Techniques in Home Winemaking is a resource for home winemakers looking for information or help on making great wines, including troubleshooting winemaking problems, and to share that knowledge with fellow winemakers. This resource is based and builds on my book by the same title and my newly released book titled Modern Home Winemaking, which has been updated to reflect the newest techniques and products for making outstanding wines.
Much of my experience is derived from extensive literature search as well as from my experience both as a home and a commercial winemaker.
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Hi Burak,
I was referring to the wine phases, both the liquid phase and the vapor phase, which comprises all the gases above the wine surface that exist in equilibrium with the liquid phase. Those will be primarily water and ethanol.
Keeping wine at 20C is not good for aging. It accelerates aging via oxidative processes and also favors microbial spoilage. Are you not able to cool down the area using something like an air conditioner?
And you are correct, it can be very difficult to inhibit an active MLF with a small dose of KMS; it’s the same with yeast though bacteria are more sensitive. Once the MLF is complete, you only need an amount commensurate with the wine pH as per my calculator; you also need to move the wine to cooler storage.
To inhibit MLF, you would need a larger dose (75-100 ppm), filter the wine down to 0.45 um to remove as much bacteria as possible, and move it to cool storage. This is what I do when I want to stop an active AF and want to keep residual sugar; I also chill the wine down to 6-8C.
If you cannot sterile filter the wine before bottling, you will need to treat with lysozyme and KMS as the wine is microbially instable.
Good luck
Daniel
Hi Daniel,
thankyou again, now my mistakes are clear to me. I will try to do like you advise.
Nowadays, i have been trying to make my sulphite knowledge deeper by re-reading your book and your other publications.
In this blog, you had informed somebody named Mike : Infrequent large sulphite additions are more effective than frequent small additions. As an example i understand like this, first we measure the current level, then find the must be level acc to pH. We enter these data in your calculator and it gave us a result for example 5 gr but, we put the double 10 gram. I understood this logic like this. Is that right ?
Today i viewed your so2 management protocol from 2014 ( couldn’t completely read) , a pdf doc. In the last page 11, you say “As is recommended by enologists, making small additions regularly is more effective than large infrequent additions”
Could you please illuminate the thing, which approach i have to follow up ?
Salute
Burak
Hello Burak,
Some winemakers will still recommend smaller and more frequent additions. The argument is that you maintain the recommended free SO2 level at all times.
Quite coincidentally, soon after my 2014 study, some new research and a new book was published in 2014 by renowned enologist Jacques Blouin where he made a strong case for larger and less frequent additions. The biggest advantage of this strategy, which I now support and recommend, is that you end up adding less sulfite throughout the life of the wine during maturation, and that you end up with a lower Total SO2.
The challenge is determining what adjustment factor to use. This depends on the style of wine and its chemistry. I provided some guidelines in the notes following the online Sulfite Calculator.
For example, for whites I suggest a 0% adjustment factor. For a full-bodied red, I suggest 100% early on and then gradually move down to 50% and 33% on subsequent additions. These would be infrequent and not every 3 months as is done with the other regimen. I would say measure your SO2 and do the additions when the free SO2 level reaches the recommended level based on pH but WITHOUT the adjustment.
For example, if your pH is 3.25, the calculator recommends 14 mg/L free SO2 at 0% adjustment and 0.5 mg/L molecular SO2 for a red wine. So double that amount on your first addition, at the end of the MLF. Monitor free SO2, and when it hits around 15 mg/L, adjust SO2. If it’s a full-bodied wine, use 100% again, otherwise, you can move down to 75% or 50%. Then monitor and measure free SO2 again, and when it hits 15 mg/L, add sulfite again with maybe 50% or 33% adjustment, and repeat on the final racking using likely just 0%.
It takes a bit of experience to master this technique. I measure total phenol content in my wines, and so I was able to master it fairly quickly. Yes, my wines have higher free SO2 levels, but I bottle at the recommended level (i.e. with 0% adjustment), and that results in lower Total SO2 then the other strategy.
I hope this clears it up.
Daniel
Daniel-
I have taken note of your reply to my query in November (hadn’t been notified via email) and truly appreciate it. Also apologize for the familiar Dan vs. Daniel. Won’t make that mistake again.
I have now gone back and read your blog for the past year. I find it wonderful that you give so generously of your time and knowledge. Thank you!
I have made 2 seasons of Cab S/Merlot blends and am now on my 3rd. All from grapes shipped from Lodi to upstate NY. Questions further to cold soaking:
1) Please expand on the pros and cons of pre AF cold soaking and post AF cold soaking. I was wondering if the alcohol provides any benefits in a post AF soak (reduces microbial taint etc.)? We have a club where we perform a crush for the first group (various varietals in 20-40 gal batches), ferment, then press, then crush for a second group etc. Each session runs around 7 days depending on ambient temps and I have been lucky to participate int he first group. I believe the grapes sit in the fridge of the distributor rather than a second shipment from Cali. I thought I could either:
a. Crush, kill the native yeast with MBS, and take some must home in 2 7 gal pails, put them in a frig covered, for a week or so, maintain 40 degrees, punch regularly, then raise the temp when the first group presses, ferment, and then press with the second group; or
b. Crush, kill the native yeast with MBS, ferment, and then prior to press, remove and take some must home in 2 7 gal pails, put them in a frig covered, for a week or so, maintain 40 degrees, punch regularly, and then press with the second group.
I also have a private question with regard to a potential equipment concept, and would love it if you would consider emailing me personally.
Thanks again for all you do.
Seth
Hi Seth,
You have to check the box below the COMMENT box to receive notifications. Know that I respond very quickly, usually well within 24 hours. So if you don’t receive a notification, go see if I responded because I likely did.
The main benefit of pre-AF cold soak is to extract anthocyanins (color pigment molecules) as these are more soluble in juice (absence of ethanol). And the main benefit of post-AF cold soak is tannin integration (via polymerization), which gives a smoother mouthfeel. The alcohol doesn’t protect the wine from microbes; you really need to chill it down and protect it with CO2 or other inert gas. Alcohol in wine can actually lead to chemical oxidation and/or microbial spoilage if not protected.
Yes, your techniques for processing and cold soaking are good. If you have a freezer with lots of space, you can also freeze crushed must; that actually helps extract more color. The freezing and thawing process ruptures grape skin cells, which causes further release of anthocyanins.
Hope this helps. You can email me at daniel@TechniquesInHomeWinemaking.com
Cheers,
Daniel
I had checked the box…
Thanks for the speedy reply.
I will follow your advice. No freezers, and since I don’t control the timing of the press, I will go with pre-soak at 40 degrees (unless you think colder is better).
No gas so I will keep the head space limited in the buckets?
Any suggestions in terms of number of days? Again, our club crushes once, ferments an average of 6-9 days, then press, and then crushes the next day all over again. So I could go 6-9 days of pre-soak and then 6-9 days of fermentation as needed.
Thanks again.
Seth
I had checked the box…
Thanks for the speedy reply.
I will follow your advice. No freezers, and since I don’t control the timing of the press, I will go with pre-soak at 40 degrees (unless you think colder is better).
No gas so I will keep the head space limited in the buckets?
Any suggestions in terms of number of days? Again, our club crushes once, ferments an average of 6-9 days, then press, and then crushes the next day all over again. So I could go 6-9 days of pre-soak and then 6-9 days of fermentation as needed.
Thanks again.
Seth
PS- No notice this time either, and it seems to give you an error when posting, have to hit back, and then repost.
