# First time using real grapes



## SLM (Feb 6, 2021)

I picked up 4 pails from WineGrapesDirect, CS, CF and 2 Merlot. Merlot is fermenting quite slowly. Used BDX in all musts. Room temp is 72.
Starting SG and @5 days:
CS: 1.106-1.028
CF: 1.106-1.022
M: 1.107=1.083
Would you add more yeast? I have EC1118 on hand.


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## NorCal (Feb 6, 2021)

As long as it continues to move, you are good, I’d let it ride. Punch down a few times per day.


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## Ajmassa (Feb 6, 2021)

No yeast. But i’d make sure to add nutrients to it. The slower ferments can tend to eat up the available food leaving nothing for later to finish dry. 
so if you weren’t adding nutrients i would now. If you already were then maybe break down the dose for a little bit each day instead of one or two shots. 

It doesn’t happen to be 2020 grapes from Wash St does it?


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## SLM (Feb 6, 2021)

Washington yes. The cab franc is 2020, the merlot is 2018 Red Mt.

I added 5g Fermaid O on day 2. Was planning on another 5g, which I can break into smaller doses. Is there any harm in adding more nutrients?


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## ybl84f1 (Feb 6, 2021)

As a newbie wine maker those pails of grapes look pretty awesome; as an old timer that has made pizza for decades I'm very interested in that sack of what looks like Pizza Crust flour! (I'm a "00" Caputo flour guy...).

(Today I just racked my WE Zin for the second time and my WE Chard will probably get its first racking tomorrow!)


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## Cap Puncher (Feb 6, 2021)

Do you have any bad smells coming from the Merlot? You may have a low nutrient must and BDX with Starting at 1.107 (brix=25.3) may need more nutrients. The red mountain merlot could easily be a low nutrient must. I would consider adding Fermaid K (which didn't come with the winegrapesdirect ingredient kit). Below is from the ScottLabs Fermentation. Handbook 2020. This would come out to 1.5 gm/gallon of must (15 gm for you 10 gal of merlot of fermaid O). Usually, normal Fermaid K doses would be 1 gm/gal of must (10 grams/ 10 gal). I would add the fermaid K if you can get it in before SG 1.070 (or a bit lower). The MoreWine Red Winemaking Outline is nutrient schedule is the fermaid O 1.5gm/gal at cap rise and fermaid K 
1 gm/gal at 1/3 sugar depletion. 


Also, it wouldn't hurt to reach out to winegradesdirect for suggestions either. They are good guys and are always willing to help. 

I am planning on getting 5 buckets of rattlesnake cab sav and 2 buckets of red mountain merlot in a couple months form winegrapesdirect. Thanks for the heads-up on the red mountain merlot.


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## CDrew (Feb 6, 2021)

Can you warm up the area about 5 degrees?

The CS and CF fermentations look perfect for your temp.

I would watch the Merlot carefully. Nutrients likely a good idea. I have no experience with BDX yeast, but my guess is, the yeast is not the problem.

I posted in my 2020 thread that, I had semillion and Sauvignon blanc side by side fermenting at the same temperature with the same Fermaid o schedule, and the Semillion brix dropped at half the rate of the Sauvignon blanc. Just the way it goes. 

Good luck.


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## SLM (Feb 6, 2021)

ybl84f1 said:


> as an old timer that has made pizza for decades I'm very interested in that sack of what looks like Pizza Crust flour! (I'm a "00" Caputo flour guy...).


There is a bread thread on this forum that includes some pizza talk. I propose a dedicated pizza thread. What could possibly be better than pizza and wine? I am Italian at heart. But as a member here says: No longer a newbie but still clueless. Me too.


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## SLM (Feb 6, 2021)

Cap Puncher said:


> Do you have any bad smells coming from the Merlot?


No, the merlot smells awesome, no issues there.


Cap Puncher said:


> Also, it wouldn't hurt to reach out to winegradesdirect for suggestions either. They are good guys and are always willing to help.


Yes Andrew has been very helpful. But I reached out here for more opinions as I feel quite at home in a state of confusion!
I will start with the nutrients first and monitor.


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## SLM (Feb 6, 2021)

CDrew said:


> Can you warm up the area about 5 degrees?


Yes thanks for that. I had the same idea and cranked it up this morning. Merlot is closer to the floor but could that really make a difference?


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## CDrew (Feb 6, 2021)

SLM said:


> Yes thanks for that. I had the same idea and cranked it up this morning. Merlot is closer to the floor but could that really make a difference?



