One wheel in hand and eight on the ground...2022 Wine Making Season

[crushday]

Here’s a few pics of the Cab Franc being pumped into the settling tank. I’m very happy about the color, aroma and taste.

Sunday I’ll rack into Speidels…

 

[Boatboy24]

Looks awesome and well thought out. I have only one question: how can you be in the Purple Fingers Club if you wear gloves?

 

[mainshipfred]

Update: Press Day

I had a successful press, but not one without incident. More on that later...

You can see from the pictures, how I set things up. I pressed the Petit Verdot first so I could pump the free run to a stainless container. I needed the fermentor to pump the Cab Franc into after I cleaned it. Cab Franc was second and last was the Petite Sirah.

The free run of the PV was just that and whatever was produced at 1/4 bar. Yield was 30 gallons free run and 6 gallons press. Press was at 1 bar.

The free run of the CF was just that and whatever was produced at 1 bar. Yield was 52 gallons free run, 6 gallons press and 5 gallons Rose'.

The free run of the PS was just that and whatever was produced at 1/4 bar. Yield was 35 gallons free run and 7 gallons press. Press was 1/2 bar first fermenter and 1 bar for second.

My motivation on keeping both the PV and PS at such a low pressure for the press is all about tannins. Those varieties are plenty tannic and I did not want to extract anymore from pressing too hard. HOWEVER, you'll notice in the pictures that the PS at only 1/2 bar did not create a dense enough cake so when I lifted up the cage, the pomace fell everywhere. A little bit of mess but I got it cleaned up. Lesson learned...

All in all, the press was fun, educational and most importantly, a success. I'll let these guys settle out until Sunday at which time I'll transfer off the gross less, get under airlock and add the bacteria (CH16).

After press brix readings are as follows:

PV: 1 Brix
CF: 0 Brix
PS: 1 Brix

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First off I like your press surround, pretty clever. As far as press goes I've always been a little unclear on the bar measurement. My experience with commercial presses is they keep a constant pressure. As the grapes are pressed the pressure drops and the commercial presses monitor this drop adding air to maintain the selected setting. The press last 20-30 minutes then the drum is rolled for the second of 3 cycles. There is still wine produced at the third cycle with the same pressure. It's a lot easier with a commercial rolling drum than with our bladder or basket presses.

I probably waist more time than it's worth but my first press takes quite a while as I'll get the press to say 1 bar and sit there constantly adjusting the valve to maintain as close to 1 bar as I can. Once I get it to maintain 1 bar I call it quits. I don't often do 3 cycles but once I remove, fluff and reload the skins after the first press there is still a considerable (at least percentage wise) at the 1 bar pressure. The skins actually come out quite dry even at my standard 1 bar press.

Thoughts anyone?

 

[crushday]

First off I like your press surround, pretty clever. As far as press goes I've always been a little unclear on the bar measurement. My experience with commercial presses is they keep a constant pressure. As the grapes are pressed the pressure drops and the commercial presses monitor this drop adding air to maintain the selected setting. The press last 20-30 minutes then the drum is rolled for the second of 3 cycles. There is still wine produced at the third cycle with the same pressure. It's a lot easier with a commercial rolling drum than with our bladder or basket presses.

I probably waist more time than it's worth but my first press takes quite a while as I'll get the press to say 1 bar and sit there constantly adjusting the valve to maintain as close to 1 bar as I can. Once I get it to maintain 1 bar I call it quits. I don't often do 3 cycles but once I remove, fluff and reload the skins after the first press there is still a considerable (at least percentage wise) at the 1 bar pressure. The skins actually come out quite dry even at my standard 1 bar press.

Thoughts anyone?

Good morning, Fred. As far as I know, 3 bar equates to 40 pounds of pressure.

My pressing routine only accommodates one press cycle; I don't rotate or fluff. I have a Lancman press. The only reason for that is availability at my local warehouse (winemakersdepot.com) - that's the brand they carry. The pressure valve doesn't seem to make much difference in the amount of the pressure. It does affect, however, the speed at which it takes to get to a desired pressure. Even with the pressure valve turned down all the way, the unit would still get to 3 bar - it just takes a LONG time.

