Quick advice on MLF

[DaveMcC]

I made a very small (2 gallons) batch of Chambourcin, which just finished out primary at S.G. 0.992 yesterday, likely a bit lower today. I need to leave town at noon tomorrow for a week. My question; Should I secure the batch (in a 5 gallon bucket now) with CO2 and wait a week on MLF and let it do an extended maceration, or press and inoculate with MLB now? Options are appreciated. Also, I managed to run out of MLF nutrients, so won't have that for a week anyway.

I have CO2 and a sealable lid for the bucket and was thinking of flushing the bucket and sealing up with the lid. Will the blanket of CO2 hold for a week?

 

[crushday]

From my limited point of view, here are your options and a few explanations:

1. It’s pretty dry and it’s a small enough volume you could transfer to a smaller vessel and put it in the refrigerator. That way you’d get the extended maceration you mentioned. When you get home, press and inoculate with the MLB. Proceed as normal.

2. Because it’s throwing off CO2 still, simply covering it and walking a way for a week, I think you’d be fine. You could actually introduce the MLB before you leave and let the EM and the MLF work congruently. The bacteria will also produce CO2 converting the malic to lactic, however in a smaller volume but still enough to protect the wine while you’re gone.

 

[DaveMcC]

Thanks. That gave me the extra push I needed. Think I will inoculate and just cover it up. I will have the nutrients ready when I return in a week. No harm in adding them a bit later, right?

 

[crushday]

Thanks. That gave me the extra push I needed. Think I will inoculate and just cover it up. I will have the nutrients ready when I return in a week. No harm in adding them a bit later, right?

I would add an adequate amount of nutrients at the execution of MLF.

 

[DaveMcC]

That's part of my problem. I am out of MLB nutrients at the moment. Will see if I can find space in the fridge to let it chill and macerate for a week.

 

[crushday]

That's part of my problem. I am out of MLB nutrients at the moment. Will see if I can find space in the fridge to let it chill and macerate for a week.

Well… Go ahead an inoculate then. You’d likely not even need the nutrients anyway IMO. I’ve made hundreds of gallons of wine and never once used MLF nutrients and always able to complete on schedule.

 

[DaveMcC]

Thanks.
Btw, I read about your, um, mishap. Tough lessons happen to us all. I broke my favorite glass wine thief a couple weeks ago. Just careless. All we can do is move on and try to not do that sort of thing again.