Sure. Temperature has a huge influence on fermentation speed. Get the ferment to 75-80 and see what happens.


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## Ajmassa (Feb 6, 2021)

might need some more nutrients on the merlot. Apparently a lot of washington grapes had abnormally high amount of sluggish/stuck ferments reported according to Scott’s Labs. Even though the merlot is 2018 maybe it’s a similar cause. I did a red mt cab in the fall and was crazy slow. 

Ferm O calls for about 1.5g/gal so each 5gal could get (x2) 7.5g doses. (40g/hL) personally i’d go 12g for this 2nd dose but spread it out adding a little each day. this is basically what i did and it went fully dry. however I was using FermK w/ some extra DAP. Not saying this is what u need to do- just saying it’s what worked for me. 

good luck and keep us updated.


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## SLM (Feb 7, 2021)

I turned up the heat and am slowly adding nutrients as recommended. It's moving slow but sure.
Day 6: 17 Brix = 1.070 SG
At this pace it's going to be a long AF


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## heatherd (Feb 7, 2021)

As long as it stays moving you're good. Long ferments aren't necessarily bad.


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## Cap Puncher (Feb 7, 2021)

Going from 1.083 to 1.070 is a good pace. Hopefully the long fermentation will make amazing wine. I wouldn't do to many more nutrient addition after tonight or tomorrow. Yeast stop taking up nutrients after ~9% alcohol. You don't want to leave a nutrient rich environment for other microbes to feed on later.

Also, was the Cab Sav you are doing the Rattlesnake Hills 2019 from WineGrapes Direct? I noticed your SG start was 1.106. They advertised it was 24.25 Brix (SG1.1022) on their website. Was it really cold must when you measured it? I am just wondering because I am getting 4-5 buckets of it in a couple months.


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## Rice_Guy (Feb 7, 2021)

SLM said:


> I turned up the heat and am slowly adding nutrients as recommended. It's moving slow but sure.
> Day 6: 17 Brix = 1.070 SG
> At this pace it's going to be a long AF


Metabolism is extremely sensitive to temperature up till the maximum for that strain, insulating the carboy is another tool for pushing higher temp,,,, warning to this in that higher population requires nutrients or else off flavors start.
patience usually does the trick, unless you HAVE TO get the carboy emptied out.


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## CDrew (Feb 7, 2021)

SLM said:


> At this pace it's going to be a long AF



Maybe not. Once the temp is in the sweet spot, it goes fast. Glad it's moving for you. I like ferments done in a week which is rarely a problem in Northern California,

You are fermenting in the middle of winter. its going to take longer.


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## SLM (Feb 8, 2021)

Cap Puncher said:


> Also, was the Cab Sav you are doing the Rattlesnake Hills 2019 from WineGrapes Direct? I noticed your SG start was 1.106. They advertised it was 24.25 Brix (SG1.1022) on their website. Was it really cold must when you measured it? I am just wondering because I am getting 4-5 buckets of it in a couple months.


Yes that's the one I got. Like they say, chemistry will vary pail to pail. Mine was bang on 25, thawed at room temp. stirred up from the bottom in case sugars settled, same result.


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## SLM (Feb 8, 2021)

Now we're having fun


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## crushday (Feb 8, 2021)

SLM said:


> Now we're having fun
> View attachment 71427


Your pressed wine is surprisingly foamy. What variety is that?

And, secondary question: Are you planning on blending?


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## SLM (Feb 9, 2021)

crushday said:


> Your pressed wine is surprisingly foamy. What variety is that?


That's the cab franc. The cab sauv is also foamy but less so. After a couple hours in carboys the foam is increasing. I pressed at 0. What do you figure?





crushday said:


> And, secondary question: Are you planning on blending?


Yes I bought these grapes with the intention of blending them. Subject to change.


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## SLM (Feb 9, 2021)

Foam=still fermenting


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## CDrew (Feb 9, 2021)

That's outstanding. How is the Merlot coming along?

Your amount looks good too as when you rack again, you may be able to consolidate in 1 carboy with minimal head space.

I have found red wine will finish around -1 to -1.5 brix or so, so if you are at 0 brix, you still have a bit of fermentation to go.


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## SLM (Feb 9, 2021)

Merlot is still moving. Day 8, 11 brix


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## Cap Puncher (Feb 10, 2021)

SLM said:


> Merlot is still moving. Day 8, 11 brix


Out of curiosity, what nutrients did you end up adding to the Merlot? Any off smells in any of the ferments? Lastly is that a 6 gallon carboy you blended the CS and CF in?


