2023 Port

[winemaker81]

In December 2022 my son & I decided to construct a Port-style wine using 2021 wine that had been barrel aged for a year. Overall, the experiment was a success. So, we decided to do it again with a 2023 wine that was barrel aged for 1 year.

In the Fall 2023 we fermented 2 Sangiovese juice buckets with the pomace from 20 lugs of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Merlot. Most of it was aged in a 55 liter class barrel and the remainder in 2 carboys. We bottled 7 cases of wine last month, stopping because we ran out of bottles. The remainder, including residue from the barrel, went into a 12 liter carboy.

This morning we bottled 7 regular bottles from this, and transformed the remainder into a Port-style wine.

We added K-meta and 7 oz glycerin to the 12 liters, then bottled the 7 bottles. We started with 5 oz glycerin, but it didn't do much. An additional 2 oz dramatically changed the mouthfeel.

For the remaining 6 liters of wine, we added 0.68 liters EverClear 151, which bumped the ABV to 20%. Then we added 3 more oz glycerin, which reduced the heat and bumped the mouthfeel back to where it had been.

@Ohio Bob suggested I go with 1 oz glycerin per quart, which is what I use for liqueurs such as limoncello. I typically use 1 to 1.5 oz per 1 gallon of wine.

The final tally was 6.5 oz glycerin in 6.68 liters (6 liters wine, 0.68 liters EverClear), so his recommendation was spot on. Note that I'd not add that much glycerin blindly, but taste testing showed that it was the right amount.

The 2021 Port started with 3/4 cup sugar, and prior to bottling we added an additional 1/4 cup. My son & I agreed to start with 3/4 cup -- it seemed right. We stirred well, tasted it, and agreed on an additional 1/4 cup. Taste testing proved that amount correct.

We netted 18 split bottles.

This time we checked SG after every addition. It's interesting to see how the SG changes.

Stage	Specific Gravity
base Sangiovese	0.995
added 7 oz glycerin to full batch (12 liters)	1.003
Added 680 ml EverClear to 6 liters wine	0.996
Added 3 oz glycerin to 6 liters wine	0.999
Added 1 cup sugar to 6 liters wine	1.011

The residual sugar is 3.2%, which is a bit low for a Port, but it's what tasted right.


EDIT: My complete notes for the Port are here: https://wine.bkfazekas.com/2023-port/

 

[Shurt1073]

Your project shows bench testing is important to get it just right.

 

[winemaker81]

Your project shows bench testing is important to get it just right.

Very true. Oh, a decent product can be made by going with percentages, but it's better to work through it.

My son has been my go-fer since he was 8 years old, and in the last six or seven years, has moved into co-winemaker. I could do something like this on my own, but having his opinion makes it better.

A lot of our communication is silent. After taste testing the 3/4 cup sugar addition, I was thinking it needs another 1/4 cup. As I did that he scooped another 1/4 cup and held it up. I just nodded. We both had the identical thought.

We have started discussing what to make next fall. Gino Pinto has had Pinotage the last 2 years. If they have it next fall, we'll probably buy 8 lugs. I've made kits twice and we really liked them, so he's nudging me towards grape. It's good for me to have someone to bounce ideas with, and he'll push me in directions I might not otherwise go.

In 2022 he wanted Tempranillo, so we went with grapes, and it's a very successful one. In 2023 my niece asked about Chianti, so we went with Sangiovese juice buckets fermented with pomace from Bordeaux grapes (this is what we made the Port with). With her, the bummer is that she and her husband are not physically present, which they'd like to be.

This is a good recommendation for everyone -- if you don't have someone to bounce idea with, post on the forum and get feedback. It's not quite the same, but it makes winemaking less of a solo experience.

 

[A14ES]

Merry Christmas. A question to Brian: when you experiment (with sugar or glycerin or Everclear etc), do you do it on the whole lot or say 100mL on the bench? Thank you.

 

[winemaker81]

Merry Christmas. A question to Brian: when you experiment (with sugar or glycerin or Everclear etc), do you do it on the whole lot or say 100mL on the bench? Thank you.

Merry Christmas! Pour a large glass of wine, because you have an essay answer to read!!!

What we do varies depending on what the action is.

For blending wines, while I do some field blends, if it's post aging blending, we do measured testing. The CF, CS, Merlot blending we did in November is case-in-point. Based upon a commercial wine we like, we expected to do a (roughly) 60/30/10 blend of CF/CS/Merlot and CS/CF/Merlot, making 2 blends from 3 wines.

We hated both blends, and ended up making 3 wines:

CF 100
CS 80 / CF 10 / M 10
M 60 / CS 30 / CF & CS barrel residue 10 -- this is a Frankenwine

By "Frankenwine", I mean we had 19 liters of CS/Merlot blend, 12 liters Merlot, and slightly less than 4 liters CF/CS residue from the barrel (mud that we cleared in a fridge). Our wine is split between 3 people, and there wasn't enough wine left to make it worth while to try to make an optimal blend, then deal with whatever was leftover from that effort. So we just said, "screw it", and poured it all into a primary. Worst case scenario is we have 3.5 cases of cooking wine.

If that sounds a bit crazy, consider that while we have members who make one or two 19-23 liter carboys per year, we also have members who make single batches that is more than my annual production of 70+ gallons per year. We have a lot of different needs represented on the forum.

The method we use for our 2022 wines is documented here: https://wine.bkfazekas.com/how-i-blend-wines/

For the EverClear, we simply planned for 20% ABV and used Pearson's Square to determine percentages. To be completely honest, we had roughly 6 liters of wine and the EverClear value was something my beaker is not graduated finely enough to measure, so I eye-balled it. When we add sugar, the ABV will go down a bit as the volume increases slightly. Trying to nail a very specific ABV is not realistic.

The glycerin? I've been making wine for decades and have sufficient experience to make a good guess. I always add less than I expect, 'cuz it's easier to add more than to take some out. I figured 5 oz in 12 liters would be more than sufficient, and both my son and I were surprised that it wasn't.

REALLY surprised, because the main batch of Sangiovese took a bit over 1.25 oz per 4 liters. However, this wine is leftover from the first bottling PLUS residue from the barrel (cleared in the fridge), so it has more oak character than the main batch. It is a different wine.

My explanation so far is of no use to folk without experience. I suggest starting with 1/2 oz per 4 liters, adding more as needed.

Bench testing small amounts and scaling up works in theory, but I've experienced it failing catastrophically in practice, where too much of a substance was added. IME starting with small additions, stirring very well between additions, and when you think it needs just a bit more, STOP. -- this works, if the winemaking is paying attention and stops. This method is not satisfactory for everyone.

Ditto with sugar. My son & I rely on experience, and it works for us.