I had checked the box…
Thanks for the speedy reply.
I will follow your advice. No freezers, and since I don’t control the timing of the press, I will go with pre-soak at 40 degrees (unless you think colder is better).
No gas so I will keep the head space limited in the buckets?
Any suggestions in terms of number of days? Again, our club crushes once, ferments an average of 6-9 days, then press, and then crushes the next day all over again. So I could go 6-9 days of pre-soak and then 6-9 days of fermentation as needed.
Thanks again.
Seth
PS- No notice this time either, and it seems to give you an error when posting, have to hit back, and then repost.
I have tried to post this several times, here is the error:
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Sorry for the multiple posts. See the error above.
Yeah, it’s a WordPress error and I don’t know why. I’ll need to look further into, but rest assured that you’re messages are being posted, so no need to try again.
A cold soak of 7-10 days or even 14 days if you can manage it is ideal.
Hello Daniel,
do we have a data how much TA and pH change during alcoholic fermentation (AF) for red wines and
how much tartaric and malic change as TA change during AF ?
Greetings
Hi Burak,
That’s an impossible task because there are so many factors that come into play. There is juice chemistry (which itself depends on variety, vintage, viticultural practices, etc. etc.), yeast strain selection, fermentation dynamic, etc. etc.
Some yeast strains are able to metabolize malic acid into lactic acid, so that can change TA significantly.
In general, you can expect TA to increase (assuming there is no change in malic conversion) due to the production of succinic acid during the AF, and therefore the pH to decrease.
Daniel
Hi Daniel ,
Now that the MLF is complete on my red wine, I added SO2 and wondering if I should rack the reds and transfer the wine to a new glass carboy? I used the Vinmetrica SC50 unit to test for malolatic acid .
Thanks Mike
Hi Mike,
You should have racked AND THEN added the SO2 (assuming you are not doing sur-lie aging), but ok. In 3 months, rack again, check/adjust the SO2 level. Rack and adjust SO2 every 3-6 months.
Daniel
Hi Daniel
So, what are the primary advantages of fermenting at cooler temperatures?
I am using R2 from Scott Labs for my pressed frozen Frontenac Gris. Making dessert wine. One carboy did not start at all ( 2 did). This has never happened before. Gave it over 34 hours, but seeing zero action in the air lock and only a very small amount of bubbles. R2 temp range is 41 degrees F to 80. I think 🤔 I may have let there be too much of a temp swing from soaking in Go Ferm to inoculation. The juice is at about 60 degrees. The cocktail of GF and yeast was at about 75 degrees. The only other difference is that the non- starter is in a glass Big Mouth Carboy, the other 2 are in narrow neck glass containers. I reinnoculated at 65 degrees, but wondering if I should raise the temp
Hi Kathi Jo,
Fermenting at cooler temperatures for whites and rosés helps retain the delicate aromas — that’s the main reason.
It is absolutely critical that the yeast culture be properly acclimatized before inoculating the juice. That means you shouldn’t have a temperature difference of more than 15°F (8°C). So add a little juice (say, 10 mL) to the yeast suspension ONCE IT HAS STARTED FROTHING, wait a few minutes, then add a little more juice, and continue in this fashion until the temperature of the yeast culture is within 15°F (8°C) of the juice. When the yeast is ready, add it to the fermenter.
It seems you were within this range, but it sounds like it might have been borderline; it definitely would have helped to acclimatize the yeast just to avoid such problems.
Give it another 24 hours; it should start. R2 is a bayanus strain, so I’m sure it’ll wake up soon and get to work.
Good luck.
Daniel
Hi Daniel
I ended up restarting the BiG Mouth Carboy with another inoculation of R2….this time with tightly controlled temp. After over 48 hours the air lock remained absolutely still. I was worried that the juice was going to spoil. Was thinking maybe the Big Mouth container top was leaking air…resulting in a quiet air lock. There were a few bubbles at juice surface, but nothing like the other 2 carboys. I wrapped the top in Suran Wrap…still no motion. I then transferred that juice into a narrow neck glass carboy and within a few hours it was bubbling away. What the heck? Not understanding the science behind this.
Your thoughts?
Hi Kathi Jo,
I’m puzzled as to what’s happening.
The only plausible explanation is that there is a leak around the Big Mouth closure or bung. Maybe there is a defect in the lid liner or the lid is simply not sealed properly, or maybe there is a leak between the bung and airlock.
You should test this by pressurizing the Big Mouth just a little with CO2, or start a fermentation in some water and sugar solution to create CO2, and then submerge the Big Mouth completely under water and check for leaks.
Also check for any hairline cracks in the airlock; it can happen. It happened to me once and I caught it a bit too late, and my wine had suffered slightly. If the sulfite solution in the airlock is levelled when it shouldn’t be, like during fermentation, it is a good indicator that there is a problem with the airlock if everything else is fine.
Good luck.
Daniel
Thanks Daniel
I think you are right. There must have been a leak in the container or airlock. The good news is it was probably slowly fermenting all that time. I just could not see it. It tastes fine…still very sweet as it should be. I may actually add some acid back in. My TAs and malic acids were really low this year…..for Minnesota. Even this Frontenac Gris was 1.1. My Marquette was .93 with a Malic Acid of 3.2. This is almost unheard of in Minnesota. It was a good year for me on my south facing, limestone hill. : ).
I wish the Minnesota Grape Growers Assiciation would have you speak at the Cold Climate Conference this March. We could all learn from your vast knowledge.
Merry Christmas to you and your family. So grateful for your guidance in all matters…of wine
Peace & Joy
Kathi Jo
Hi Kathi Jo,
Yes, that’s the good news … the wine was likely fermenting all along.
I’m confused about your acidity numbers. Looks like you are using both %age and g/L numbers. Your Frontenac’s TA seems to be 1.1%, or 11 g/L, but then your Marquette seems to be 0.93% but your malic is 3.2, which would be in g/L. Are you saying your Marquette’s TA is 9.3 g/L with 3.2 g/L of malic? That would make sense and, yes, unusually low for Minnesota. Who tested TA and malic acid levels?
Yes, I would be interested to do a seminar at the MGGA.
Merry Christmas to you and your family too.
Cheers,
Daniel
Hi Daniel
Yes. I move my decimal point around a bit. I am finding that some folks in the wine world use “10” interchangably with 1.0 depending on who I am reading or talking to. The juice was sent to ETS Labs the day after I picked the fruit. I keep it refrigerated until I ship it, then send it with an ice pack. This year I used a relatively new product from Scott Labs on my vines. It is called Lal Vigne (sp) An inactive yeast that you spray on vines a few times. It tricks the vine into thinking it is under attack by a yeast/mildew. This causes the vine to speed up maturation ….in theory. It is tough to use here because it has to stay dry for a few days after application. We had lots of rain. I had purchased it for my 2016 season but because of my cardiac arrest I ended up dropping all my fruit to the ground that year. I gave some to a friend that provides Frontenac for me. We treated a few rows with it and some without. I processed both. side by side using exactly the same steps. There is a profound difference in the taste of those two wines. I never ran any chemistry on them so I am not sure where they started. I will send to ETS before I bottle them. It is only 5 gallons of each , so have not wanted to spend the big bucks. Because of the big taste difference in those two, I ordered more for 2017 including the one used on white wines as well. I am not sure if this product contributed to my great numbers this year or if my vineyard has just matured and is now able to really represent the environment. 2017 was year 7. My vineyard sits on a south facing hill in a retired limestone quarry. It is about 10 degrees warmer than the surrounding area. Also the open pit of the quarry floor fosters a steady breeze which I think helps cool them off in the evening. We also had an early start on the growing season this year as we had our last frost in the end of April rather than mid May. My malic acids are usually between 4.5 and 5.5. TA is usually between 1.1 for Marquette and 1.7 for the Frontenac varieties. I will continue us to use the Lal Vigne and maybe I will leave a few vines un-sprayed to test the difference
Hi Kathi Jo,
I find it best to use measurements with units instead of percentages; it’s a lot clearer and avoids confusion. Percentages are well understood in winemaking, but if you start talking about concentrations of reagents, solutions and additives, then % becomes confusing since you don’t know if what is meant is % by weight (%w/w), % by volume (%v/v), or % weight to volume (%w/v). You did it again when going from talking about malic levels (4.5 and 5.5 g/L) to talking about TA (1.1% and 1.7%).
