Boatboy24
No longer a newbie, but still clueless.
Pressed the PS today as well and am letting the Cab go another day. Didn't take any readings, but the ounce or two that we both sampled shows great promise.
Petit Sirah from Lanza Thread
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We took a free run sample and a mid-press sample. The PS will age really well, there are definitely some tight tannins to it. I wanted Jim to taste the second pressing juice to make sure it was in bounds with what he was expecting, if it wasn't we'd stop the second pressing and move on to what was left in the fermenter. Though it was a bit more tannic, it wasn't too out of line, very enjoyable as an after breakfast warmer (man, that wine has some kick and the aroma was delectable).
So, I didn't do any bentonite and I don't plan to do any chitosan. How long will the wine take to clear doing this all sans clarifiers?
Boatboy24
No longer a newbie, but still clueless.
You'll be surprised how fast. Much quicker than kits. But it doesn't matter - you're not bottling for at least a year. 
You'll be surprised how fast. Much quicker than kits. But it doesn't matter - you're not bottling for at least a year.
And then he's storing half of it at my house for save keeping!
Got another taste of PS before adding MLB. Just wow... it's tasty now. It should be something after a couple years.
Dropped MLB and gave it a good stir. Then came back and dropped 60 grams of a mix of Hungarian and French medium oak cubes.
My only issue is that I have 6.6 gallons of wine. I pushed the rest into two bottles - a 1.5 and the better part of a 750. I'm up for suggestions.
Dropped MLB and gave it a good stir. Then came back and dropped 60 grams of a mix of Hungarian and French medium oak cubes.
My only issue is that I have 6.6 gallons of wine. I pushed the rest into two bottles - a 1.5 and the better part of a 750. I'm up for suggestions.
Boatboy24
No longer a newbie, but still clueless.
Why is that an issue?
I'm worried about oxidizing the wine in the 750, since it isn't all the way full. And, I'm not oaking the 1.5. Will they MLF properly?
Boatboy24
No longer a newbie, but still clueless.
Oak is not a requirement for MLF. And what I tend to do is on racking, put the bottles into the carboy first. They'll mix in w/ the rest and will likely see the remaining MA metabolized.
If you're worried about oxidation, just make sure you taste it before you mix it in w/ the rest. And steal a couple 375's from Craig.
If you're worried about oxidation, just make sure you taste it before you mix it in w/ the rest. And steal a couple 375's from Craig.
I have 375's. I'll probably move it to one. The wine is at about 575ml.
Yeah, sorry - expressing two thoughts at once. A) concerned they won't MLF well in the bottle; and B) there's no oak in the bottles.
Good idea, pouring the bottles first when racking. Going to do that.
How long should I wait between racking?
Yeah, sorry - expressing two thoughts at once. A) concerned they won't MLF well in the bottle; and B) there's no oak in the bottles.
Good idea, pouring the bottles first when racking. Going to do that.
The guide says to stir the wine a couple times a week...How long should I wait between racking?
Scanned image of the Chromography I did over the weekend for a baseline of our Harford batches. Chard = Chardonnay juice bucket, PS = Petit Sirah, Zin = Zinfandel. Not a whole lot of malic acid in the Chardonnay, for sure.
Boatboy24
No longer a newbie, but still clueless.
Guess we wait a month and retest.
That was my plan. Just stir lightly (introduce as little O2 as possible) every few days with a sanitized stick or racking cane. Idea is to keep that bacteria in suspension and not let it get overwhelmed (covered) by the lees that are constantly forming at this point as the yeast and solids settle out.
About the time I pitch the CH16 I bought for my Cab Franc batch (I get grapes tomorrow, yea) we can take another sample since I'll need a starting point for the Cab Franc MLF.
The PS is doing well on the Hungarian/French oak and, I imagine, MLF is moving right along. The sample I pulled before the last stirring was extraordinarily clear. Pitch dark, but clear. I need to keep my paws off of it except to stir 2x/week.
I dropped 30 gr of French oak chips in the Chard bucket, too, last week.
I dropped 30 gr of French oak chips in the Chard bucket, too, last week.
Did you taste a sample of it? You can really tell if you degas the sample and taste a little bit whether the MLF is progressing. When it gets nice and soft to your taste buds, it's time to take a sample and run another test. I'm taking a sample of my Cab Franc before I pitch the MLB and storing it in the fridge in a sealed baggie until we do our next test, which will have your Chard, PS, my Zin and Cab Franc Burns.
I did taste it. Very potent. I swirled it in the glass for while then let it sit in the glass for about 10 minutes. Probably best to wait a couple more weeks before testing it again.
The 1.5 bottle has a good bit of fine lees at the bottom of the bottle while the 375 doesn't seem to have any at all.
Possible plan: Wait two weeks, test and maybe rack. Wait another 2 weeks, then Kmeta and let it age a year (dosing every 3 months).
I don't know about out your way, but it got pretty chilly in the basement last night. If I close the doors to the wine room, it will easily drop to the mid-50s.
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