Has anyone built an Estufa to make a Madeira. I have access to a bunch of figs and a recipe for Madeira Fig wine from Stanley Anderson's book. I've seen general instructions from his book and a Winemaker Mag. I'm just curious of anyone has tried to make one and would be willing to give me any tips.
Building an Estufa for Madeira
- Thread starter dfwwino
- Start date
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In lieu of an estufa, I'm also thinking about using a pail heater. See my post from Winepress on this topic below:
<DIV =postcolor id=post-223696>Has anyone tried to use a plastic pail heater (like beekeepers use to heat honey) to make Madeira in lieu of building a light-bulb estufa. It seems safer. See the link below.
http://www.farmeqpt.com/Questions/Bee-equi...tic-pail-heater
If so, can you apply the belt directly to a carboy? Would there be any problem with prolonged storage of wine in a plastic bucket given that it is Madeira, which is oxidized?
<DIV =postcolor>
<DIV =postcolor>Also, I hope that WE has another Australian Verdelho LE, which is one of the grapes historically used for Madeira. I'd take a batch and bake it.
<DIV =postcolor id=post-223696>Has anyone tried to use a plastic pail heater (like beekeepers use to heat honey) to make Madeira in lieu of building a light-bulb estufa. It seems safer. See the link below.
http://www.farmeqpt.com/Questions/Bee-equi...tic-pail-heater
If so, can you apply the belt directly to a carboy? Would there be any problem with prolonged storage of wine in a plastic bucket given that it is Madeira, which is oxidized?
<DIV =postcolor>
<DIV =postcolor>Also, I hope that WE has another Australian Verdelho LE, which is one of the grapes historically used for Madeira. I'd take a batch and bake it.
I think I would be more apt to use the pail heater on a carboy rather than a plastic bucket. I would be concerned that the high heat for a prolonged period of time, combined with the acids and the alcohol in the wine may leach more from the plastic than you want in your <?
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arttags" /><st1lace wt="on">Madeira</st1lace>. Although the Winemaker Magazine article states that an Estufa is easy to make, I can understand your concern about burning down the new house making wine.<?amespace prefix = o ns = "urnchemas-microsoft-comfficeffice" />
Saturday, you had mentioned using your attic as an Estufa. I found this in Karen MacNeil’s book <I style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">The Wine Bible[/I]: “However, for the very finest Madeiras (a minuscule 3 percent of all <st1lace wt="on">Madeiras</st1lace> made) the heating process is carried out naturally. Casks of the best wines are placed in the attics of the producers’ lodges (warehouses), which, sitting under the hot Madeiran sun, build up tremendous heat. There the casks remain undisturbed usually for about twenty years although sometimes for longer.”
Perhaps you could build an insulated box without the heating source. Place the box with the wine inside in your attic to cook. Using an insulated box may serve to somewhat moderate the day to night temperature swings much as the large quantity of wine in the cask would do.
Here’s something to ponder. Using the Californiafrozen juice Chenin Blanc, split it into two batches, one processed as Chenin Blanc and one processed as <st1lace wt="on">Madeira</st1lace>. If the Madeira doesn’t work out, you can drink the Chenin Blanc while thinking of improvements for the next <st1lace wt="on">Madeira</st1lace>.
Add the chopped figs to the <st1lace wt="on">Madeira</st1lace> primary. After fermentation, sweeten to taste and fortify to about 20% with Everclear. Let it age in your winemaking area in a five gallon carboy. This should give plenty of head space for oxidation. About the middle of May transfer the wine to the insulated box in the attic and leave it there until the middle of September or October. Alternatively, you could keep it topped up in a three gallon carboy and rack to a five gallon when transferring to the Estufa. About once a week, check on it to see that everything is okay.
