Starting my first ever Merlot !

[Ericphotoart]

I didn't know one day I would be making Merlot! I always said, There are so many amazing Merlot wines you can buy for $20, $30 at stores that making another one doesn't make sense. It's different with country wines so I was making country wines only. Yesterday I ordered 2 gallons Merlot concentrate from Colomafrozen and it is arriving tomorrow. My another try with Colomafrozen and hopefully it is not gonna be stuck as my fruit concentrates. I know oak chips or cubes are used frequently because Merlot is low in tannin but neither I nor my wife like oak flavor so I just plan to add 1 tsp of tannin to 6 gallon must. I will shoot for pH 3.2 - 3.4. I found a thread where someone says about pretty high fermentation temperature, above 80 so I will try to accomplish this too. Any comments and tips are greatly appreciated.

 

[mat_ski]

I have made one batch of merlot, but I used frozen grape must I ordered from grapesforwine. 5 gals of grapes yielded slightly more than 3 gallons, but if I squeezed the juice more I would have gotten a little more wine. It did turn out great. So great that I only have 1 gal left because of the vultures that call themselves my friends and family. They believe it is all gone, but I am letting this 1 gal age with some oak.

 

[crushday]

There are so many amazing Merlot wines you can buy for $20, $30 at stores that making another one doesn't make sense.

For many, making your own wine does make fiscal sense. Let's look at your situation:

2 gallons of Merlot concentrate will cost approximately $130, not including shipping.
Properly constituted, you'll have 8 gallons of fermenting juice.
After racking, your finished volume will be conservatively 7 gallons - don't waste even a drop!
7 gallons of finished wine will yield approximately 35 bottles of wine - or cost $3.71 per bottle volume.
A bottle will cost about $1.00, cork $0.25 - now we're up to $4.96
If you create a label and use a PVC cap, you can add another 25 cents.

Of course, none of this includes the monetary value of your time or the satisfaction of knowing the wine you're drinking was made by you.

So, to summarize, making your own wine will cost $5.21 per bottle - all in. You have the satisfaction knowing that your five dollar bottle of wine is as good or better (properly made) than the ones you're perusing at Krogers...

 

[Ericphotoart]

Yeah. Pretty close except I expect about 2 gallons less. I wonder if my approach to the fermentation is close to what I should do. I think nutrients will not be necessary. Of course use of yeast will be debatable but right now I only have ec1118, k1-v1116 and Montrachet

 

[heatherd]

I didn't know one day I would be making Merlot! I always said, There are so many amazing Merlot wines you can buy for $20, $30 at stores that making another one doesn't make sense. It's different with country wines so I was making country wines only. Yesterday I ordered 2 gallons Merlot concentrate from Colomafrozen and it is arriving tomorrow. My another try with Colomafrozen and hopefully it is not gonna be stuck as my fruit concentrates. I know oak chips or cubes are used frequently because Merlot is low in tannin but neither I nor my wife like oak flavor so I just plan to add 1 tsp of tannin to 6 gallon must. I will shoot for pH 3.2 - 3.4. I found a thread where someone says about pretty high fermentation temperature, above 80 so I will try to accomplish this too. Any comments and tips are greatly appreciated.

You can certainly make Merlot!

Some thoughts on your batch:
-I like to use oak during fermentation to act as a sacrificial tannin, like either as dust or shredded.
-You can use light-toast oak if you don't want an oaky flavor.
-For powdered tannins, I use those during aging.
-Likely no need to add heat. Your selected yeast will have a range and it is fine as long as you are in that range.
-I like RC212 yeast for my reds.