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## SLM (Feb 10, 2021)

Oops I screwed my cab sauv.
I misread instructions for OptiMaloPlus. Calls for 1g/gal, I added 5g/gal! Any suggestions?


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## Cap Puncher (Feb 10, 2021)

I think you’ll just help out the malolactic fermentation a bit more. After your malolactic is done, your may want to be on the higher end of sulfites for your pH just in case you have nutrients left over. You could call Scott’s Labs for better direction.

Also, once malo gets going and if you were planning on blending the whole batch anyway, one option might be to blend the merlot and CS/CF half and half between 2 six gallon carboys. That would dilute the extra nutrients by half (still not perfect) Also, merlot is notoriously difficult to complete malolactic, so it could be an accident in disguise. 

You do have to be careful exposing malolactic to air though.


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## SLM (Feb 10, 2021)

Cap Puncher, I'll get those details to you soon. Right now I'm kicking myself for making such an error.


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## SLM (Feb 11, 2021)

Merlot
At 20 brix I added 5g Fermaid O
17 brix, add 5g Fermaid K
14, add 5g Fermaid K
Brix was dropping 3/day until today, day 10. It's at 6, just one down from yesterday.
Smells good
Too late to add more nutrients?


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## CDrew (Feb 11, 2021)

I likely would stop adding nutrients at this point. Just keep it warm (75-80F) and stirred up 2-3 times per day. It's moving just fine. In 5 days you've gone from 20 Brix to 6 Brix. I'm thinking that's pretty good for a winter fermentation.

And while I don't know for sure, I do not anticipate any problems from the extra OptiMalo, but when your Merlot finishes up, blend them together right then to both jumpstart the Merlot MLF, and lower the concentration of OptiMalo. If you are worried, the OpitMalo is just autolyzed yeast and will settle out just like other spent yeast bits. So if you're worried, wait a couple of days and then rack off the sediment.


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## Cap Puncher (Feb 11, 2021)

CDrew said:


> I likely would stop adding nutrients at this point. Just keep it warm (75-80F) and stirred up 2-3 times per day. It's moving just fine. In 5 days you've gone from 20 Brix to 6 Brix. I'm thinking that's pretty good for a winter fermentation.
> 
> And while I don't know for sure, I do not anticipate any problems from the extra OptiMalo, but when your Merlot finishes up, blend them together right then to both jumpstart the Merlot MLF, and lower the concentration of OptiMalo. If you are worried, the OpitMalo is just autolyzed yeast and will settle out just like other spent yeast bits. So if you're worried, wait a couple of days and then rack off the sediment.


I totally agree with CDrew, no more nutrients, and blend the merlot into the other batch to jumpstart malolactic on the merlot.


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## SLM (Feb 12, 2021)

CDrew said:


> If you are worried, the OpitMalo is just autolyzed yeast and will settle out just like other spent yeast bits. So if you're worried, wait a couple of days and then rack off the sediment.


Funny, I saw how quickly the solids settled and did exactly that. I didn't want to ask permission though in case it was a bad idea!


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## SLM (Feb 12, 2021)

Cap Puncher said:


> Any off smells in any of the ferments? Lastly is that a 6 gallon carboy you blended the CS and CF in?


After racking off gross lees I detected a slight rotten egg smell in the CF. Asked my wife's opinion and she didn't smell it. From what I read on this forum it could be anything from a normal ferment funky smell to a serious problem needing immediate attention. Not sure where to draw that line. A couple days later it is no worse.

I have not blended them yet. They are in separate 3's as I was hoping to follow each progression before blending. But if I keep making mistakes I may have to do that.


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## Ajmassa (Feb 12, 2021)

SLM said:


> After racking off gross lees I detected a slight rotten egg smell in the CF. Asked my wife's opinion and she didn't smell it. From what I read on this forum it could be anything from a normal ferment funky smell to a serious problem needing immediate attention. Not sure where to draw that line. A couple days later it is no worse.
> 
> I have not blended them yet. They are in separate 3's as I was hoping to follow each progression before blending. But if I keep making mistakes I may have to do that.


Rotten eggy odor directly after fermentation is an extremely common issue. caused by h2s. 
A good splash racking will blow off the smell. Always has for me. Bad cases require a little more TLC with copper products but this sounds like splash racking will take care of it. 