Yeah, you have many factors there that can profoundly change grape chemistry at harvest. You are in a challenging climate with having to deal with such high TA levels … 17 g/L!!
Good luck
Daniel
Daniel-
Hope you are enjoying the Holiday Season.
Speaking of cooler temps for whites and Rose’s etc:
1) 2016- I had pulled some juice off saignee from Cab Merlot for Rose, and although it tasted great, there was an onion background on the nose?
2) 2017 – Did the same for Merlot only, and while very young, I note a similar although lesser nose.
Thoughts?
Seth
Hi Seth,
Just about getting ready for the holidays.
I’m not clear at what stage the juices/wines are at. An onion smell points to a problem from hydrogen sulfide (H2S) or another thiol, or possibly even disulfides. But these would typically originate from fermentation problems or from leaving the wine on the gross lees for too long, hence why I’m not clear. I would not expect to get those smells in juice.
Try a light racking to see if the smell dissipates, otherwise you can try a copper or Reduless treatment. This should take care of H2S, if that’s the problem. It can be difficult if the problem is disulfides.
Happy Holidays
Daniel
Hi Daniel,
now that my red wine is finished with MLF , racked and sulfated , should I stir the small amount of lees 3 times a week?
Thanks Mike
Hi Mike,
Yes, though if you racked, you do indeed have very little lees. In the future, you can stir during the MLF but ever so gently so as not introduce excessive oxygen that might otherwise inhibit the LAB, or, sulfite (not sulfate) without racking.
Cheers,
Daniel
Hope your weekend was wonderful.
Sorry for not being more clear. The Onion nose was only after bottling last year, and this year, it is there, less detectable, but still there, after AF.
Thoughts and actions?
Thanks
Seth
There can be a number of reasons why you are getting that smell. It can be from the type of yeast you use, maybe from a stressful fermentation (such as insufficient or even too much of nitrogen), maybe wine sitting on the gross lees for too long, or vineyard sprays that have been applied too close to harvest.
In the bottle, the phenomenon is known as “reduction,” which basically means that the sulfur compounds are manifesting themselves in the absence of oxygen. For reds, this is part of the reason why it is important to aerate them during the early stages of winemaking. Wines bottled under screwcaps are known to exhibit this reduction because the closures allow almost no oxygen to enter the bottle compared to natural corks. This is why some sommeliers will tell you to decant even a bottle of white under screwcap, just to get rid of the reductive smell.
If you notice this type of smell during winemaking, try a light racking, and if that doesn’t work, you will need to treat it with a copper sulfate.
Good luck.
Daniel
Hello Daniel,
my first question is on the malic acid. Mike Miller at Accuvin says that malate concentration can run from 4 – 6.5 g/L in grapes from cool climates, to 1 – 2 g/L in musts from warmer climates. So, can we conclude like this : A MLF will be not necessary for a grape harvested at 25-26 Brix in a warm climate (like napa) considering the very low malate content ?
Second question is about pectolytic enzymes Rapidase AR2000 you informed in the book. Doug Moorhead from Piwine classifies this as aromatic enzymes and says that they are not much effective except in grape varieties with higher levels of the monoterpenes such as Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc etc. which all of are whites. What do you think, whether we have to use this for reds considering a bentonit treatment afterwards is necessary ?
Third question is regarding cold stabilisation (CS). You say that a CS won’t be necessary, if our cellar is higher than 15°C. That means tartarates still precipitate between 4 and 15°C slowly and fewer although the cellar temperature doesn’t decrease till to <4°C, am i right ?
i wish you merry christmas
Hello Burak,
Thank you for the Christmas wishes. Wish you too a very Merry Christmas.
#1. Those are common malic acid levels, yes, but I’ve seen those at much higher and much lower concentrations. There are other factors beyond cool and warm climates that affect malic acid production and concentration in grapes. Even if malic acid levels are low, they are still a source of microbial instability; that means the malic acid needs to be dealt with properly or it may cause an MLF or other lactic acid spoilage in bottle.
#2. That’s correct, I only use Rapidase AR2000 in aromatic whites (Muscat, Gewurz, Riesling, etc) to release the aroma compounds from their binders, namely, sugar molecules. It is generally not recommended in reds as that cleavage reaction would make sugar-bound anthocyanins that much more unstable.
#3. Wine is only tartrate stable to the lowest temperature it was stabilized at. What I wrote, as you state, is that if your cellar temperature never goes below 15C and you don’t expect the wine to be stored at cooler temperatures EVER, then that’s ok; it’s ok if you control how the wine is stored and serviced for consumption. If you give a bottle to a friend and they place it in the fridge and leave it there for even a couple of days, tartrates will form. Therefore, if you make wines for others, and as a general precaution, I always recommend to cold stabilize the wine. Even if you stabilized the wine down to -10C (like I did once on a commercial Icewine prior to bottling on mobile line), tartrates will form if the wine is subjected to colder temperatures (like it happened to my wine left overnight in an unheated barn because the pickup truck did not show up; the temperature fell to -20C). I will change the wording in a future edition. Thank you for asking for this clarification.
Cheers,
Daniel
Hello Daniel,
it is very nice to hear from you that a new publish will come, we’re waiting for it !
In the new edition, please kindly add the clarification that aroma enzymes are generally not for reds. I already added the aroma enzyme in my red wine :))
Secondly, you can add the figure 2 in the page 4 of Mike Miller’s acids presentation (pdf doc in the following link), which is a very helpful picture explaining what the pH and TA are.
http://www.gencowinemakers.com/docs/Acids%20Presentation.pdf
My last question in this year :)) is regarding batonnage. You wrote that in some cases, batonnage is being made till one year after AF.
That means; following AF we make only the first racking to remove the gross lees and don’t cold stabilize the wine at the same year with AF. Meanwhile, we make batonnage each week during one year and don’t make any racking/-clarification treatment. After one year, we’re racking + clarification and then cold stabilising, is that right ?
Why this confused me, becuase i cannot imagine how to differenciate the precipitated tartarates and fine lees in the sediment in the carboy, as long as i make batonnage.
Salut
Burak
Hi Burak,
I don’t when a new edition will be out, but that would be the plan.
Yes, I already noted to specifically mention in the new edition that aroma enzymes are not for use in reds.
I will look into including a figure like Miller’s that better explains acidity and pH, sure. That’s a good illustration.
Cold stabilization should always be the very last step before bottling because, until then, you don’t know what else you’ll be doing to the wine that may alter its tartrate stability. For example, you may decide to add another (not tartrate stable) wine and create a blend, which would require to re-stabilize the wine if you had done it already.