If you get to the around $100 point all in with your chemicals, you may want to consider a Finer Wine Kit Tavola Merlot, as Label Peelers has them on sale right now for between $105-116 depending on the skins you choose:
https://labelpeelers.com/wine-makin...its/forte-series/forte-merlot-finer-wine-kit/-Has the RC212 yeast
-Doesn't require MLF
-Comes with superkleer
-Comes with skins, you can select none, one, two, three, or four; I'd either do one or two
-Comes with seeds
-Comes with oak
-Ships cold
-Comes with all the chemicals you'll need
-Comes with super detailed instructions (Publish Online)
-Comes with yeast starter
-Has these video instructions: Merlot Forte Finer Wine Kit

I have made and drank two batches of Sauvignon Blanc that are totally delicious. In progress are (1) Forte Pinot Noir, (1) Forte Cabernet Sauvignon, (1) Forte Bordeaux Blend, (1) Forte Super Tuscan, (2) Sauvignon Blancs, and (2) Grenache Roses. All are really good!

Just my two cents, hope your batch goes very well!

 

[sour_grapes]

To me, the existence of $20-$30 bottles of commercial wine is an argument in favor of making my own, not an argument against it.

 

[StimVino]

Could do a hybrid and blend in a small batch of blackberry. If trying, I would ferment separately with different yeast for blackberry. Or, blend in 2 bottles of cabernet franc after finish for a 87/13 ‘Bordeaux’ blend. May also want to cold stabilize to drop tartrite crystals. Could also explore a unique mlf option to add some complexity. So many options!

 

[Arne]

I didn't know one day I would be making Merlot! I always said, There are so many amazing Merlot wines you can buy for $20, $30 at stores that making another one doesn't make sense. It's different with country wines so I was making country wines only. Yesterday I ordered 2 gallons Merlot concentrate from Colomafrozen and it is arriving tomorrow. My another try with Colomafrozen and hopefully it is not gonna be stuck as my fruit concentrates. I know oak chips or cubes are used frequently because Merlot is low in tannin but neither I nor my wife like oak flavor so I just plan to add 1 tsp of tannin to 6 gallon must. I will shoot for pH 3.2 - 3.4. I found a thread where someone says about pretty high fermentation temperature, above 80 so I will try to accomplish this too. Any comments and tips are greatly appreciated.

Don't think I would try to run the ferment at 80 degrees. It has happened when it is hot outside, but a bit cooler and slower is almost always better. Low to mid 70's work well and my ferments are usually a bit lower than that. Of course I am not in any hurry, but with the high ferments you can stress the yeast and that opens up a whole new can of worms. Arne.

 

[Ericphotoart]

I found the info on merlot fermentation temperature on winemaker magazine website. Are they wrong?

Mastering Merlot - WineMakerMag.com.

 

[cmason1957]

I found the info on merlot fermentation temperature on winemaker magazine website. Are they wrong?

Mastering Merlot - WineMakerMag.com.

Ask 10 winemakers, get 11 opinions (maybe 15). I believe that get it warm has more to do with getting extraction from the skins than anything else. It does not sound like you will have skins, since it sounds like this is from concentrate. And some say get that extraction by doing a long cold soak, instead of getting it warm. Some say you get that extraction from enzymes added.

 

[Cap Puncher]

I found the info on merlot fermentation temperature on winemaker magazine website. Are they wrong?

Mastering Merlot - WineMakerMag.com.

I agree with Cmason1957, warmer temp is only going to matter for extraction if you have skins. It may matter if you are using a high glycerol yeast as well. However, if you don’t have skins to extract, Keeping the fermentation cooler will help you preserve aromatics.

 

[crushday]

Yeah. Pretty close except I expect about 2 gallons less. I wonder if my approach to the fermentation is close to what I should do. I think nutrients will not be necessary. Of course use of yeast will be debatable but right now I only have ec1118, k1-v1116 and Montrachet

If you don't mind me asking - two gallons less of fermenting must or finished wine? From the Coloma website:

Quote: Diluted Concentrate Approximate Yields of Single Strength Juice

Yield of Single Strength Juice Diluted: 1 quart (1/32 fl oz) yields about: 4 quarts, 1 gallon, or 5/750 ml bottles

