Taming Tannins

[Ohio Bob]

I can't recall what your annual production is, but buying by the gallon is a LOT cheaper.

Agreed. Now that my process is settled on routinely adding that much, my shopping list has a jug at the top of the list.

BTW, I do about 20-30 gallons of wine a year and 3 gallons of port, which I add 8-12 oz per 3 gallons.

 

[winemaker81]

Agreed. Now that my process is settled on routinely adding that much, my shopping list has a jug at the top of the list.

BTW, I do about 20-30 gallons of wine a year and 3 gallons of port, which I add 8-12 oz per 3 gallons.

If stored well, glycerin has a 2 year shelf life (according to some vendors). I buy a gallon when getting ready to bottle and the previous gallon won't cover it. Generally I use most of it up at 2 bottlings (roughly 1 year apart) and the remainder during the following year. So far I've had no problems.

 

[Snafflebit]

I really must try egg white fining.

I have a few bottles of Cab Sauv that still have the seed tannin bitterness on the end of the palate and I wonder if egg whites are the secret. I can sacrifice a bottle to the cause. The bitterness is greatly diminished from when the wine was young, but I can mildly detect it. I thnk that is what is holding me back from the "commercial quality" wine level. Also, I serve wine to people who have little experience beyond two-buck chuck and have a hard time understanding that homemade wine is sometimes a "taste adventure"

 

[mainshipfred]

Since making the original post I've been researching other production methods and came upon carbonic maceration as an alternate. I also seem to remember a commercial winemaker telling me about it. This year I'm going to split a batch of Tannat and PV to do one carbonic and one conventional. The fining products I ordered just arrived so there is going to be some experimentation this weekend.

 

[winemaker81]

Also, I serve wine to people who have little experience beyond two-buck chuck and have a hard time understanding that homemade wine is sometimes a "taste adventure"

IME all wine tasting is an adventure.

Wine varies so much it's not a surprise that many folks are afraid to get into drinking it, or go with a label they like and choose to drink nothing else.

I'm very adventurous and am happy to try new things. Yet I use ratings, online services, wine distributors, and the like for help. I let others take the risk.

Beginners rarely understand that we will make less than stellar wines on occasion. Threads like this one help us make those unhappy occasions rare.

 

[wood1954]

Gelatin reduces tannins very well with little affect on flavor. Of course time is the best way to mellow tannin.