Correct. When you are doing with bâtonnage, you would rack again, perform any fining operation you desire, and then cold stabilize. Some winemakers also choose to rack between the fining operation and cold stabilization, but that’s not necessary; it also causes more oxygen uptake. You should be able to distinguish the difference in aspect and texture between fine lees and tartrate crystals.
Cheers,
Daniel
Happy new year Daniel,
I plan on using oak sticks in my 5 gal. carboys of red wine from grapes–2017 vintage, and at present Iam stirring on the lees and wondering if its ok to add the oak after the lees stirring process of one year is over ?
Thanks Mike
Hello Mike,
Thank you, and a Happy New Year to you too.
You can add the oak sticks at any time, really. My own recommendation is to add them as early as possible to then let the oak and tannins integrate sooner in the wine and with the other wine substances.
Daniel
Hi Daniel,
Since my white wine does not have any lees after 3 rackings should I continue to stir it several times a week and run the risk of exposing it to oxygen?
Thank you for your advise, Mike
Hi Mike,
If there are no more lees, what is there to stir?
In lees stirring, you stir the fine lees for whatever duration you like/want, but it has to be on the whole lees volume, i.e. no racking.
Daniel
Hello Daniel,
my question is regarding D-LAB. Accuvin offers a test kit to determine it.
For instance, i have two different wines and found out the D-LAB content in one wine as 30-75 mg/lt and 75-200 mg/lt in the other one by using the test kit.
For these two wines, how will we able to calculate the SO2 and Lysozyme addtitions ? Is there a tool for this ?
Have a nice day.
Hello Burak,
The D-LAB kit is used to determine the amount of residual LAB in wine. If the wine has gone through 100% MLF, i.e. there is less than 50 mg/L residual malic acid, a sulfite addition immediately following completion of MLF is all that is needed — there is no need for lysozyme.
Lysozyme is needed when there is residual malic acid, anything above 50 mg/L though some use 100 mg/L., and is added at a rate of 20-30 g/hL in conjunction with sulfite (it absolutely needs to be added with sulfite) independent of the amount of malic acid. Sulfite is added based on pH. Alternatively, you can sterile filter the wine.
Daniel
Hello, Daniel, and Happy New Year. It has been a while since I contacted you and much has happened over the past year or so – including making a lot more wine.
I am helping another wine maker on some larger volumes of wine and we are looking at finishing, fining and bottling some late harvest Semillon. The current acid level is 9.45 g/L and, after doing some taste tests, we decided to increase it to 10.5 g/L. The addition part of it is easy, but we have a disagreement on what type of acid to use.
Based on your book and many of the articles I’ve read on acid adjustments, I suggested using straight tartaric acid, although I was O.K. with using a 60/40 mix of tartaric and malic acid. My friend wants to use just malic acid and citric acid, as he believes any tartaric acid will precipitate out since there was a good amount of tartrates on the tank bottom after cold stabilization. This generates two questions.
First, after cold stabilization, if we want to increase TA back up, would any added tartaric acid just precipitate back out or would it remain in solution?
Second, I have read several articles regarding using citric acid and the concerns about microbial stability and – my over repeated concern – potential for acetobacter. Almost everything I have read has stated that any acid additions to grape wine should be tartaric and/or malic acid and to stay away from citric acid.
Your thoughts?
Dan
Hello Dan,
Thank you and a Happy New Year to you too.
Tartaric acid is generally the acid of choice for any adjustments because, in addition to being the most significant in grapes and wine and therefore the most “natural”, it is also the most stable. But the issue of stability is really only pertinent in wines that have been or will be subjected to a malolactic fermentation (MLF), usually mainly reds.
But if you have already cold stabilized the wine, you would need to stabilize it again if you add tartaric acid.
Please note that it is not tartaric acid that precipitates but, rather, potassium bitartrate (KHT). In wine, a temperature-dependent equilibrium exists among potassium bitartrate (KHT), and bitratrate (HT-) and potassium (K+) ions. Bitartrate are ions of tartaric acid. So if you add tartaric acid (H2T), you would shift the equilibrium towards potassium bitartrate, which would precipitate at colder temperatures. KHT formation also depends on many other wine chemistry factors, such as ethanol concentration, presence and concentrations of complexing factors including polyphenols, proteins, sulfates, metal ions and polysaccharides, such as pectins and gum arabic. These wine compounds can bind with tartaric acid or potassium and bitartrate ions and reduce the availability of these ions to form and precipitate KHT.
Back to the issue of stability of other acids and your second question.
Any wine that has residual malic acid is considered at risk of microbial spoilage. Commercial wineries make use of sterile filtration to remove yeast and bacteria that could otherwise cause unwanted microbial activity. The greatest risk is that of lactic acid bacteria (LAB), which would feast on malic acid. If sterile filtration is not possible, only high levels of sulfite or a combination of lysozyme and sulfite can keep LAB in check. “Good” LAB are responsible for MLF and the many pleasant substances they produce, but bad LAB can also metabolize malic acid into spoilage substances. And both good and bad LAB can metabolize citric acid into objectionable levels of diacetyl and acetic acid; that’s why adding citric acid is never a good idea. Acetobacter (acetic acid bacteria or AAB) is not implicated in malic metabolism.
Personally, I would add tartatic acid and cold stabilize again. If you cannot cold stabilize, you can add a protective colloid, such as carboxymethyl cellulose, yeast mannoproteins or potassium polyaspartate.
Good luck!
Daniel
Hi Daniel,
My Chard. wine finished MLF and I will add sulfite and wondering if I should rack it now or wait?
Thanks Mike
Hi Mike,
The important thing is to sulfite ASAP based on your wine’s pH. You can either rack BEFORE sulfiting or you can sulfite and then leave the lees in and stir for whatever period of time you desire for a richer taste.
Good luck!
Daniel
Hi Daniel,
The ph of my chard wine is 3.45 so I added sulfite to equal 80ppm. I checked the ph the next day and it was only 20ppm! To be sure all equipment and supplies were ok, I did a cross check on DI water and the ppm of sulfite checked out ok. I immediately added more sulfite to the wine and it checked out ok. I will check it again today. Do you know why the first addition of sulfite became bound up so quickly?
Also if I choose to leave the lees in, how frequently do you suggest I stir and for how many weeks should I keep the lees in the wine. At present the wine is stored at 55F.
Thanks for your help, Mike
Hi Mike,
With a pH of 3.45 and a molecular SO2 of 0.8 mg/L for a white wine, you need 36 mg/L (ppm) of free SO2 according to my calculations.
I assume you meant you checked the “free SO2” level the next day, not pH.
Was this wine aged in oak? If so, there will be a little binding and also some consumption from polyphenols but not to the extent of dropping 60 mg/L in one day. It could be that you have some other binders in there if the wine has any acetaldehyde flaw. Does the wine smell and taste ok?
Did you process the wine (e.g. racking) after the sulfite addition? Any oxygen uptake will consume SO2.
Other than that, there may have been a problem with your addition, perhaps you didn’t measure something correctly even though you checked everything; it happens.
You should measure total SO2 too so you can get a better idea of what could have happened.
It’s up to you how long you want to leave the wine on the lees and how often you stir. It’s a matter of taste. Try stirring once a day for week, taste, see how you like it, and repeat until you hit your sweet spot.
Good luck.
Daniel
Thanks Daniel for your reply;
I did make a mistake in stating ph for ppm of sulfite. I checked the free SO2 today and its ok at 60ppm after the second addition of sulfite. I have no oak in the carboy, however, will add some oak sticks today. The wine smells and taste ok. I will stir the lees once a day and taste weekly.
