How's my plan look before I begin...

[lovethepirk]

I am writing some steps to what I have learned for making wine and I would like to hear some comments before I move on with actually doing this. I will be getting a pinot noir kit from a local shop. From the vids I have watched I don’t know if I am making 5 gallons or 6.5. Not sure why I am hearing different amounts, something to do with metric **** maybe….

1) Clean and Sanitize always!!!! Won’t mention it again.
2) In bucket mix warm water with bentonite(amounts not known yet)
3) Add Grape juice and top it off with more water until I get to 5 or 6.5 gallons
4) Hydrometer check….get it to 1.090ish. Add sugar/water if needed.
5) Add Potassium Metabisulfate and stir, let sit for 12 hours(amounts not known yet)
6) Add Pectic Enzyme, let sit for 12 hours(amts not known yet)
7) Sprinkle yeast onto mixture and cover w/o airlock for 48 hours(Stir or Don’t?)
8) Days 3-7…stir and cover and air lock with metabisulfite in airlock
9) Check for SG of 1.020
10) Rack wine into carboy without getting sediment stirred up.
11) Leave for 12-14 days and check SG for .992-.995
12) Rack wine into another carboy and add potassium sorbate
13) Degass wine by stiring with drill stir device.
14) Add fining agent(no idea what this clear stuff is) and stir with stick
15) Let sit few days until clear.
16) Bottle wine.


----I am not up to breast on the acid testing. I do know the difference b/w TA and pH and the recommended levels I think are 6.5-8.0 g/l and 3.0-3.5pH. Since I am buying a kit of Pinot Noir and assuming I am adding water with the bentonite solution and to top off the bucket….is this diluting the acid and hence I need to learn this skill now? Is it tough with red’s?

Thanks….

 

[Midwest Vintner]

you need acid level around the 3.3~3.6 range for wine. acid protects wine, so with a lower pH, you have better protection against spoilage. on the other hand, i like to use less as it's smoother and can be consumed at a younger age with less acid. acid over time, changes from ? acid (forgot) to lactic acid. lactic has a sweeter taste and therefore makes the wine taste sweeter over time. this is why young wines can be bitter, among other things.

we add the pectic enzyme with all the other ingrediants.

you can let the sg in the primary get lower than 1.020 if it's going slow, so that it doesn't stall. that level gives you ~10+ alc/vol, so the wine is protected. if it sits too long, i guess the alcohol could evaporate.

we rack most wines up to 5 times. if it's a kit with only juice you can get away with one racking sometimes. it can take more if you like it really clear.

you don't always need a fining agent. i prefer not to use them unless needed.

i'm not sure how tough reds are as i have only made merlot mixes and they seemed easier than the raw fruit we usually use. they were from kits, also.

Good luck and don't give up as sometimes the first batches can have issues. they get better with experience!

 

[lovethepirk]

Thanks...

A few specific questions....

If I wanted to add tannins, oak flavor, etc when do you add those flavorings?
Also if I want a hint of mint, rasberry, strawberry could I just smash them up by hand and pour then in the initial must then through the racking process get rid of the bigger particles? And how much of the strawberries or rasberries would I need to smash up for any hint of the flavor in 5 gallons of must?

Thanks everyone!!!

 

[smurfe]

If you are buying a kit such as w Wine Expert, Mosti Modiale, RJ Spagnols et al all of the adjusting will be done for you. You simply follow the directions. These kits are normally 6 US gallons. Most fermenting buckets are marked as to where you fill with water to. For example, my buckets have a ring which is the 6 gallon mark. Just follow the directions that come with the kit and you'll be fine. Feel free to ask questions as you go. Also, buy the best kit you can afford. Some of the lower priced kits aren't that good in the red varieties.

 

[Midwest Vintner]

Thanks...

A few specific questions....

If I wanted to add tannins, oak flavor, etc when do you add those flavorings?
Also if I want a hint of mint, rasberry, strawberry could I just smash them up by hand and pour then in the initial must then through the racking process get rid of the bigger particles? And how much of the strawberries or rasberries would I need to smash up for any hint of the flavor in 5 gallons of must?

Thanks everyone!!!

imo, it's best to add them at first, but can go in as long as it's fermenting. for just a hint of flavor, do about 1/4 what a recipe would add. for example, most use about 4 lbs/gal of blueberry for blueberry wine. if you were to add 1lb/ gal, then you would get a hint. each wine will be different and you will have to adjust them per wine. a stronger flavor wine might need 1/3 to get a hint of a "weaker" flavor type wine such as strawberry. a light wine might only need 1/5 to get a hint of raspberry since raspberries produce a stronger flavor. freezing, thawing, then mashing and adding will produce the most flavor from fruit. a 1/4 mix to wine with this method would probably make a stronger hint, but not overpowering. wine experimenting is fun and you need to do it if you are going to get the best results!

racking works and it's faster if you throw the fruit into a nylon bag. you can get these at wine suppliers. you might have to rack it many times to get it clear. patients is key! okay, sometimes you need to use a clearing agent, but i don't like them.

good luck

 

[lovethepirk]

So let me try to understand this...

If I just want a hint of raspberry in my Pinot noir I can put some mashed up raspberries into the must and stir....then I assume I should check the sg. Will the additional fruit require that I back off on the sg to let's say a 1.075 b/c of the sugars in the raspberry being released or eaten by the yeast???

Thanks

ltp

 

[Tom]

If you want flavor then add the Raspberry AFTER its fermented dry and AFTER you added the k-meta and Sorbate. Thats a f-pac. Then add your clearing agents
If you add it in the primary it will not give you to much flavor. Rather it will just add more fermentables.

 

[Midwest Vintner]

If you add it in the primary it will not give you to much flavor. Rather it will just add more fermentables.

depends on how much you add.

 

[Luc]

needed.
5) Add Potassium Metabisulfate and stir, let sit for 12 hours(amounts not known yet)
6) Add Pectic Enzyme, let sit for 12 hours(amts not known yet)
7) Sprinkle yeast onto mixture and cover w/o airlock for 48 hours(Stir or Don’t?)
8) Days 3-7…stir and cover and air lock with metabisulfite in airlock
9) Check for SG of 1.020
10) Rack wine into carboy without getting sediment stirred up.

I would wait longer after adding the pectic enzyme. Mostly I add the enzyme and proceed next day.
The amount of enzymes depend on the juice/fruit you are working on.
On juice you will need just a small amount on some fruit I even use several teaspoons for a few gallon.

I never sprinkle yeast on top. I always make a yeast starter that assures me that I am adding a healthy large amount of yeast.
Making a starter:
http://wijnmaker.blogspot.com/2007/08/gist-starter-yeast-starter.html

I would use a primary with a cloth covered, and not ferment directly in a carboy with an airlock.
Fermenting can produce a lot of foam. So use a large primary and fill it at most for 2/3 rds.

I would rack not at the SG of 1020 but use my experience depending on the kind of must.
Some I let 4 days in primary. My plums were just one day in primary.
However for a new-be there is nothing wrong in racking at 1020. In due time use your experience.

Luc