Crush time...

[Bruce53]

I count eight things I should, or could, add at or about crush time for merlot. I read that some should come before others with some lag time involved for some. If I DID use them all, what would be their order of entry and lag time if any? Acid fix (if out of limits, cc or tt); enzyme; dap; wine yeast; yeast food; meta; tannin; inactivated yeast...
Obviously I am a real novice. Many thanks guys....

 

[winemaker_3352]

k-meta and tannin first - wait 12 hours - add pectic - wait 12 hours - adjust Brix and PH - add yeast nutrient (DAP) in - prepare yeast as per packet instructions - add yeast in.

 

[homer]

What is considered a good SO2 mix for washing grapes before crushing? bk

 

[winemaker_3352]

I don't wash my grapes with an SO2 solution - just tap water.

But a good sanitizing mix is 3 tablespoons to a gallon of water.

 

[ibglowin]

You want about 50ppm SO2 per gallon of must to kill off any wild yeast, etc.

0.33 grams per gallon results in 50ppm. For 10 gallons you would need 3.3 grams of powdered meta-bisulfite. If you do not have a gram scale, ½ teaspoon (level) is about 3.3 grams and adds 50ppm (“total”) to 10 gallons. To use: Dilute the sulfite powder in water or juice before then mix into the must.

What is considered a good SO2 mix for washing grapes before crushing? bk

 

[robie]

k-meta and tannin first - wait 12 hours - add pectic - wait 12 hours - adjust Brix and PH - add yeast nutrient (DAP) in - prepare yeast as per packet instructions - add yeast in.

This is not a test, just curious...
It's always fun to learn other people's how-to's.
Lots of wine makers have made enough kits to really understand the process, but when it comes to that first, non-kit batch from fresh/frozen grapes/juice or fruit, it can be like starting all over.

At which of those stages would you add things like Opti-Red, lysozyme, ..etc?

If you were going to cold soak, when would you start it; and with the exception of the initial dose of Kmeta, would it precede every step prior to adding yeast or would it be inserted someplace in between?

 

[robie]

What is considered a good SO2 mix for washing grapes before crushing? bk

Homer, I don't think you wold want to wash off that initial Kmeta dose. It needs to stay with the wine. If you think it is necessary to wash the grapes, you could wash with plain water, then add the kmeta as ibglowin suggests.

Maybe that's another good question - do most of you wash your grapes?

In my case, when I pick up the grapes at the LHBS, since I don't have a crusher/destemmer, I don't have an opportunity to take them home to wash them. They go straight from the truck into the crusher. To be honest, I wish I could pre-wash.

I don't think most wineries pre-wash their grapes... what do any of you think.

 

[ibglowin]

All grapes I have gotten or handled from down South have looked clean as a whistle. No dust whatsoever. I don't see how they could hang on the vine for 5 months (especially down there with lots of sand and wind) and look that clean. I suspect they do a quick rinse of sorts before they go into the macro bins and cold storage prior to shipping out.

 

[robie]

All grapes I have gotten or handled from down South have looked clean as a whistle. No dust whatsoever. I don't see how they could hang on the vine for 5 months (especially down there with lots of sand and wind) and look that clean. I suspect they do a quick rinse of sorts before they go into the macro bins and cold storage prior to shipping out.

The ones that come into our LHBS from California each year also are very clean right off the truck.

It's not so much the dust I would worry about, since bentonite is a part of wine making. Fortunately I have never seen any critters in the grapes, either.

 

[homer]

I apologise I did not mean to hijack this thread buuuuut, after adding Kmeta to the must do you wait a while before pitching the yeast? bk

 

[Bruce53]

Bugs and such...

In an earlier post, I was advised that the stray earwig or spider would not drink enough wine to matter. Another advised that they would add valuable protein. With the good, serious help I get here, it is nice to see some fun added now and then...

 

[joea132]

From what I've read, rinsing grapes is not a good idea. Adding k meta kills the microorganisms and adding water can dilute the wine. Granted this is only what I've read in books.

 

[robie]

I apologise I did not mean to hijack this thread buuuuut, after adding Kmeta to the must do you wait a while before pitching the yeast? bk

Depending on the grape and any cold soaking, but I would let the must set with the KMeta on it for about 12 hours before pitching the yeast.

A good procedure, as Steve as written about several times is - add kMeta (.33 grams per gallon of must), wait 12 hours; add pectin enzyme, wait 12 hours; pitch the yeast.

 

[robie]

From what I've read, rinsing grapes is not a good idea. Adding k meta kills the microorganisms and adding water can dilute the wine. Granted this is only what I've read in books.

I've read that, also. Seems like good advice. I guess as long as they are drained really well after rinsing, it wouldn't be too bad.

All things considered, IMO when a winery is going to make a $200 bottle of wine, every little detail really starts to become important.

The reverse of that might be - when one first starts out, some of those small details are pretty insignificant... just get r' done! Later on one can get more precise. Some of us are perfectionists, some of us are not; so we will all have our own opinion on this I'm sure.