Thanks again for your help, Mike
You should measure total SO2 to understand what happened. You need to figure out if SO2 was consumed or if it had become bound.
Thank you, Daniel. Since we would not have time to cold stabilize again after adding tartaric acid, I lost the argument for adding just tartaric acid. We ended up adding Malic (90%) and Citric (10%) to get the TA up to 10.5 g/L and we will cross-flow filter and sterile filter prior to bottling tomorrow to eliminate/reduce the chance of microbial spoilage. An option that may be available to us in the future is utilizing a Laffort product called Celstab that is used for stabilization and prevents the formation of potassium bitartrate. Are you familiar with this product? Would it allow us to add tartaric acid to a white wine and eliminate the concern for the tartaric acid just precipitating out again?
As always, your advice and counsel are deeply appreciated.
Hi Dan,
Yes, I’m familiar with Celstab; I use it. As per my earlier response, you can use it for tartrate stabilization as it comprises carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC).
Daniel
Daniel, I have your book Techniques in Home Winemaking and have made sparkling wine with dialysis tubing per your article Sparkling Wine, MD. I have searched far and wide and cannot locate the answer to my question regarding the addition of dosage. I’ve made cranberry wine and have them bottled with dialysis tubing now carbonating. I want this wine to be a bit sweeter than it is and want to add a dosage. I’ve made some cranberry syrup and have determined that 20 ml per bottle would be adequate for my purposes as far as sweetness goes. So, the big question: after extracting the dialysis tubing with the yeast content, if I add the syrup to the carbonated wine and stopper it, am I building a bottle bomb? Should I also add some sorbate to each bottle for stabilization? I note your caution that sorbate can cause the geranium smell. I don’t see that you advocate the addition of sorbate in the dosage but you do indicate sulfite and metatartaric acid might be added. This issue isn’t explained much that I can find. Perhaps I’m not looking in the right place?
Thanks!
Dave
Hi Dave,
The amount of dosage to add, which really pertains to the amount of sugar, depends on the style you want to create, what you like. So you should perform bench trials with a sugar solution or syrup that you want to use.
If the wine is not properly stabilized, then yes, it can be a bottle bomb if there is any amount of residual sugar. Usually, just the high amount of of CO2 (osmotic pressure) is sufficient to keep any remaining viable yeast from refermenting. Typical pressure is 6 bars, about 90 psi. If it’s much lower than that, it add to the risk.
Then , you should definitely add sulfite as added insurance and also to protect against chemical oxidation. No need for sorbate. Metatartaric acid (or a similar protective colloid) can be added to inhibit tartrate formation in case you had not stabilized the wine. I don’t add any as I cold stabilize my wines. I do add gum arabic, which help with tartrate stabilization, increases perlage (CO2 action) and add mouthfeel.
Cheers,
Daniel
Many thanks for that advice, Daniel!
I guess I still don’t grasp the dosage section of your Sparkling Wine, MD article for Winemaker Magazine where you say that the sparkling wine can be sweetened after removal of the dialysis tubing. That is what I was intending to do but fear the bottle bomb development. Would it be ok to add 20 ml of Wine Conditioner which already has sorbate in it? I know you said that there is no need for sorbate and that osmotic pressure usually is sufficient to prevent re-fermentation.
The cranberry wine cleared naturally and was racked twice. There were no visible residue and the SG was 990, dry as it could be. Cranberries being what they are, the wine is a bit tart. I was hoping to modify that tartness a bit by the addition of a sweet dosage.
Dave
Yes, you can add a wine conditioner. I’m assuming that you fermented in good Champagne-style bottles that can resist high pressure.
Would you be interested in doing your winemaker course in southwestern Ontario somewhere like the one that is being considered in Ottawa?
I am the president of the “Corkscrew Society” club in Kitchener and would be interested in attending or helping to put on a session in our area.
Jim Kibble
jim@kibblefamily.com
226-600-2984
Yes, of course. When is a good time to call you tomorrow or another day to discuss?
Hello Daniel. What is your opinion of the Renaissance wine yeast that is advertised as zero H2S formation? Are there any others with a similar claim? Thanks
Hi Pete,
I know of the Renaissance yeast but have never experimented with it. It’s the reincarnation of the Phyterra yeast, which I believe did not succeed commercially. I don’t know of other yeasts that claim no H2S — that does not mean they don’t exist.
Daniel
Hello Daniel, I got a response back from The Beverage People. They’ve started carrying a H2S preventing yeast for big Reds: Maestoso AKA MUSE. I may give it a test. Thanks
Yes, that’s a Renaissance yeast.
Hi Daniel,
I have been stirring my Chard. wine on the minor lees now for 60 days and it taste good so 3 days ago I stopped stirring. How long should I let it settle down before racking as it is still cloudy after 3 days of not stirring?
Thanks for your help, Mike
Hi Mike,
Excellent! Yes, the wine will take a few days or a couple of weeks to clear up depending on the volume you are working. I would say give it two weeks, maybe 3, if it’s in the 55-L range. The idea is to get as much of the lees off the wine, and even if’s not perfectly clear (and it likely won’t get so), you will be doing a bentonite fining at some point — that will help clear the wine as you stabilize it against proteins.
Daniel
Hello Daniel,
Hope all is well.
I had a quick question regarding the use of a kegging system for topping up barrels.
Typically I am putting wine that just went dry into barrels, just it is by no means clarified. Should I put that unclarified and young wine into the keg? or do you used finished wine for kegging.
And do you always top off with the same varietal as is in the barrel or have you come to use a different varietal for topping off.
I am thinking of making a couple cases of Petit Verdot for my topping off keg system across all my barrels of different varietals
Thanks!
David
Hi David,
I’m am well, thank you, and I trust you are doing ok too.
I prefer to use clear, finished wine for topping. Topping wine should always be at least as good as the wine in the barrel and far more advanced in the process. If you let the topping wine clarify in the keg, you will force the sediments back into suspension when you come to use the keg to top up barrels (that’s due to the gas pressure).
You can top with a wine of similar quality or another varietal that you intend to use for blending. There are no hard and fast rules here. Personally, I always top up using the same varietal.
Cheers,
Daniel
Hi I am new to the conversation and seeking your advice.
This is my 1st time making wine and have been working with my father-in law.
My grapes were pressed 2 weeks ago (shiraz) and are now fermenting, I am making about 45 litres.
2 questions.
1. My ph is 4.4 and I want to add tartaric acid to reduce this to 3.4, if I add it now will it effect the fermentation or should I wait until after fermentation/
2 I didn’t have enough juice to fill the 54 litre demijohn, I have read I should top the demijohn with wine. Should I do this now or again wait until after fermentation?
Looking forward to hearing your advice.
Hi Brendan,
Glad you decided to take up winemaking; it’s a fun hobby, though it can be unnerving when things don’t quite go as expected.
It is not impossible for pH to be as high as 4.4, though quite rare. I have dealt with some juices at a pH of 4.2, but never 4.4.
The first thing you have to make sure is that you have total confidence in your pH meter and measurement. You don’t want to start changing your wine’s chemistry based on false measurements.
pH measurements can be off if the meter was not calibrated properly with fresh buffer solutions. Make sure you have a good probe that has been well maintained and then calibrate the meter with a least two buffers, e.g. 7.01 and 3.00. If you are equipped to measure total acidity (TA), I suggest you measure it to understand if the pH measurement is valid. You can buy a TA test kit anywhere; they are cheap and easy to use.
