Color looks great! What low brix? Mid to high 20’s is on the higher side, but should be good for those wines. Should get you between 14%-16% alcohol.
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Snafflebit 2024 winemaking thread
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If you follow any of my earlier harvests, Brix always comes in higher than I want, either due to heatwaves or due to my brix measurement technique. “Lower Brix grapes” is relative to my sugar bombs in the past.I will think that I have reached 24-25 Brix in the field but after crush I have 28, once even 29 Brix ouch. I am trying to determine an “offset” Brix when to pick, maybe plan harvest at 23.
Also, one of the vineyards I manage has “health issues” that affect ripening and berry size, and this throws off my schedule. I am considering leaving it out of the winemaking going forward.
when i'm checking brix and ph prior to harvest i crush some grapes and then wait 24 hours to test as the ph and the brix both move upwards a bit.
My understanding is that you check the brix of grapes that appear representative of the vine or the row. That strikes me as something difficult to do, and having a larger sample size might provide a better average.
Rotundifolia
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Curious, did you Saignee some off after adding water so the skin to juice stays the same? This is the first year I had to add water. It would be nice to know what you do since you have dealt with this often and the outcome of the finished wine.
I was a house painter for 12 years and I can’t remember ever masking up as thoroughly as that! Good solid tradesmen is my diagnosis, and probably still have all their own teeth.
Here is how I adjust my batches:
First, I measure Brix and TA of the juice in the must.
The second step is to calculate the expected juice volume in the must. This is a bit of a guess but I assume 65% to 70% of the must volume is juice.
The third step is to calculate the amount of water to add to the estimated juice volume to reach 25 Brix using a calculator I have. There are many online and downloadable apps for computers to do this calculation.
The fourth step is decide if I like the original TA of the juice or do I want to change it. If I want the juice to keep the same TA, I will acidulate the backwater to the same TA as the juice. Or I may decide to reduce the acid by just backwatering.
First, I measure Brix and TA of the juice in the must.
The second step is to calculate the expected juice volume in the must. This is a bit of a guess but I assume 65% to 70% of the must volume is juice.
The third step is to calculate the amount of water to add to the estimated juice volume to reach 25 Brix using a calculator I have. There are many online and downloadable apps for computers to do this calculation.
The fourth step is decide if I like the original TA of the juice or do I want to change it. If I want the juice to keep the same TA, I will acidulate the backwater to the same TA as the juice. Or I may decide to reduce the acid by just backwatering.
Got it! I dont have a vineyard, but i’ve read that you want to be very random when your sampling. Or, as you said pick at 23 to shoot for 25. Enjoying your post. I pickup my grapes this weekend. Ill try to post some pics of my process.
I will think that I have reached 24-25 Brix in the field but after crush I have 28, once even 29 Brix ouch. I am trying to determine an “offset” Brix when to pick, maybe plan harvest at 23.
Also, one of the vineyards I manage has “health issues” that affect ripening and berry size, and this throws off my schedule. I am considering leaving it out of the winemaking going forward.
