2018 Grape Season Underway

[Ajmassa]

Well I asked for it in how I set up my wineroom. Sorting-crush-ferment-press-clean-age - all relegated to the basement.
And, as we all know, crushing is quite messy. Pretty much everything gets covered in sticky sweet grape juice.
Got the grapes late. Finished late. Did a half assed cleanup planning to do it proper after work Monday. I anticipated some but it’s like a damn horror movie.
I got a sheet over the big brute with bungees. A fan on high blowin over it. And water bottle traps set around the room (and house).
At least today I can mentally prepare before walking through the door.

 

[pgentile]

Well I asked for it in how I set up my wineroom. Sorting-crush-ferment-press-clean-age - all relegated to the basement.
And, as we all know, crushing is quite messy. Pretty much everything gets covered in sticky sweet grape juice.
Got the grapes late. Finished late. Did a half assed cleanup planning to do it proper after work Monday. I anticipated some but it’s like a damn horror movie.
I got a sheet over the big brute with bungees. A fan on high blowin over it. And water bottle traps set around the room (and house).
At least today I can mentally prepare before walking through the door. View attachment 51045

It is a messy process, not too bad with the manual crusher though.

You'll keep the fruit flies away with that setup. I have lots of spiders in my wine dungeon that take care of them.

 

[mainshipfred]

Sarcasm all the way. Dang Fred, will you stop out doing me in the number and variety of batches, my basement is only so big.

Out doing you, you got to be kidding. I'm just trying to keep up.

 

[Ajmassa]

It is a messy process, not too bad with the manual crusher though.

You'll keep the fruit flies away with that setup. I have lots of spiders in my wine dungeon that take care of them.

Paul, not even a little. Even with the fan some are still chilling on the sheet. It’s bad.

Good point about manual crusher. Probably would be much cleaner. Too bad I won’t find out unless the c/d craps out on me!
The one in the pic is just a backup right now. But kinda necessary. Since the c/d is older than dirt, and sometimes needs a lovetap with a wrench to get goin.
Probably gonna crush outside in a couple weeks.

 

[mainshipfred]

Well I asked for it in how I set up my wineroom. Sorting-crush-ferment-press-clean-age - all relegated to the basement.
And, as we all know, crushing is quite messy. Pretty much everything gets covered in sticky sweet grape juice.
Got the grapes late. Finished late. Did a half assed cleanup planning to do it proper after work Monday. I anticipated some but it’s like a damn horror movie.
I got a sheet over the big brute with bungees. A fan on high blowin over it. And water bottle traps set around the room (and house).
At least today I can mentally prepare before walking through the door. View attachment 51045

I should consider myself lucky to be able to take everything outside to crush, press, clean and rack if I had to. Still get fruit flies though just nowhere near that extent.

 

[Ajmassa]

The struggle is real.

 

[pgentile]

That's a lot of fruit flies. It must be the Drego Red.

 

[stickman]

You're going old school, so put some old school fly paper on that sheet.

 

[Ajmassa]

Is there any specific reason why bleach is never used on equipment ?
I put my cleaned c/d outside and was covered in em still. Possibly leading more into the house. Bleached the whole damn thing. Shoot 1st. Ask questions later.

 

[pgentile]

Is there any specific reason why bleach is never used on equipment ?
I put my cleaned c/d outside and was covered in em still. Possibly leading more into the house. Bleached the whole damn thing. Shoot 1st. Ask questions later.

What's done is done. I say spritz with kmeta sanitizing solution and then rinse. kmeta neutralizes chlorine.

 

[sour_grapes]

Is there any specific reason why bleach is never used on equipment ?
I put my cleaned c/d outside and was covered in em still. Possibly leading more into the house. Bleached the whole damn thing. Shoot 1st. Ask questions later.

Not entirely sure if you are serious or not. The reason we all avoid bleach is because of the danger of "cork taint." This is caused by a particular compound 2,4,6-trichloroanisole (better known as TCA). TCA is extremely detectable, down to ppt (parts per trillion) levels, and makes your wine smell like wet cardboard.

The chlorine in TCA comes from chlorophenols, which arise principally from use of bleach. That's why we avoid bleach like crazy!

 

[ibglowin]

Apple cider vinegar, water and a few drops of dish soap in a glass is your friend.