I suggest you validate pH and TA before you do any adjustments.
If you do need to add tartaric acid, it is usually best to do it pre-fermentation. You might be shocking the fermentation kinetics at this point since it already started. Also, keep in mind that TA will likely increase and pH drop after fermentation. So re-assess TA and pH at the end of fermentation and make acid adjustments then. Add half the amount needed to reach your target, wait a day, re-measure your TA and pH, and then make the next adjustment.
If your demijohn is not full, it’s ok during fermentation as carbon dioxide gas is protecting the wine. But you will need to fill that headspace once fermentation is over and you rack and stabilize the wine. You can either add another wine (it can be a commercial wine) to top up or use one of several available device to displace the air in the headspace. You can join our Home Winemaking group on Facebook where you can see the many discussions we had on this topic.
Good luck.
Daniel
Thanks Daniel,
I will check out the meter and take on your advice.
regards Brendan,
Melbourne Australia
pH calibration is a common problem, all too often responsible for erroneous measurements.
Daniel,
Thank you for all the information and knowledge – both here and on the Home Winemaking Facebook page. I do not have a FB account, so my wife joined the group and I read off hers.
I have a small vineyard – 18 Petite Sirah, 18 Viognier, and 14 Sangiovese vines. This is my third year, and I will be harvesting later on (yay!). I live in Austin, TX and my vines have grown so well this year. Fruit set has just occurred on almost all my vines.
Two questions for you:
1 Where can you direct me regarding an organic spray schedule? I have sprayed Captan and just sprayed EcoLogic spray –
https://www.homedepot.com/p/EcoLogic-32-oz-Ready-to-Spray-Concentrate-Lawn-Insect-Killer-HG-75004/206466787
Because I had aphids and ants.
2 Can you recommend a good TA/pH test kit? I want to have this on hand when I harvest and get ready for primary.
Thank you so much Daniel! So much learning, so little time.
Regards,
Chad
Hello Chad,
You’re growing your own fruit, wow, that’s great, and I can sense your enthusiasm. Good for you!
Unfortunately, I cannot provide guidance with your first question as that is not my area of expertise. You can try one of the many universities. Contact their viticulture department and they’ll be happy to help you. You can try Cornell, UC Davis, Purdue. I’m sure Texas has one too but I’m not familiar with those.
For measuring TA/pH, I recommend the Vinmetrica SC-300 (see link below). It’s pricey, but if you add the costs of a pH meter and test equipment for measuring free SO2, this is a good deal, and one of the best units for measuring TA/pH/SO2. Yes, I STRONGLY recommend that you measure SO2 levels so that you add the right amount of sulfite based on pH to adequately protect the wine. Managing SO2 levels is part of sound winemaking practices.
https://vinmetrica.com/product/vinmetricas-sc-300-sulfite-and-phta-wine-analyzer/
Cheers,
Daniel
Thank you so much Daniel.
I’ll reach out to a few of the local Texas universities and UC Davis.
Thanks for the link on Vinmetrica.
Just doing my research. The Home Winemaking group has been a great source of information. Thank you for managing this.
When are you coming to Austin for your classes? 😄
Thank you again Daniel. I’ll have my wife post some pictures in the FB forum.
Cheers!
Chad
Hi Chad,
Glad to be of help. Looking forward to your pictures.
I’m looking into a seminar in Texas, not sure what city yet and nothing concrete at this point.
Cheers,
Daniel
Chad,
Someone (or maybe it’s you operating under a different name LOL) asked the same question in my Home Winemaking Facebook group. Someone responded with the following link that may be of interest to you:
https://www.arbico-organics.com/product/jms-stylet-oil-omri-listed-insecticide-fungicide-viricide/organic-insecticides
Good luck!
Daniel
Daniel – too funny! I read that one yesterday too. Good info on JMS Stylet Oil.
And no, that’s not me under a different name. 😂
Have a great day!
Chad
Hahaha! It was too much of a coincidence. Too funny indeed.
Have a great day!
Daniel
Hello Daniel – I’ve had the H2S bug bite me again with a batch of Carmenere (maybe I should just stick with whites). Is there any danger stopping a malolactic early to combat an H2S issue? I’m about 2 weeks in to the malolactic.
Hi Pete,
Yeah, H2S can be a real pain if you don’t manage your fermentation and lees carefully.
I don’t know how you carried out your fermentation; there are several causes of H2S. It could result from the presence and concentration of naturally occurring or yeast-derived sulfur-containing amino acids in the juice, S. cerevisiae metabolic reduction of inorganic sulfate from elemental sulfur from either overuse of sulfur-based vineyard sprays to control mildew, from a harvest that was too close to spraying, a lack of nutrients, maybe even too much nutrients, or, most commonly, from enzymatic degradation of sulfur-containing compounds from autolysis when wine is left too long on dead yeast cells, especially on the gross lees.
I would NOT recommend halting the MLF; you’ll simply end up with a microbially unstable wine.
Let the MLF complete, and a small amount of sulfite, and then try splash-racking the wine to see if the H2S smell disappears. If not, you may need to treat with copper. I can give you specific instructions on how to do that once/if we decide to proceed with such a treatment.
So please provide an update at that time and then we’ll see how to proceed.
Good luck.
Daniel
Hello Daniel. Thanks for all of your help. Here’s more info. 6 gal Chilian juice bucket
Initial Bix 21, added 2.5 #’s sugar and 8g FT Rouge and 6g opti Red.. Natural yeast was already fermenting – so I went with an agressive yeast Lalvin EC-1118. Go-firm + Ferm-aid O. At 1 brix I racked and added Wyeast Malolactic 4007 culture + Opti-malo and Acti-Mil.. Initial fermentation exploded and foamed up through the airlock. I stirred gently several times a week – I figured the yeast was not stressed due to the renewal of fermentation. After about 5 days I detected the H2S aroma. Should I have stirred more aggressively at the last stages of primary fermentation?
Pete
Hello Pete,
Ok, you racked at 1 Brix, so that’s good. That was my main question.
Looks like you did not sulfite the juice initially to inhibit wild yeast. That is one possible cause of your problem, though not likely.
How much Go-Ferm, Fermaid, Opti-Malo and Acti-Mil did you add? As per my initial response, too much nutrients is just as bad as not enough. Also, when did you inoculate with EC-1118 and added the nutrients, i.e. at what Brix?
Had you been regularly stirring your wine while it was fermenting?
And — an important question — how long from the start of visible fermentation to when you inoculated with EC-1118?
You need to let the MLF complete now as any racking or processing that introduces oxygen may inhibit the malolactic bacteria.
During the MLF, gently — and I do mean gently — stir the wine. You want to complete the MLF as quickly as possible.
Let’s re-evaluate the situation when the MLF is complete.
There is always the possibility that the juice chemistry was predisposed to metabolize excessive H2S. How bad is the H2S smell?
We’ll sort this out one way or another. Hang in there.
Daniel
Hello Daniel – 6gr Go-ferm / 12gr fermaid-O / 6gr opti-malo / 4gr acti-mil. EC-1118 introduced same day I noticed native yeast fermentation – with the Ferm-aid. I stirred regularly during primary, I racked at 1 BRIX and added the Malolactic culture + nutrients – the primary took off again (vigorously) at that point. About 5 days later I noticed the H2S – I had been stirring regularly – maybe not enough stirring. I’ll let the Malolactic finish – then I’ll splash rack and sulphite. The H2S is noticeable, but not as strong as I’ve had in previous cases. Hopefully the splash rack – and maybe a hit of Reduless and or Kudzit will take care of things at that point. How often do I stir during the malolactic?
