Hello,
I am making my first steps as a winemaker, learning mostly on-the-go by talking to other homebrewers.
The fruit was collected from an old, barely worked vineyard. The vineyard is supposedly Cabernet Sauvignon. There was a large variation between the quality of the grapes between vines and among the produce of a vine itself. For instance, we had half shrivelled/raisin-like fruit, and half decent one in a given cluster. There are also a few white grape vines. We did put in the baskets the produce of two vines which later were exposed as “American vines” by a passing by acquaintance, apparently as the vineyard has not been properly tended, additional vines grew from the roots on which the CS was grafted and camouflaged themselves amongst the other vines. All in all, from the 200 kilograms collected, there is a portion of 5-10% mystery white grape (Cote Rotie anyone?
), and 1-2% American vine.
It is my intention to do a fermentation with wild yeasts and not adding sugar. The latter seems easier as the brix count on the liquid is 21.1. I am very eager to hear your thoughts, especially on the former, and to get a better understanding on the case please see below a succinct timeline.
21 September
Noon to evening - harvest - 200 kg grapes. Supposedly cabernet sauvignon, a few white vines (5-10 %). Possibly 2% American vitis.
315 L fermentation vat (stainless steel).
Throughout the evening – crushed all the grapes with a manual machine altogether, tried to get rid of most unripe grapes by a hand selection. Included the shrivelled, amarone-like grapes and added some stems from the best looking clusters.
Put potassium metabisulphite as per recommendation. Recommendation coming from people who use commercial yeast, nutrients. Put approximately 8 or 10 grams for the 200 kg of must. The instructions on the package read 5-10 grams for 100 litres of decent grapes, and 10-20 grams for grapes with some rottenness. Mine are definitely not picture perfect and I did put some, yet three / four times less than the amount I should have by the textbook.
Put a bottle full of ice and water in the middle of the must as an instrument for "cold maceration". Juice was definitely below 15 degrees for the next 12 hours.
22 September 12:00. Took out the bottle, didn’t replace it. Was advised to replenish the bottle with ice and water for 3 days for more extraction. However, I wasn’t sure of the temperature of the must, and didn’t want to risk for it to have gotten above 15C and to disrupt an already started fermentation process.
Stirring and pumping over (remontage) 2 times every day, starting at this moment.
Since the evening of the 21st, the fermentation vat lid was on.
23 September 12:00. 24 hours afterwards, nothing. Took the lid away and put a blanket as advised.
24 September 12:00. Stirring, pumping, nothing happening inside the fermentation tank.
The colour has gotten from a very light brown the night we put it all in the fermentation tank, through a rose, and is now a proper ruby colour.
The temperature in the room is constant 22C and the humidity is 50%. First day I had the room with all windows/doors closed, the next two days I have allowed some circulation of air from the outside, however now temperatures are going down and depending on your advice may leave a window open with a heater on.
Did I make a mistake putting the potassium metabisuplhite before the fermentation? Could it have disrupted the yeast present in the grape skins? The last times the grapes were “sprayed” was late June, and they haven’t been washed. Was having the lid on for the first 24 hours – the yeast not having abundant access to oxygen – a mistake?
I would much appreciate any thoughts, comments, ideas.
I am making my first steps as a winemaker, learning mostly on-the-go by talking to other homebrewers.
The fruit was collected from an old, barely worked vineyard. The vineyard is supposedly Cabernet Sauvignon. There was a large variation between the quality of the grapes between vines and among the produce of a vine itself. For instance, we had half shrivelled/raisin-like fruit, and half decent one in a given cluster. There are also a few white grape vines. We did put in the baskets the produce of two vines which later were exposed as “American vines” by a passing by acquaintance, apparently as the vineyard has not been properly tended, additional vines grew from the roots on which the CS was grafted and camouflaged themselves amongst the other vines. All in all, from the 200 kilograms collected, there is a portion of 5-10% mystery white grape (Cote Rotie anyone?
), and 1-2% American vine.It is my intention to do a fermentation with wild yeasts and not adding sugar. The latter seems easier as the brix count on the liquid is 21.1. I am very eager to hear your thoughts, especially on the former, and to get a better understanding on the case please see below a succinct timeline.
21 September
Noon to evening - harvest - 200 kg grapes. Supposedly cabernet sauvignon, a few white vines (5-10 %). Possibly 2% American vitis.
315 L fermentation vat (stainless steel).
Throughout the evening – crushed all the grapes with a manual machine altogether, tried to get rid of most unripe grapes by a hand selection. Included the shrivelled, amarone-like grapes and added some stems from the best looking clusters.
Put potassium metabisulphite as per recommendation. Recommendation coming from people who use commercial yeast, nutrients. Put approximately 8 or 10 grams for the 200 kg of must. The instructions on the package read 5-10 grams for 100 litres of decent grapes, and 10-20 grams for grapes with some rottenness. Mine are definitely not picture perfect and I did put some, yet three / four times less than the amount I should have by the textbook.
Put a bottle full of ice and water in the middle of the must as an instrument for "cold maceration". Juice was definitely below 15 degrees for the next 12 hours.
22 September 12:00. Took out the bottle, didn’t replace it. Was advised to replenish the bottle with ice and water for 3 days for more extraction. However, I wasn’t sure of the temperature of the must, and didn’t want to risk for it to have gotten above 15C and to disrupt an already started fermentation process.
Stirring and pumping over (remontage) 2 times every day, starting at this moment.
Since the evening of the 21st, the fermentation vat lid was on.
23 September 12:00. 24 hours afterwards, nothing. Took the lid away and put a blanket as advised.
24 September 12:00. Stirring, pumping, nothing happening inside the fermentation tank.
The colour has gotten from a very light brown the night we put it all in the fermentation tank, through a rose, and is now a proper ruby colour.
The temperature in the room is constant 22C and the humidity is 50%. First day I had the room with all windows/doors closed, the next two days I have allowed some circulation of air from the outside, however now temperatures are going down and depending on your advice may leave a window open with a heater on.
Did I make a mistake putting the potassium metabisuplhite before the fermentation? Could it have disrupted the yeast present in the grape skins? The last times the grapes were “sprayed” was late June, and they haven’t been washed. Was having the lid on for the first 24 hours – the yeast not having abundant access to oxygen – a mistake?
I would much appreciate any thoughts, comments, ideas.
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