Extended Maceration

[VictorV]

Hi Everyone,
I'm planning on experimenting with EM (extended maceration) on my Syrah this year. I've been reading articles on
it and, as expected, there are varying opinions on how to approach it. My current plan is as follows:

1) Everything done in SS.
2) At the completion of alcoholic fermentation I will cool the must down a bit to 70 deg F and inoculate with MLF bacteria.
3) I will seal the tank and let it sit
4) Sample once per week
5) Leave the skins for at least 3 weeks
6) When the flavor profile is correct press off the wine and return to tank to finish MLF if not already complete
7) Add oak cubes for bulk aging

My primary concern is that there won't be much SO2 present (to allow MLF to occur) but the tank will be somewhat warm and could
encourage bacteria to set up camp.

Would it be better to inoculate for MLF after EM is complete? That way I could add SO2 at the beginning of EM to protect from
bacteria and, at the end fo EM, the SO2 should be low enough to allow MLF to progress. Seems really complicated.

Has anyone had experience with MLF and extended maceration?

Victor

 

[CoteRotie]

I don't do EM anymore, but when I did I inoculated for ML right after dryness and added no SO2 on the theory that the ML fermentation would still release some CO2 providing some protection from air, and my fruit was very clean so I wasn't too concerned about spoilage.

It worked without problems, but I can't say it was BETTER than adding a bit of SO2 and waiting until the end of EM to inoculate for MLF. Just commenting as one data point.

 

[cmason1957]

I'm not sure that Extended maceration (without extensive cooling) and MLF go together. I would be very worried about ending up with some real off tastes. You should not count on the CO2 from MLF giving you any protection, it is such a gentle, slow process.

 

[CoteRotie]

I'm not sure that Extended maceration (without extensive cooling) and MLF go together. I would be very worried about ending up with some real off tastes. You should not count on the CO2 from MLF giving you any protection, it is such a gentle, slow process.

Good points, I do have a glycol chiller and jacketed tank, so I was able to avoid problems likely by keeping the must cool. There's a lot of CO2 still left after fermentation, so not really "counting" on the MLF to provide more protection, just maybe slow down the rate of decline of the already present CO2 by a bit.

I only tried it about 4 times years ago, had no problems, but with the nice fruit I had I didn't find it worth the extra risk/trouble.

 

[stickman]

There are always risks with extended maceration, much depends on the condition of the fruit as well as all of the other parameters including pH, color, and tannin content etc. With extended maceration the addition of SO2 would not normally be recommended, it will cause problems for the ML bacteria, but more than that, it inhibits the reactions that are expected to happen between the color, tannin, and oxygen. The cap needs to be kept wet and protected from headspace oxygen.

 

[VictorV]

Thanks for the feedback. My plan is to use my variable capacity tank to minimize headspace. I think what I will do is not add SO2 when
the alcoholic fermentation is complete and inoculate with MLF bacteria at the beginning of EM. Hopefully MLF won't take too long and
will add SO2 at that point. What is the recommended temp for EM? I've heard you're supposed to keep it warm.

 

[Jetcontrails]

@VictorV, sounds like a good plan for EM. Variable capacity stainless works great.

Skip EM if you had a problematic fermentation or questionable grapes. Just get the wine dry, pressed, and racked off the gross lees.

My EM protocol...

Maintain temperature 65-75 degrees. Specific gravity less than 1.000. Add MLB. Flush wine cap with CO2 (small amount of dry ice) or Argon and seal. Open tank daily, gently submerge cap, flush with gas and reseal. If you smell anything odd, i.e. ethyl acetate, add 15 ppm SO2, but keep total SO2 below 50 ppm. You want to fend off VA. Check tannin profile daily. 2-3 weeks of EM, you’ll notice tannins softening and cap won’t rise. It‘s time to press and barrel. Test for ML completion. If complete, wait one more week and then add 50 ppm SO2.

Fairly straight forward and not too risky. Again, adding SO2 is fine, but no more than 15 ppm at a time when required AND keep your total SO2 less than 50 ppm. I prefer VP41 MLB, it’s a powerhouse.