Hi Pete,
My guess is that the yeast and bacteria were overwhelmed by that much nutrients. You went with maximum dosages and with a powerful yeast. The AF was short and then, bang, more nutrients for the MLF in a very short time. The Opti-Malo would have been sufficient.
The H2S will likely disappear after the MLF, and once you rack and sulfite. Otherwise, yep, some copper-containing processing aid will fix things for sure; but let’s wait until after the MLF is complete.
YOu can stir once daily during the MLF. And again, stir GENTLY and replace the bung quickly to avoid too much oxygen uptake.
Good luck.
Daniel
Seems like I’m either too much or not enough with the nutrients – thanks again.
Yeah, you need to be conservative with nutrients. There are techniques to measure YAN, yeast assimilable nitrogen. There are also vendors (White Labs, Vinmetrica) that offer YAN analysis.
Hi Daniel
I just read a recent article in Wine Business.com concerning oxygen usage in primary fermentation of red and white grapes. The article stated that early juice oxidation in white wine decreases oxidizable phenolics content, lessening the browning potential as wine ages Another conclusion, astringency and bitter phenolic content decreases. If you have a chance to read this article, I would like to know your opinion about oxygen during and after fermentation of white and red wines.
Thanks, Mike
Hi Mike,
Yes, the technique in white winemaking is called hyper-oxygenation where the juice is made to become brown. It can be scary to the uninitiated. The technique is not recommended for aromatic varietals, such as Sauvignon Blanc.
In red winemaking, there is a lot of oxygen uptake during the primary fermentation as the wine is pumped over and racked. There is also a technique used during maturation to emulate barrel aging; it’s called micro-oxygenation. Minuscule amounts of oxygen are delivered to the wine aging in a tank, and this over the course of a few to several months. This needs to be done with oak staves inserted in the tank; oak tannins are key to making this work properly. As I said, it emulates barrel physics and the benefits of barrel aging.
I wrote about hyper-oxygenation and micro-oxygenation in WineMaker Magazine.
Cheers,
Daniel
Thanks Daniel,
what issue of wine maker magazine is your article in about oxygenation of wine?
Thanks Mike
You’ll find relevant articles in the Feb-Mar 2015, Apr-May 2013, Dec 2012-Jan 2013 and Oct-Nov 2009 issues of WineMaker.
Danieal
Hope all is well. I truly appreciate all your wonderful and valuable advice.
About to bottle my 17 Rose (Merlot Saignee with a touch of Pinot Grigio). I thought I would give it a single polishing filtration.
Is there any reason why I can’t use my BuonVino Mini Jet coupled with my BuonVino Super Automatic Gravity Bottle Filler at the same time (filter and bottle in one step)? My wine is very clear, and I am only looking to polish (#2).
Any issues or concerns? Am I going to stress the pump between bottles?
You had commented on a slight onion aroma last year. what do you think causes that? Thankfully it is not evident this year. .
Thanks
Seth
Hi Seth,
If I’m understanding you correctly, you want to feed the output tube from the pump right into the filler, yes?
It won’t work because the pump keeps working and wanting to push the wine through the filler, but the filler is stopped when a bottle becomes full. It will cause the filler to become pressurized, which will cause the pump to also become pressurized, and then reduce filtering efficiency.
Keep in mind that the filler functions under the force of vacuum when bottling; now you would be adding pressure to the system. It won’t work, not without damaging the equipment.
It is really best that you filter into a carboy and fill bottles from there.
I strongly recommend your filter down to a #3. It’s not about clarity at that point, but rather reducing the risk of a refermentation due to latent yeast. You are not eliminating the risk but reducing it. The vast vast majority of commercial wines are filtered down to this level (though they use what is called absolute filter media, which practically eliminates said risks — they can’t afford those risks).
An onion smell is indicative of the presence of one or more sulfur-containing compounds, what we call Volatile Sulfur Compounds, or VSCs.
VSCs originate from many sources including: elemental sulfur; sulfates; excessive use of sulfites; degradation of sulfur-containing amino acids by yeasts or lactic acid bacteria (LAB); enzymatic or chemical degradation of sulfur-containing compounds including pesticides; nitrogen deficiency or excess during yeast fermentation; yeast stress; fermentation dynamics; and what is called reductive winemaking where wine is exposed to very low levels of oxygen.
These can disappear over time, like it has in your wine.
Cheers,
Daniel
One more comment . . .
If you are thinking about starting/stopping the filter pump while bottling, that too is not a good idea; filtering efficiency is greatly reduced.
Sorry for the typo in your name
Seth
Thanks as always, those were were my concerns, makes sense.
The 2016 Rose is long gone, with a slight nose of onion but otherwise very enjoyable, and very few who tasted appeared to detect that.
My 2017 does not appear to have that issue. Hopefully my techniques are improving, mostly thru reading your directions 🙂
Thanks again.
Seth
Excellent! But you can’t beat hands-on experience.
Just filtered and polished, went with your advise and used #2 and #3, made a huge difference, wine is fabulous. Now I just wish I had more that 6.5 gallons 🙂
Thank you again.
Seth
Excellent! I knew you’d be happy with the results. Now you need to make more wine.
Daniel-
Hope your summer has been fabulous. I wanted to get to your course put on by Musto, but couldn’t make it. Are the materials available?
Re-reading your book now for the 3rd time with much better understanding. I have gotten over 25 people to buy your book at our club and elsewhere. There is even a commercial winemaker in Israel that just ordered your book at my recommendation.
I was hoping I could run my plans by you for comment.
I crush and press at a club with 2 sessions of crush/ferment/press over the course of 2.5-3 weeks. Normally all is left on premises and I always crush in the first group, and then come back to help in the second. I have decided to try some new things this year. Here is my outline for 2018:
Assuming 1 box =36#
8 boxes of Cab 288# ~31.68 gal must
5 boxes of Merlot 180# ~19.8 gal must
Crush separately
468# X .11 = ~ 51.5 gal total Must
Kill with Metabi and punch/mix must separately
Remove (saignee) 7 gal free run Merlot 1 hour after crush
Combine- remainder of C & M,
Add Lallzyme EXV
Add Opti Red
leaves 44.5 Gal must to be brought home in 6 gal pails (will need approx 9 pails?) for cold maceration (clean in advance).
4 boxes Grenache 144# ~15.84 gal must
1 box Syrah 36# ~3.96 must
Crush separately
180# X .11= 19.88 gal total Must
Kill and punch/mix must separately
Remove 7 gal saignee free run Grenache 1 hour after crush
Combine Saignee Merlot and Grenache, and transport home in 6- 3 gal water bottles
Combine- remainder of G & S, leaves 12.8 Gal TO FERMENT ON SITE DURING 1ST GROUP session
Red G/S:
After killing native yeast, add Lallzyme EXV
Add Opti Red
After 24 hours, inoculate with ICV D21 (DYW84) using Goferm
Ferment with 1st group in 1 large blue frementer
Add fermaid O at appropriate time(s)
Daniel- When would you add oak chips and in what quantity during ferment? Last year I added at beginning, you had implied it may be better to wait a bit to lock in color etc.
