Search results

I must pull back on the reins this year! It’s crazy how this hobby unintentionally expands until something hits a hard limit. 60 gallon barrel estate Zin 60 gallon barrel estate Syrah 30 gallon Spiedel estate Cab Sauv 5 gallon a tbd white wine This assumes a similar yield as last year, which...

Some barrel tasting. And all the leftovers (whites, reds) blended together and a “Frankenstein” bottle for everyone to take home. We opened the Frankenstein bottle from last year and it was pretty darn good.

Fun tasting with our group tonight. Barrel tasting, recently bottled and some state fair award winners shared. Among the group @4score, @Busabill, @crushday delivered some very nice wines. However, the wine that stole the show for me was this one. Better than many $100+ bottles I’ve had...

I adjust the sugar to taste. Below is my proportions and an email I wrote to a buddy that was making a large batch. I use a lot of lemons and shows how much sugar as a baseline. ———— 1.5L of everclear 60% abv The zest of 20 lemons 3.5 cups of white sugar 5 cups of filtered water ————-...

Storing in bulk under 40 degrees will help facilitate the fallout.

When I make a rose while doing saignee, I typically remove the juice immediately, then add juice on the skins to color the rose to my liking. Even when pulling right away, it is still has some color to it. I remember taking a picture, I’ll try to find.

It’s happened to me as well. Crazy reaction. You’ll be fine. I think in reality, very little mlb is necessary for the wine to successfully complete mlf.

The US legal limit on total (not free) SO2 is 350 ppm, which would be quite a bit. The sensory limit is very much dependent upon the individual. pH has a non-linear impact on the efficacy of SO2, thus you have to add a lot more on the higher pH wine. Example: adding a 1/4 table spoon every...

I Know this is a different scenario than what you are referring to, but I’ve bottled a wine that didn’t go dry during fermentation, no sorbate and was stable for 6 months. Sure enough, it decided to finish fermentation in the bottle a month later. I guess the point is, I’m not sure waiting...

60 gallon 2022 cab franc barrel, to be bottled Feb/Mar 60 gallon 2023 chardonnay barrel to be bottled Mar/Apr 60 gallon 2023 Syrah/Zin barrel, aging until 2025 30 gallon 2023 Cab spiedel, aging until 2025 5 gallon 2022 petite verdot, holding on for future blending 5 gallon 2022/2023 blend...

As noted in the first post, the goal was to make a wine in the Rombauer style: peach, citrus, creamy and some would call buttery. I see this style of Chard as being less bright (acid influence), rounder, fuller flavor and developing as much diacetyl (buttery notes) as possible. MLF achieves...

I ordered a French oak barrel pack of wine spirals, light toast for the Chardonnay. I'm shooting for 2nd year or so equivalent oak, so I will take two of the spirals out of the 6 spirals in the pack and use them in another wine. I also did a cyber Monday sale to buy labels, a tribute to one of...

The juice companies take care of the prep, the juice should have already been sulfited. You can add too much nutrient; you want all the nutrient consumed by your yeast and not leave any behind for spoilage organisms.

No need to add sulfites, pectin or adjustments when it arrives, everything should be ready to go when the temperature is right. There are lots of proven yeasts and mlb for Chardonnay, depending on the style you are trying to make. Half of the Ferm-O should be added at the first sign of...

Assuming a 5 gallon carboy? I’d bring it up to a full 50ppm the day before bottling.

Welcome. As others have said, oxygen is your friend during fermentation and your enemy after. For aging you will want full containers.

TR-313 Renaissance yeast is what I use for all my whites! NO H2S TR-313 is an intensively aromatic strain Releases an exceptional amount of thiols and esters during fermentation TR-313 has the ability to reveal pronounced aromas of Passion fruit, Guava, Grapefruit, Gooseberry, and...

I highly suggest not using a copper pipe to remedy H2S, which would give you an uncontrolled amount of copper in your wine. Some people have bad reactions to heavy metals in their systems. The active ingredient in redulees is copper, but it is a small and controlled amount, which precipitates...

Our 6th grandchild’s baptism.

I’ve been monitoring the mlf bubble production and it has ended. Looking at last years test notes, mlf was shown as completed now. Plan is to rack this weekend. I’ve been really good at daily stirrings. My plan is to do a “dirty” rack; purposely retaining some of the fine lees, then shifting...