Cream Sherry - Kit conversion or Homemade

[hawkwing]

One of the benefits of making a yeast starter is that you can verify that your yeast is good before adding it to your must.

I know I should have waited longer but I wanted to go to bed.

I feel like I'm making more mistakes on this than I've made in a long time. I had to skim some white mold off the top. I guess I need to punch it down regularly.

It looks like it might be fermenting now but I'm still tempted to dose it with 1118 to make sure I know what's in there.

 

[hawkwing]

It took off finally. Now I'm hoping that the 30L fermenter has enough room to not make a mess overnight. It's mere inches from the top. I didn't add the 1118.

 

[hawkwing]

How long would you ferment with the raisins in?

 

[Raptor99]

I would take them out when you are ready to rack into secondary, which most people do once the SG drops below 1.010.

 

[hawkwing]

I have to go away for a week and am worried about them being on top and growing mold without punch downs.

 

[winemaker81]

I have to go away for a week and am worried about them being on top and growing mold without punch downs.

Seal the fermenter, as folks do with EM. Since EM works, your wine should be fine for a few days.

 

[hawkwing]

Seal the fermenter, as folks do with EM. Since EM works, your wine should be fine for a few days.

What is EM? I assume now that CO2 is being produced it should be ok. It was going fast yesterday so maybe everything will sink soon.

 

[winemaker81]

What is EM? I assume now that CO2 is being produced it should be ok. It was going fast yesterday so maybe everything will sink soon.

Extended Maceration. Look at the Finer Wine Kits (FWK) threads, as the red kits with skin packs call for sealing the fermenter around 1.010 and letting it set another week or 2. In that context, and in others, folks are doing EM up to 8 weeks.

Between the CO2 and humidity, your wine should be fine.

 

[hawkwing]

Is a sherry not a white wine? Have I already broken the rules by fermenting on the skins?

 

[winemaker81]

Is a sherry not a white wine? Have I already broken the rules by fermenting on the skins?

Sherry is a white wine. However, there are no rules -- only suggestions and guidelines.

 

[hawkwing]

It finished fermentation and I pressed it in my wine press. It settled out nice and clear. It has a nice golden color. I back sweetened it and fortified it a bit. Should be around 120g/L sugar and 17% alcohol.

It tastes ok but not outstanding. A little raw yet. Hopefully the aging will do wonders. Then again I’ve never much cared for white wine. But I do like cream Sherry and ice wine so here’s hoping it ages well. I have a full 23L (6 US gallon) carboy plus an extra 1-2 liters.

 

[VinesnBines]

Thanks for the update! I'm sure it will take time to develop flavors. I've been caught up in the growing season and no time for anything other than the vineyard. Right now the fig vinegar is in the attic trying to cook it into something. Maybe this winter I'll have time for sherry/maderia experiments. Maybe with my own grapes...need more research; need more hours in the day.

 

[VinesnBines]

Update. Minutes after the above post, I had a serious accident involving a motorcycle and the cargo hold of a PU. After three months of recovery from the tibia plateau fracture and surgery, I was able to get to the attic and pull out the fig "vinegar". I had a one gallon jug and a 1/2 gallon growler. The gallon clearly heated up because there is wine in the airlock. The growler may not have heated enough. A quick sample shows that the gallon has improved and has a madeira flavor. The grower has more VA on the back. I'm going to back sweeten both and bottle separately. I think they may turn out to be sipping wines - I can still hit them with some brandy for my mock port styles - that will be determined.

As of August 16 my fig harvest was in full swing. My dear husband tried to pick some of the crop so I have a load in the freezer - no idea how much since I'm just now able to get to the basement. I may try a sherry style this winter with true flor-sherry yeast. This winter is for experimentation with the figs, red raspberries, 180 lbs of frozen grapes, 150 grams of frozen daylilies, and a gallon of dandelion juice.