Press with 1st group
Hopefully yield ~10 gal of wine to handle in 2- 5 gal car boys @ home
Rack off gross Lees
Innoculate with DYWM2 for ML using Opti Malo and Acti Malo at the right times
ROSE:
Already killed at club
@ home – Move the rose to 2-7.5 gal fermonsters and put in cellar @ 55degrees
Next Day – Pitch yeast with Goferm- Rhone 4600 in one fermenter, Melody in other fermenter (if it comes in time, otherwise Rhone 4600 for both) – ferment cool – Daniel- Is 55 degrees too cold? should I ferment at 60 or 65?
Add Opti White
Add Fermaid O when appropriate
Rack to 2 6.5 gal fermonsters when ferment is done
Red C/M:
@ home – Punch daily in pails and keep in frig for cold maceration at 45 degrees -Daniel, is 45 ok? I can adjust down to 35 or so –
until 2d session is ready to crush. Then bring back to wine club to ferment in 1 blue fermenter
@ club ferment with 2d group
After 24 hours once brought to room temp, inoculate with ICV D254 (DYW72A) using Goferm
Daniel- Again, having now macerated cold for about 1 week, when would you add Oak Chips to fermenter and in what quantity?
Add fermaid O at appropriate time(s)
Press with 2d group
Bring home in 10-12 3 gal water bottles
Transfer to 4 – 7.5 gal fermonsters plus a carboy
Next day rack off gross lees to 4 7.5 gal fermonsters
Innoculate with DYWM2 for ML using Opti Malo and Acti Malo at the right times
For the Reds, I use a different toast stave in each fermenter (Fr Med+, Am Med+, Am Dark) usually for the entire time until bottling (bagged and weighted chips having been tossed prior to pressing).
What do you think? Your time and effort is greatly appreciated.
Thank you!
Seth
Hi Seth,
Thank you for supporting my book.
The seminar material is only available to those who attend my seminars. Sorry.
I don’t see anything wrong with your protocols. You obviously know what you are doing.
I would add oak powder (vs chips) at a rate of 4-5 g/L when you have reached maximum anthocyanin (color) extraction. Some people prefer to add oak chips right at crush. I prefer the former, my way, as you know.
For the rosé, 55F is fine; that’s how I do it.
For the C/M, 45F is good; colder is better if you can.
Good luck.
Daniel
Thank you for your speedy reply and support!
Can do colder, is there a temp that is too cold? 35 ok?
Assuming a normal crush to warm/hot ferment with Red (6-9 days), how long typically to reach maximum anthocyanin (color) extraction?
Assuming cold maceration, and then ferment, when would you add the oak?
Thanks again.
PS- I don’t think the notification widget below is working.
Seth
35F is definitely good.
You’ll have to gauge your extraction; it varies by variety and your techniques, but it might be 2-3 days, maybe more, after the start of AF. I measure color every day using my spectrophotometer, and so I know where I stand. That’s when I add the oak, as per my earlier response, when I see I have reached maximum extraction.
The notification is working as far as I can tell.
Hi Daniel,
My attempt at making Pinot Noir red wine a few years ago did not go so well. The color came out pink. This year I am letting the grapes color and sugar up as high as possible before they begin to rot. If I crush and cold soak at 50F and add 50ppm sulfite plus lallzyme-Ex, Opti Red, and FT Rouge fermentation tannin, will this help bring out the color from the skins? How many days to cold soak would you suggest? Thanks for your help,
Mike
Thank you.
I can’t find my spectrophotometer 🙂
On the cold macerated C/M, would you still wait for AF to add the oak as well?
Not getting any emails, but our blog is on my browser pinned, so that’s fine.
It’s hard to misplace a spectrophotometer. 😉
For the C/M, yes, like in all my reds, I add the oak/tannins during the AF at max color extraction.
Hi Mike,
Kudos to you for trying your hand at Pinot Noir again. You now know why it’s called the “heartbreak grape.” It can indeed be a challenge both “growing” the color in the grapes in the vineyard and extracting it in the winery.
You can cold soak a few days, one week realistically speaking as it is a bit of work in home winemaking. You have to use dry ice or frozen jugs of water. The colder the better. Your proposed protocol is good. Make sure to punch down the cap at least 3 times a day to favor extraction. I also suggest you run off 10% or more of the juice right a crush (turn that into a light white wine) so as to concentrate the rest of the juice with the grapes.
Good luck.
Daniel
Sorry for the goofy question, but need to settle an argument related to testing for TA with a PH meter:
Please confirm that the phenolphthalein solution is ONLY for needed determining a color change, and is not necessary at all when testing acidity using a PH meter and NaOH (either .1 or .2).
Thank you
Seth
Correct. The phenolphthalein is only needed if determining the titration endpoint visually, i.e. it is not required if using a pH meter.
When you check the PH/TA of Must, do you let the sample settle first, and draw of 15ml of clearer must, or mix it up?
Thanks
Seth
The must should be well stirred. The sample should be cleared as much as possible by centrifuge (that’s how I do it) or by filtering through a coffee filter before measuring TA and pH. I re-measure again after a 24-hour soak as there is likely more acid extracted from the skins. And again, the must should be well stirred before retrieving a sample.
Hi Daniel,
right now I am stuck with the question how much SO2 should be added. I am elaborating a red wine (Tempranillo) which just passed MLF successfully. The resulting pH value is 3.90.
In your book “Techniques…” of 2012 I found a rule of thumb for red wine (p.151) for calculating the required free SO2 level: (pH-3.0)x100 for a molecular SO2 concentration of 0.8 mg/l.
This rule is consistent with Fig. 3-17 on p. 152 and gives me a value of 90 ppm.
Additionally I noted that you designate 0.8 mg molecular SO2 as a de-facto standard.
Now my questions:
1. Is 0.8 mg/l molecular SO2 still the de-facto standard? (On winebusiness.com’ winemaking calculator page they recommend you 0.5 mg/l for red wine).
2. The winemaking calculator of winebusiness.com gives me 62 ppm of recommende free SO2 for red wine at pH 3.90 for 0.5 mg/l free SO2 and 99 mg/l for 0.8 mg/l molöecular SO2. So far so fine. Now looking at the sulfite calculator of winemakermag.com I see that the recommended free SO2 level largely depends on the temperature. Let’s make an example (for red wine having a pH of 3.90):
at 15 C I get 62 mg/l (the figure I mentioned above). But at 25 C I get less than the half (30 mg/l).
I am surpised that on one side there is a recommendation of 62 mg/l free SO2 independent of temperature (winebusiness.com) and on the other hand 62 or 30 mg/l largely dependent on the temperature (winemakermag.com).
Can you provide me some background to this discrepancy and advise me which figure to follow?
3. If required free SO2 depends largely on temperature (see above) I am wondering when my wine is cooled down lets say from 25 C in summer down to 15 C i winter: do I have to correct free SO2 in this situation (never heard about that so far).
Thank you for your help and greetings from Europe
Eduard
Eduard,
SO2 theory and management in the cellar can be one of the most frustrating topics. I have developed and updated the WineMaker magazine Sulfite Calculator. Use it and follow those recommendations, which are more accurate and factor in cellar temperature.
Yes, when you come to adjust your free SO2 level, you need to use the new cellar temperature of the season.
Good luck.
Daniel
Daniel-
My Syrah/Grenache (red) is done with AF, and coming in at 3.7 ph and 7.8 TA.
Do you recommend adjusting?
After MLF, do you recommend oaking?
Thanks as always for your considered advice.
Seth
Seth,
If taste us good, don’t adjust anything; there is no reason to, except for dropping your TA. For that, cold stabilize. Keep an eye on pH as it will likely increase.
As for oaking, that’s up to you. The blend could definitely benefit.
Cheers,
Daniel