View attachment 51050
The struggle is real.

 

[ibglowin]

https://www.extension.purdue.edu/extmedia/FS/FS-50-W.pdf

Is there any specific reason why bleach is never used on equipment ?
I put my cleaned c/d outside and was covered in em still. Possibly leading more into the house. Bleached the whole damn thing. Shoot 1st. Ask questions later.

 

[Ajmassa]

Apple cider vinegar, water and a few drops of dish soap in a glass is your friend.

Yep. Thanks. I’m familiar with the concoction. And I substitute water for red wine.
Red Wine, Apple cider vinegar, and dash of dish soap to coat their wings. In a water bottle cut in half with the top flipped like a funnel. (Not sure if that makes a difference)
Eventually I just removed the tops to allow for maximum amount of flies. Had 3 in the room already. And more throughout the house. Few dozen flies in each.

 

[stickman]

The part about water quality bothers me. I don't have any proof, but I've always assumed that I have TCA in my basement general wine making area. I don't use any products with bleach or chlorine, and I always do a final rinse of equipment and tanks with chlorine free RO water, but I'm on a municipal well that's treated, so with all of the water that is used to clean the floor, spilled, open floor drain, etc. how could there not be some TCA floating around. The only positive thing is that nobody has complained of cork taint yet, maybe over time it's become part of the "house style".

 

[Boatboy24]

View attachment 51050
The struggle is real.

 

[Ajmassa]

The bleach thing was out of frustration after a 2nd long night of this.
2 pieces of equipment which were thoroughly cleaned and sanitized and out back were still attracting an ungodly amount of flies. Too close enough to the house for comfort.
I needed to nip it in the budd. So I said screw it- and spritzed the c/d and a 20gal brute with bleach.
I figured if there’s any negative repercussions I got about 2 weeks to clean it until I’ll be crushing again.
So after a 2nd night of scrubbing EVERYTHING Walter White style, equipment-floors-walls-even inside the damn shop vacs, I’m happy to report no flies were chilling out on top of the sheet this morning. Running fan, spotless room and multiple traps.
And I nice fat cap of grapeskins to boot!

 

[jgmann67]

Question for all you co-inoculation gurus: Other than WHEN the slurry of MLB and Acti-ML is introduced to the wine, is there anything else that is different?

I'm trying to mentally prep for my winemaking this year (only 10 days left to cogitate on it). So, I'm going to run through my supplies one more time and the thought struck me that the nutrient demands might be different with a co-inoculation than with a AF followed by a MLF?

 

[Ajmassa]

Question for all you co-inoculation gurus: Other than WHEN the slurry of MLB and Acti-ML is introduced to the wine, is there anything else that is different?

I'm trying to mentally prep for my winemaking this year (only 10 days left to cogitate on it). So, I'm going to run through my supplies one more time and the thought struck me that the nutrient demands might be different with a co-inoculation than with a AF followed by a MLF?

From all the reading I’ve done on the subject there doesn’t seem to be any suggested nutrient difference at all. (Majority of the studies didn’t use em)
Just when co-innoc’ing it’s important to also properly feed the yeast too. Otherwise you could potentially be robbing Peter to pay Paul. You’ve also got some goodies within the lees too. So if anything I’d think rehydrating with ACTI and dosing with opti might be more beneficial in a sequential innoc- since no lees and higher abv. Id just use a heavy hand in the opti and utilize all the known variables to help it along.

 

[Ajmassa]

Question for all you co-inoculation gurus: Other than WHEN the slurry of MLB and Acti-ML is introduced to the wine, is there anything else that is different?

I'm trying to mentally prep for my winemaking this year (only 10 days left to cogitate on it). So, I'm going to run through my supplies one more time and the thought struck me that the nutrient demands might be different with a co-inoculation than with a AF followed by a MLF?

From all the reading I’ve done on the subject there doesn’t seem to be any suggested nutrient difference at all. (Majority of the studies didn’t use em)
Just when co-innoc’ing it’s important to also properly feed the yeast too. Otherwise you could potentially be robbing Peter to pay Paul. You’ve also got some goodies within the lees too. So if anything I’d think rehydrating with ACTI and dosing with opti might be more beneficial in a sequential innoc- since no lees and higher abv. Id just use a heavy hand in the opti and utilize all the known variables to help it along.