So, yesterday, I had the valve set on the lowest speed. When I load the hopper, using a one gallon pitcher, the wine runs through the unit and into 5 gallon stock pot that I have fitted to drain into a Blichmann RipTide pump. I also have a sieve to catch any seeds or skins that would also flow in there. The sieve serves another purpose and actually catches a good portion of the gross lees. I have two and when one sieve gets "clogged", I trade out, rinse it off and keep going. When I get about 4.5 gallons of wine, I turn on the pump, which is not self-priming. I've learned how to use it this way but occasionally I have to prime it.

Once I get the hopper completely loaded up, I put the lid into place, screw it down and turn on the water. I'm always shocked at how much additional wine begins flowing without a registration on the pressure reading. Once I get to a 1/4 bar, I turn off the incoming water and it keeps that pressure. While all of that wine is flowing, I take time to clean the fermenter I've just emptied while keeping my eye on the wine, pressure and stock pot level. After I've captured the free run and 1/4 bar wine, I transition to the press wine.

Depending on the variety, I have allowed the press wine to take a full 3 bars. Yesterday, I didn't press anything over 1 bar. Like you said, even at 1 bar the skins are dry. I need to start lifting weights! That basket, full of seeds and skins, is getting pretty heavy!

Here's a few pics of the setup. However, not taken yesterday...

 

[winemaker81]

HOWEVER, you'll notice in the pictures that the PS at only 1/2 bar did not create a dense enough cake so when I lifted up the cage, the pomace fell everywhere. A little bit of mess but I got it cleaned up. Lesson learned...

In the future you might, after reserving pressings at whatever levels you chose, do a harder press on the remainder and segregate that wine. I understand your concern regarding excess tannin; however, the final pressings may be valuable for blending into low tannin wines.

Keep in mind I'm a cheap SOB and have a hard time throwing anything out until I've gotten everything I can from it.

 

[crushday]

In the future you might, after reserving pressings at whatever levels you chose, do a harder press on the remainder and segregate that wine. I understand your concern regarding excess tannin; however, the final pressings may be valuable for blending into low tannin wines.

Keep in mind I'm a cheap SOB and have a hard time throwing anything out until I've gotten everything I can from it.

Bryan, that's a very good point. Last night, in celebration, I had a Carignan wine that I made last year. Although very good, I was wishing it had a few tannins to interact with my tongue.

 

[winemaker81]

In 2019 I produced a second run wine from batches of Merlot, Malbec, and Zinfandel. I pressed just enough to fill a barrel, then hard pressed the remainder. [I have a basket press and have no idea of "bars". I cranked the handle until it wouldn't go further, over a period of 2 hours.]

The result was very dark and tannic. I expected little of the 'squeezins and initial tastes were not good. However, I needed it for topping, which left me with a carboy that I bottled the following August.

Wow. A few months in the bottle mellowed it, and it was surprisingly fruity (no oak). My younger son liked it enough that he asked me to serve it at his wedding reception. [I declined, and made a WE CS kit, which worked very well. The 'squeezins would have been wasted on that crowd.]

I gave him the last 2 bottles a few weeks ago, knowing he liked it so much. At the 3 year mark, this second run wine is still in its prime. This taught me to keep an open mind and not discount a wine too quickly.

 

[Kraffty]

I'm amazed that you do this single handedly, having the right tools helps, but still.... impressive

 

[crushday]

I'm amazed that you do this single handedly, having the right tools helps, but still.... impressive

That's right, equipment helps. I started at a little before 1pm (12:50p) and finished cleaning everything and putting everything away by 5:20pm.

I don't mind working alone - I'm around people all week (staff and clients) and will take the "people" break.

Hope you're season goes well as it starts in a few days...

 

[Snafflebit]

that Petit Sirah must looks like chocolate pudding!

 

[CDrew]

Just catching up on your thread and things look like another knockout year for you. Congrats on another great year. You are nearing commercial quantities! Very good looking and efficient set-up you have there.

I have been remiss at starting a 2022 vintage thread, but I do have 35 gallons of foothill syrah I just pressed today. Nice to be on the board, and will pick 9/17 and share some pics then.

