Wine Diamonds in a red wine?

[ibglowin]

You only need to stabilize down to the lowest point your wine would see in your "cellar" each Winter. You don't have to take it down to 30 unless your trying to maximize the tartrate formation. I have wines from fresh grapes that are 5 years old now that have little to no crystals as I waited 2 Winters before bottling and the temps are stable in the Winter in my cellar.

Okay, tested my wines. Merlot blend pH 3.66 TA 5.9 g/L. Dornfelder pH 3.78 TA 5.8 g/L.

So what kind of a pH jump are we talking here if I cold stabilize these? 3.78 is getting up there.

 

[heatherd]

I get wine diamonds in red wines but just decant and don't worry about them.

 

[ibglowin]

It all depends on how much Tartrate drops out so no way to calculate it really. A 0.1 rise in pH in not unheard of.

If there's a way to determine that ahead of time, it is beyond my knowledge.

 

[Floandgary]

It all depends on how much Tartrate drops out so no way to calculate it really. A 0.1 rise in pH in not unheard of.

All the info I read seems to say that "IF there is excess or a large amount of Tartrares, this process will get it out". Nothing urgent about it. Just one of those little alleyways along the road to a lip-smackin' glassful

 

[ibglowin]

Since I always seem to be dragging my feet to bottle even at 2 years in carboys and small barrels I have to say that time is indeed a winemakers friend.

If it ain't stable by two years, its NEVER going to be stable!

 

[jgmann67]

If it ain't stable by two years, its NEVER going to be stable!

Reminds me of why my first wife and I split...

 

[ibglowin]

 

[ceeaton]

You only need to stabilize down to the lowest point your wine would see in your "cellar" each Winter. You don't have to take it down to 30 unless your trying to maximize the tartrate formation. I have wines from fresh grapes that are 5 years old now that have little to no crystals as I waited 2 Winters before bottling and the temps are stable in the Winter in my cellar.

So in reality, both wines are should be okay at this point. They have been in carboys in the basement this whole winter at the same temperature as the bottles that showed the diamonds (low hit 56*F for a few weeks). They are approaching a three month racking, so maybe I should just go ahead a little early and see what diamonds I have in both batches. If I see a decent amount in the bottom/sides of the carboys I will skip putting them out in the garage assuming I have dropped enough of them to stabilize the wine. Then when it warms up enough I can see if they need degassing before bottling.

Thanks for your help.

 

[ibglowin]

Again patience Grasshopper.

Winter is not over is it? If the temps drop lower more can precipitate. Why not just wait till you have reached the coldest point for sure and then rack.

 

[ceeaton]

Again patience Grasshopper.

Winter is not over is it? If the temps drop lower more can precipitate. Why not just wait till you have reached the coldest point for sure and then rack.

Question, once they have dropped will they go back into solution as the temperature rises, or do they need some sort of catalyst, like stirring?

If the answer is they will not be reabsorbed back into the wine, I'll rack now because I know I will rack again before bottling. If the answer is that they will go back into solution, the carboys will head to the garage for a few weeks (after Saturday morning, supposed to go down in the low teens).

 

[ibglowin]

If you heat anything with crystals (enough) you can get them to go back in solution. That is why you should wait till you hit the low point then rack. I rack 2-3 times the first year then only once just before bottling in year two.

If your in a hurry to bottle then I would take advantage of Mother nature.

 

[jgmann67]

It's gonna get cold and snow next week, Craig.

 

[ceeaton]

If you heat anything with crystals (enough) you can get them to go back in solution. That is why you should wait till you hit the low point then rack. I rack 2-3 times the first year then only once just before bottling in year two.

If your in a hurry to bottle then I would take advantage of Mother nature.

It is on schedule to be racked at the end of the month for it's third racking since MLF completed. I may need the carboy in the middle of this May, so I'm not planning on aging for a second winter. Now the one I make in May may very well make it two Mays before I bottle, since it may be mostly Cab Sauv, maybe.

It's gonna get cold and snow next week, Craig.

Vicious rumors! Actually only 1-3" expected. I'm more worried about the next two nights in the teens, after that the lows will be in the 20's with the highs from the 40's to 50's for quite some time. Garage usually stays a good 8 to 10 degrees higher than outside, unless there is a stiff Northwest wind (or the kids leave the side door ajar). Mike was saying I just need to average a bit under the lowest storage temperature, which would be 55*F during a really cold winter. So the temperatures coming up will do the trick.

I should have been a sturgeon, plenty of patients at the hospitals. I can't find any patience around here.

 

[jgmann67]

If it helps at all, my garage stays around 45-50* during the winter.