Will you be cooking your <st1lace wt="on">Madeira</st1lace> for twenty years?
amespace prefix = st1 ns = "urnchemas-microsoft-comfficearttags" /><st1lace wt="on">Madeira</st1lace>. Although the Winemaker Magazine article states that an Estufa is easy to make, I can understand your concern about burning down the new house making wine.<?amespace prefix = o ns = "urnchemas-microsoft-comfficeffice" />Saturday, you had mentioned using your attic as an Estufa. I found this in Karen MacNeil’s book <I style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">The Wine Bible[/I]: “However, for the very finest Madeiras (a minuscule 3 percent of all <st1
lace wt="on">Madeiras</st1lace> made) the heating process is carried out naturally. Casks of the best wines are placed in the attics of the producers’ lodges (warehouses), which, sitting under the hot Madeiran sun, build up tremendous heat. There the casks remain undisturbed usually for about twenty years although sometimes for longer.”Perhaps you could build an insulated box without the heating source. Place the box with the wine inside in your attic to cook. Using an insulated box may serve to somewhat moderate the day to night temperature swings much as the large quantity of wine in the cask would do.
Here’s something to ponder. Using the Californiafrozen juice Chenin Blanc, split it into two batches, one processed as Chenin Blanc and one processed as <st1
lace wt="on">Madeira</st1lace>. If the Madeira doesn’t work out, you can drink the Chenin Blanc while thinking of improvements for the next <st1lace wt="on">Madeira</st1lace>.Add the chopped figs to the <st1
lace wt="on">Madeira</st1lace> primary. After fermentation, sweeten to taste and fortify to about 20% with Everclear. Let it age in your winemaking area in a five gallon carboy. This should give plenty of head space for oxidation. About the middle of May transfer the wine to the insulated box in the attic and leave it there until the middle of September or October. Alternatively, you could keep it topped up in a three gallon carboy and rack to a five gallon when transferring to the Estufa. About once a week, check on it to see that everything is okay.Will you be cooking your <st1
lace wt="on">Madeira</st1lace> for twenty years?Joseph, I was actually eyeing the Chenin Blanc this morning and thinking the same thing about adding some figs and doing a 3 gallon batch. That's a bit scary we're on the same wave length. I've also been thinking that if WE does another LE Verdelho, I will buy that and use three gallons to make the madeira. I am going to make a journey to Home Depot later this week and do some research on fire resistant materials. I may do as you suggest or try the light bulb method to be able to make Madeira during months other than Summer. I will not be cooking the Madeira twenty years. I'm a patient winemaker, but want to ensure I'll be around to drink it. I'll probably shoot for 3-6 months of cooking. I have been wanting to do this for several years and really want to give it a shot once I move into the new house. Thanks for all your advice.
Next time you are in the <?amespace prefix = st1 ns = "urnchemas-microsoft-comfficearttags" /><st1:City wt="on"><st1lace wt="on">Galveston</st1lace></st1:City> area<?amespace prefix = o ns = "urnchemas-microsoft-comfficeffice" />
http://www.texascooking.com/features/dec2006_haak_vineyards.htm
amespace prefix = st1 ns = "urnchemas-microsoft-comfficearttags" /><st1:City wt="on"><st1lace wt="on">Galveston</st1lace></st1:City> area<?amespace prefix = o ns = "urnchemas-microsoft-comfficeffice" />http://www.texascooking.com/features/dec2006_haak_vineyards.htm
OK. Over a year later, I'm finally getting around to building my estufa. Tonight, I bought a mechanic's lamp and a light dimmer for floor/table lamps to control the amount of light. I've got a box sketch for lumber prepared and will buy myself some 4 x 8 plywood and 1" x 2" to support the box of plywood. I will add fireproof insulation to the inside and will provide more details later. I plan to build this right after Christmas. I think I'll make a Chardasia (Chardonnay and Malvasia) and reserve 3 gallons for the Estufa to makea Madeira.
Please keep us up to date on this project, because it is on my rather long to do list. I am however starting to consider just tossing it into the attic knowing it will be able to cook for quite a while and I don't have to worry about burning down the house!
VPC
VPC
My new house has no attic space except for the HVAC system. Plus I want to be able to bake my wine any time of year.
I plan to buy a 4 x 8 section of plywood (3/4 inch) on Friday and plan to cut it into two sections of 32" x 22", two sections of 23 1/2" x 22 and two sections of 23 1/2" x 33 1/2."
I plan to buy a 4 x 8 section of plywood (3/4 inch) on Friday and plan to cut it into two sections of 32" x 22", two sections of 23 1/2" x 22 and two sections of 23 1/2" x 33 1/2."
