Question on process

[brewbush]

Going to be making the jump from kits to frozen buckets soon. Going over the process in my head and want to make sure I have the proper equipment.

I am planning on a wineeasy for ease or fermenting and pressing in same vessel. Overall cheaper then a seperate bladder press....but anyway...

1. After I transfer out of the press (I plan on 2-4 buckets at a time, so 6-15 gallons) can I put the wine into a larger speidel plastic tank for a few days and then transfer off the gross lees? Without worring about topping up at this point?

2. For those of you who split the larger wine batches into carboys do you test each carboy separately when doing pH and SO2? Treat each 5-6 gallon carboy as a different wine?

3. When you use ML bacteria, do you purchase one pack and split it between all the carboys?

4. Anyone have a variable volume tank? They seem to lessen the above juggling issues?

5. Anyone doing buckets start with a blend? Like 3 buckets of cab and 1 of merlot? Or do you blend after, if at all?

Thanks

 

[salcoco]

1. rack after three days then again in three weeks unless doing MLF
2.Yes
3. possible best if you make a starter.
4.do not own a flex tank
5. always blend post fermentation doing bench trials. Don't blend all of it and you can end up with three to four wines depending on blending percentages.

 

[brewbush]

1. rack after three days then again in three weeks unless doing MLF
2.Yes
3. possible best if you make a starter.
4.do not own a flex tank
5. always blend post fermentation doing bench trials. Don't blend all of it and you can end up with three to four wines depending on blending percentages.

for #1, do you top up during those 3 days? or leave the headspace as is?

 

[salcoco]

this will start a great controversy. I have made kit and grape wines for over 30 years and never topped up. If you take proper sanitation procedures throughout the process bacteria contamination will be minimum. I take 3 grams of K-Meta and 11 grans of tartaric acid add a gallon of water. Place solution in spray bottle. Anything that touches wine is sprayed with this solution. also after I rack a add !/4 tsp of K-meta per five gallons. I have gone the full gament of adding argon gas to the empty space and also testing for SO2 every rack and found that none of this greatly improved my process.
So bottom line I do not top up. Just keep your entry to wine to a minimum and air will not be a problem. Keep your carboys sanitized when not in use. I use about 2 cups of the previous solution in unused carboys with a bung. so2 gas given off by solution keeps bacteria at bay in unused carboy.
another thought keep your Ph values correct and the bacteria will also stay at bay.