Btw your merlot timeline is sounding exactly like my cab from october. Red Mt as well. Was slow to start. fermentation went slow but steady—- till the end. those last few ticks took forever. 
from 1.010 to 1.000 normally would be a day max but this one was multiple days. i think i pressed around 1.000 SG and it didn’t go fully dry for another week. (ended at .995sg). As long as you see a drop each day then your good. Btw what are you using to measure your brix —hydrometer?


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## Cap Puncher (Feb 12, 2021)

SLM said:


> After racking off gross lees I detected a slight rotten egg smell in the CF. Asked my wife's opinion and she didn't smell it. From what I read on this forum it could be anything from a normal ferment funky smell to a serious problem needing immediate attention. Not sure where to draw that line. A couple days later it is no worse.
> 
> I have not blended them yet. They are in separate 3's as I was hoping to follow each progression before blending. But if I keep making mistakes I may have to do that.


I would look at the Scott Labs protocol. Preventing Sulfur Off-Odors in Red Wines | Scott Laboratories. I have had problems in the past in which I used noblesse. It works decent for sulfer smells. Ive used it during malolactic without issues. (It is and inactivated yeast product). After malo, you could splash rack when sulfiting and consider reduless if still having issues.


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## CDrew (Feb 12, 2021)

Another argument for the Renaissance family of H2S preventing yeasts. Totally takes it off the table. Avante, Bravo or Allegro all make the H2S smell a thing of the past. That's the best way to deal with this in my opinion..

I agree though, that an early splash rack is the thing to do.


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## SLM (Feb 13, 2021)

Thanks all, this is helpful. Just one more point of clarification. I did splash rack into carboys before MLF a few days ago, can do again after MLF completes. Would you suggest I try to splash rack again now? Or would I be introducing too much oxygen?


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## CDrew (Feb 13, 2021)

SLM said:


> Thanks all, this is helpful. Just one more point of clarification. I did splash rack into carboys before MLF a few days ago, can do again after MLF completes. Would you suggest I try to splash rack again now? Or would I be introducing too much oxygen?



If it still smells like H2S then splash rack. You have nothing to loose. Better yet, splash rack under vacuum.

If it smells clean, leave it alone.

I think some H2S is normal even during perfect fermentations, and I've detected just a funky hint, that's gone by the end of fermentation. But with the Renaissance yeasts, I don't even get that. Always totally clean out of the gate.


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## winemaker81 (Feb 14, 2021)

SLM said:


> Asked my wife's opinion and she didn't smell it.


If your wife didn't smell it, it probably isn't H2S. My experience is most women have a more sensitive sense of smell and H2S is VERY distinctive. Not in a good way.

Just in case, check it daily for a few days, and if you even suspect you have H2S, follow @CDrew's advice.


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## tullamore (Feb 14, 2021)

u can also try putting a copper wire in your carboy - let it hang - make sure u sanitize it - and make sure its 100 percent copper - works very well - smell will be gone in no time


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## Cap Puncher (Feb 14, 2021)

tullamore said:


> u can also try putting a copper wire in your carboy - let it hang - make sure u sanitize it - and make sure its 100 percent copper - works very well - smell will be gone in no time


I would NOT hang a copper wire in the carboy. For one, you would not now how much copper is going in. To much copper can cause bitterness and prematurely oxidize if your not careful (and is a heavy metal that can cause health issues I high amounts). 

I don’t think you are at that point yet. Keep smelling when you are stirring during malo. 

Also, as stated before, reduless is a product you can use. It is a inactivated yeast product with high copper content. When used, it leaves very little residual copper behind. 

Usually reduless takes care of things after 1 or 2 doses (sometimes more). Copper sulfate solution can be used for more difficult cases (but you would want to do small bench trials)


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## winemaker81 (Feb 15, 2021)

tullamore said:


> u can also try putting a copper wire in your carboy - let it hang - make sure u sanitize it - and make sure its 100 percent copper - works very well - smell will be gone in no time


*DO NOT do this.*

Copper does eliminate H2S -- but this is highly dangerous, *as it produces highly toxic copper sulfate*. While racking wine over copper _was _the accepted method of eliminating H2S for many years, it's not possible to measure how much copper sulfate is produced.

As has already been mentioned, dose with K-meta and splash rack -- this _may _eliminate the H2S if caught early. If it does not, there are products such as Reduless that can be accurately measured to avoid danger, and it settles out. I had my first time with H2S last fall and used Reduless, then fined with kieselsol/chitosan to precipitate everything as an extra measure of protection.


