, lest the whole batch spoils on me. As always, I would welcome any thoughts or comments you have to offer, if any.


----------



## acorn (Feb 9, 2015)

It has been well over 3 months since this batch finished fermenting and is currently ageing in a carboy. When I was adding a scheduled dose of SO2 last week I took a small sample for tasting and analysis. To me the wine tasted somewhat on a bland side. But it's of no surprise to me, since it doesn't have nearly enough acidity (pH at around 4.0 and TA of 4.3 g/L), even after my initial attempt to increase the acid content. However, I am thinking it would still deliver, if it had some more tannin in it. Hence the question, is it too late to add more tannin powder at this point?


----------



## acorn (May 9, 2015)

I would like to bottle this 4.5 gallon batch by the end of June (which will make it 9 months bulk aged). Turns out, it will become more of a rose-style Merlot than a classic red. However, it is sort of clear at this point, but not clear enough for me to call it "ready". As I will be waiting another month or two, I hope it clears up, else I have a pack of Super Kleer that I have been curious to see in action. 

Would you recommend using it for final clarification, or is there anything more gentle I could use? 

The haze is not pectin-related, nor does it seem to be a protein haze. It looks more like the wine that needs more time, which I, unfortunately, do not have due to approaching summer heat and lack of cooling equipment at my disposal.


----------



## heatherd (May 10, 2015)

If you want more red color, you could add elderberries.

Have you ruled out gas? May be worth racking and then giving a good stir.

Superkleer works within hours, so that will help you meet the deadline. It compacts the lees. The KC version is shellfish based, so is deadly to anyone with that type of allergy.

Heather


----------



## acorn (May 10, 2015)

heatherd said:


> If you want more red color, you could add elderberries.
> 
> Have you ruled out gas? May be worth racking and then giving a good stir.
> 
> ...



Thanks for the info. No, I haven't completley ruled out gas, though I doubt there is any significant amopunt left after multiple rackings and time that's gone by, but I will try whipping it up to see if any comes out at all.

Color preservation is not a big concern here, as I know it won't resemble red Merlot one typically expects to buy from a store no matter how hard I try, but rather a darker shade of rose type wine. So, even if it becomes a tad lighter, that's fine with me too.

I'll use Super Kleer as the last resort one week before expected bottling time, if the wine is still not clear. One thing about allergies, I read that the allergy causing shellfish proteins are degraded during the derivation and processing of chitosan component of Super Kleer, and so no longer pose threat to shellfish-sensitive people. Any thoughts on this?


----------



## heatherd (May 11, 2015)

Here's the WebMD information on Chitosan:
"Shellfish allergy: Chitosan is taken from the outer skeleton of shellfish. There is a concern that people with allergies to shellfish might also be allergic to chitosan. However, people who are allergic to shellfish are allergic to the meat, not the shell. So some experts believe that chitosan may not be a problem for people with shellfish allergy."

Better safe than sorry, and I'd rather tell folks and let them decide.

I use Superkleer KC on stubborn batches, so I just include than on my bottle labels as a warning when I am giving them to folks outside my household.

Heather


----------



## acorn (May 20, 2015)

So, I think this batch is complete. Just bottled it.

I ended up using Super Kleer in the end, as the wine was just too turbid, and I certainly could not wait another few months with this heat that's coming up.

Anyway, although the color is not as deep as I had originally expected, the flavor is surprisingly good and certainly comparable to that of Merlot that I'd expect to buy in a store, though still with a bit of bite from the tannins. I think a few months in the bottle will make it very approachable. In the end, I have to say that this 7 months journey (my first serious-grape one) from grape to bottle has been very gratifying and enriching. Big word of thanks goes to all who helped me along the way!

Cheers!


----------



## heatherd (May 20, 2015)

Congrats! Now on to the next one!


----------



## Angelina (May 20, 2015)

Your wine looks beautiful! Cheers!


----------