 

[crushday]

Update: Rack off gross lees

I checked the Brix this afternoon. Here are the numbers:

PV: 0.3 - previous reading: 1 Brix
CF: -0.3 - previous reading: 0 Brix
PS: 0.9 - previous readying: 1 Brix

The Petite Sirah didn't change much. Hmmm... It's likely all those raisins hydrated and leached some resident sugars into the must. That of course will raise the sugar level - hopefully not outside the capability of the yeast. We will see.

I'm going to rack tonight off the gross lees. My business partner will be here Sunday night through Wednesday night. He leaves on Thursday morning. He's never taken part in any of the winemaking experience - only enjoyed the vino... So, tonight he'll get to see a very small portion of the process.

 

[crushday]

Update: First BIG mistake of the season...

Here’s why this picture is important…

Last night, I started getting a little H2S in the Cab Franc. So, in my haste, I grabbed what I thought was the FerMax nutrients and mistakenly grabbed the Potassium metabisulfite. I have all my “powders” in similarly shaped and sized jars.

Without double checking, since I couldn’t readily find my measuring spoon set, (you can feel where this is going…) I started sprinkling K-Meta into the must. It wasn’t much as I noticed it right away. I immediately stopped and changed to the nutrients.

This morning, I wanted to check the damage. Only 47.3 ppm FSO2. Not bad. But, too much for the CH16 bacteria I want to pitch this evening. Specs say max is 40.

Do I roll the dice and pitch anyway - as is? Or, because I have two containers of the same wine and the same volume, blend (thereby cutting the free SO2, likely not by half…), refill, and then pitch?

Any suggestions?

 

[CDrew]

Yikes. I'd wait for sure. No sense stressing out the MLB, and you want to make sure the H2S problem is solved. I'd probably concentrate on that. For instance, if you splash rack, the added O2 will lower the SO2 level. Your idea of reblending also sounds like it would work.

 

[crushday]

Yikes. I'd wait for sure. No sense stressing out the MLB, and you want to make sure the H2S problem is solved. I'd probably concentrate on that. For instance, if you splash rack, the added O2 will lower the SO2 level. Your idea of reblending also sounds like it would work.

Thanks, @CDrew - I'll splash rack tonight, thereby blending both containers and refill like they are now. I'll also retest to see the outcome of the SR and the blend. Should be interesting. Any predictions?

 

[cmason1957]

I know the MLB packages say Free SO2, but I am pretty well convinced that Total SO2 also can be a limiting factor in will the MLB work. I think I would blend the two together and then hope you are below the max it can handle. Time will tell.

 

[winemaker81]

I agree -- treat the H2S first and make sure it's gone. One thing at a time, and H2S always takes priority. Then blend and pitch.

This is a great lesson in always read the label! I recall a friend adding K-meta instead of acid to a wine ...

 

[CDrew]

Any predictions?

Haha:
After a vigorous splash rack and blending your free SO2 measurement will be 17.

When do you want the admonishment about your containers of "powders"? Hospitals went through this 20 years ago. Almost everything has it's own unique shape and color and the truly dangerous stuff has been removed to the pharmacy.

Also, I thought you were using Renaissance yeasts. I read back and saw this was a Chris Hansen Harmony yeast. What was the thinking there? It sounds interesting, but H2S is NOT interesting!

=

 

[crushday]

Haha:
After a vigorous splash rack and blending your free SO2 measurement will be 17.

When do you want the admonishment about your containers of "powders"? Hospitals went through this 20 years ago. Almost everything has it's own unique shape and color and the truly dangerous stuff has been removed to the pharmacy.

Also, I thought you were using Renaissance yeasts. I read back and saw this was a Chris Hansen Harmony yeast. What was the thinking there? It sounds interesting, but H2S is NOT interesting!

=

Last year, I did a dual yeast with Prelude/Avante on a few wines. This year, I wanted to experiment a bit and found the Harmony. Here's the description:

Viniflora® Harmony is a blend of three yeast stains, Saccharomyces cerevisiae (80%), Torulaspora delbrueckii (10%) and Lachancea thermotolerans (10%).

Harmony is an excellent choice for white or red wines that demand subtle but multi-dimensional differences, produces low H2S and SO2, and is gentle on Malolactic Bacteria. (bold added)

I can easily rectify the storage medium of my powders...point well made and kindly taken.

 

[Kraffty]

Sounds like splash rack and blend is leading in the polls, also agree.