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## SLM (Feb 15, 2021)

winemaker81 said:


> As has already been mentioned, dose with K-meta and splash rack


Wait. I just began MLF. I don't add K-meta now do I?


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## SLM (Feb 15, 2021)

Merlot update

2 weeks to the day and we're down to 0. You were all right. Pressed today and the merlot smells great, tastes good. A pleasant surprise was the yield. I got 9 gallons from 2 pails.


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## CDrew (Feb 15, 2021)

SLM said:


> Wait. I just began MLF. I don't add K-meta now do I?



No. MLF can be inhibited by sulfite. Wait until MLF is done.


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## Cap Puncher (Feb 15, 2021)

SLM said:


> Wait. I just began MLF. I don't add K-meta now do I?


Do NOT add k meta until malo finishes. 
As soon as malo is done, I would kmeta and splash rack. You can splash stir hard under vacuum / inert gas. Again, malo can be sensitive to O2 added. Again you could look at the Scott’s lab guide and think about noblesse if you still have an issue. (It says to stir daily but you could just stir 2 weekly while malo is going on). Reduless can be used when you plan to rack after malo. The caveat is you are supposed to rack 3-5days after using reduless.


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## winemaker81 (Feb 16, 2021)

Waiting is the wrong answer. If there is H2S, treat it _immediately_. The only consideration is saving the wine. Read *this article* before continuing.

Splash rack the wine in a well ventilated area -- H2S is flammable as well as noxious smelling. If you have H2S, there will be NO question in your mind as the stench is amazing, and not in a good way. Rotten eggs and/or dog farts is a good description.

When I had it last fall, so I splash racked, added a double dose of K-meta, and added Reduless as soon as it arrived as there was still some smell. IMO MLF drops in importance, as it doesn't matter if you cannot save the wine.

In my case, I got (relatively) lucky, as the wine is 14 gallons of 2nd run, so my loss is not as shocking as it would be if it was the 1st run. I've got just a bit of smell remaining, so I'm looking at additional treatments to address that. 

This taught me a critical lesson, and that is ensuring the must has proper nutrients. The 2nd run fermented fast enough that I didn't add a second dose of nutrients. Plus I'm researching yeast varieties and will use a yeast that is anti-H2S forming next fall.


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## SLM (Feb 18, 2021)

The smell is gone.

At first my wife did not detect off odors. I told her what I smelled and she instantly got it. We both monitored daily and agreed that it was improving. Now we do not detect any bad smells at all. I think we got lucky. For now.

I do appreciate everyone's input and respect all comments. It helps me appreciate that what I am getting into is an art and there are no absolutes. Thank you


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## winemaker81 (Feb 18, 2021)

@SLM, count your blessings! This is fantastic news!


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## Cap Puncher (Feb 18, 2021)

SLM said:


> Merlot update
> 
> 2 weeks to the day and we're down to 0. You were all right. Pressed today and the merlot smells great, tastes good. A pleasant surprise was the yield. I got 9 gallons from 2 pails.



That’s a nice yield. Did you water back to begin with at all? Also, what was your yield on the cab sav?


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## SLM (Feb 18, 2021)

Brix adjustment on the merlot called for 530ml water. 
CS and CF each gave me just over 3.5 gallons. 16 gallons total, which is better than stated on their website. I'm pleased with the quantity. Now if the quality holds up I will be very happy!


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## Tim3 (Feb 24, 2021)

I realize this post is a little late as your wine is probably already in MLF. But I actually built a tool to help myself with questions like yours. I would have recommended you check your initial PH to make sure you didn’t need any acid adjustments. Also BDX without nutrient could produce H2S, but it sounds like the smell could just be from your fairly reductive fermentation and early press. Yeast needs some oxygen during fermentation or they tend to get stressed out! All things considered it looks good and if your wine did go reductive the smell would dissipate in 30 minutes after you decant.


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## Tim3 (Feb 24, 2021)

This is an example of that tool. If you give me your starting PH I’d be happy to post the results for your batch as well!


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## SLM (Feb 25, 2021)

Reductive. Please explain. Does that refer to reducing oxygen exposure?

pH on the CF was 3.94. The supplier provides a pre-measured pack of additives for each bucket, including tartaric acid, FT Rouge and Optired. Keeps it nice and simple for a rookie like me.


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## Tim3 (Feb 25, 2021)

SLM said:


> Reductive. Please explain. Does that refer to reducing oxygen exposure?
> 
> pH on the CF was 3.94. The supplier provides a pre-measured pack of additives for each bucket, including tartaric acid, FT Rouge and Optired. Keeps it nice and simple for a rookie like me.