Diluted: 1.5 gallons (6/32 fl oz) yields about: 24 quarts, 6 gallons, or 30/750 ml bottles

Diluted 3 gallons (12/32 fl oz) yields about: 48 quarts, 12 gallons, or 60/750 ml bottles

Diluted 4 gallon (4 gallon carboy) yields about: 64 quarts, 16 gallons, or 80/750 ml bottles - unQuote



Although your purchased volume is not depicted directly in the instructions, you could read yours as this:

"Diluted 2 gallon yields about: 32 quarts, 8 gallons, or 40/750 ml bottles"

Just my opinion, but you're risking a "stuck" fermentation and a resulting off-dry Merlot if you don't add enough water. I'm certain this is what happened with the fruit concentrate you described in your original post.

 

[Cap Puncher]

If you don't mind me asking - two gallons less of fermenting must or finished wine? From the Coloma website:

Quote: Diluted Concentrate Approximate Yields of Single Strength Juice

Yield of Single Strength Juice Diluted: 1 quart (1/32 fl oz) yields about: 4 quarts, 1 gallon, or 5/750 ml bottles

Diluted: 1.5 gallons (6/32 fl oz) yields about: 24 quarts, 6 gallons, or 30/750 ml bottles

Diluted 3 gallons (12/32 fl oz) yields about: 48 quarts, 12 gallons, or 60/750 ml bottles

Diluted 4 gallon (4 gallon carboy) yields about: 64 quarts, 16 gallons, or 80/750 ml bottles - unQuote



Although your purchased volume is not depicted directly in the instructions, you could read yours as this:

"Diluted 2 gallon yields about: 32 quarts, 8 gallons, or 40/750 ml bottles"

Just my opinion, but you're risking a "stuck" fermentation and a resulting off-dry Merlot if you don't add enough water. I'm certain this is what happened with the fruit concentrate you described in your original post.

The merlot is actually a bit different then the general above statement on their website.

For the Merlot section:
“The average single strength juice is about 22 to 24 brix. This product is very low in sulphur, <100 ppm. The approximate dilution rate is 1:2.8, yielding roughly 3.8 quarts of single strength juice per quart.”
2 gallons would yield ~ 7.6 gallons to start based on the above. After racking you are probably looking at 7 gallons of finished wine.

Also, IMO, I would start the dilution a little bit less (7 total gallons, 5water +2 concentrate, or even a bit less) Then, measure with your hydrometer. If you are within the 22-24 Brix range, you should be good. If too high, add a bit more water (or be more exact with a dilution calculator) You stated you were shooting for starting pH of 3.2-3.4. I’d try to be closer to 3.4-3.5. Are you planning on doing malolactic?

Also, the merlot being lower in tannin is more stylistic of the winemaker. I have made some merlots (Red Mountain/Columbia valley) that definitely rival cabs tannin. With the concentrate, you are likely to have less tannin for sure. The tannin you are planning to add at the beginning may be enough to help bind color, but may not be enough for long term aging. It really depends on the style you are going for (earlier drinker or longer aging).

 

[Ericphotoart]

I diluted 2 gallons of Merlot concentrate with exactly 4 gallons and 12 oz (US gallons) of water and I got 1.100 which is 23.8 Brix. And that’s very close to farmcalc that I used to determine how much concentrate I need.

 

[Ericphotoart]

in case of fruit juices that they have it’s more about dilution for drinking purposes than for making wine. Merlot juice is different but I got SG as I stated above.

 

[Cap Puncher]

What pH/ TA did you end up with (if you measured)?

 

[Ericphotoart]

PH 3.4. I didn’t measure TA.

 

[Ericphotoart]

After 7 days SG 1.010. Dropped 0.006 in the last 24 hrs

 

[Ericphotoart]

Merlot fermented to 0.996. Beautiful deep, dark. Racked and added 1/4 tsp of kmeta. So far everything going according to plan.

 

[Cap Puncher]

Are you planning on malolactic?