You nailed it, reductive being all about limited oxygen exposure during fermentation and aging. Oxygen is needed to keep your wine from going reductive, which tends to produce stressed yeast producing mercaptans (basically sulfur compound). It's not always a bad winemaking style, and often done purposefully. usually those odors will dissipate with a decant. If you're aging in a barrel usually the barrel with "breathe" away those odors as well. But I do try to keep open top fermentations and don't try to reduce air exposure until nearly the end of primary. The link below might help explain it as well.






Can you explain "reductive" winemaking and "reduced" notes? | Wine Spectator


Wine Spectator's expert explains reductive winemaking, why winemakers may want to limit oxygen exposure during aging, and how to identify a wine with "reduced" notes.




www.winespectator.com




.


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## Cap Puncher (Apr 3, 2021)

Hey SLM, do you mind sharing the starting TA and pH (if you took them before adjustment) on both the Merlot and the Cab Sav. I am prepping for a fermentation in May and have 4 buckets of the exact same Cab Sav and 3 buckets of the Merlot. Thanks


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## SLM (Apr 4, 2021)

Sorry, I have not advanced to that level of sophistication, although I do have a pH meter now. I just trusted the data on their website and used the ingredients they provided. I know buckets will deviate from their lab tests, as did brix, but at my skill level I thought it safer to go with their formula. But let me know what you find and what adjustments you make.


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## Tim3 (Apr 4, 2021)

Cap Puncher, they do provide those numbers for you on their website. I've yet to find a must bucket that varies (in any real way) from what's posted. So if you don't have your own tools you'll be safe assuming their numbers are accurate. 

From their website the Merlot readings are:
*Red Mountain, Washington
Brix: 26.5, pH:3.62, TA: .54*

and the Cabernet Sauvignon readings are:
*Rattlesnake Hills AVA, Washington State
Brix: 24.25, pH: 3.51, TA: .7*


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## Tim3 (Apr 4, 2021)

As an example, given those Merlot numbers, below would be my plan. Note that you should consider a saignee to offset the water addition to get your Brix down.


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## Cap Puncher (Apr 4, 2021)

I do usually measure brix, TA, and pH. Honestly, I was thinking if the numbers are true to there website, I am going to ferment 4 buckets of the cab sav and 1 bucket of merlot together. Then, 1 will ferment the other 2 buckets of merlot separately. The combo, will give a brix of 24.7 and a TA=0.668, Maybe a pH about 3.53 to 3.55(?). Then, I would not have to water back 1 Merlot bucket. If the Brix is 25 on the Cab Sav (as SLM reported), the TA might be slightly lower. Then, I may leave as is and ferment the cab sav on its on and the merlot on its own. (I might get a 5th bucket yet of cab sav and do a 5 to 1 ratio of the cab to merlot (that would be brix 24.6, TA=0.673)). I have gotten buckets with numbers off (but not too far off before) from WGD. 

That's a sweet calculator Tim3, where did you get that?


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## Tim3 (Apr 5, 2021)

I like your idea to blend a bit to reduce the brix. Your numbers are right on for what you're thinking. From what I can tell these are the 3 scenario's you mentioned.




To your point if you're planning on blending all 7 together you wouldn't need to waterback, and saignee is optional depending on the style you're going for. I actually built this calculator (took quite a bit of work!), but would be happy to share any scenario you're thinking of to help you plan. Below would be an example of the plan for the 7 bucket blend you're thinking of doing.


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## Jezroti (Apr 8, 2021)

Hi Tim,

Your calculator intrigues me. What type of calculations are built into this ?


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## Tim3 (Apr 8, 2021)

Jezroti, 

I wish that were an easy answer. There are quite a few calculations built into this, about 400. But the more complex calculations focus on the volume of wine at different stages relatives to berry size and initial weight, PH adjustments, oak dosage, and the interaction saignee and waterbacking has on each of these. I posted the oak dosage portion of the calculator if you wanted to see an example of what goes into it here:





__





Replicating Oak Barrel Program with Oak Cubes


If anyone out there was like me and wanted to understand how to convert a barrel program into an oak cube dosage, I created a tool which might be helpful. The trick is understanding how both barrels and cubes give off their phenolics over time. Below is the graph for barrels. Anyway, there was a...




www.winemakingtalk.com





Otherwise, I'm happy to share an output with you if you want to give me the initial inputs (highlighted in orange).


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