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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Hello Daniel, I’ve read that some wines intentionally undergo a partial ML. What are the advantages and dangers of an intentional or unintentional partial ML?
Thanks – Pete
Hi Pete,
I don’t know what you mean by “intentionally undergo.” MLF is in the hands of the winemaker, his/her decision to do it, or not, or partially. We understand MLF very well and it should therefore never be left to chance, i.e. either it’s intentional and you do it, or it’s unintentional, in which case the winemaker is not on top of things.
You would want a partial MLF where you still want to get some benefits that MLF provides in terms of more aroma and flavor complexity but where you do not want a complete MLF because malic acid is so high that 100% conversion would leave the wine flat. The danger would be that the wine is microbiologically unstable unless it is adequately sterile filtered.
High malic acid levels is not uncommon in hybrids, native varieties, and viniferas grown in cold climates. Premium red wines made from well-balanced vinifera varieties are almost always subjected to 100% MLF.
Daniel
Keep me posted on new blogs…
Daniel; have been reading your book and don’t know if I should fine , filter, add oak now or when? I have pinot noir and cab s. that have finished MLF and racked once and put into glass carboys + SO2 . Also have Chardonnay and Riesling-no MLF,+ SO2, racked twice; they had crystals in bottom of carboys. They are all stored at 50 t0 55 F. and carboys topped with CO2. Also I have not done any lees stirring on any of the above. Please help me out, Thanks, Mike
Hi Mike,
You have many, many options depending on the style of wine you like, what you would like to do, what you are able to do, etc. I can only offer suggestions based on what is popular and my own preferences. Then you have to decide for yourself.
For the reds, I like to age them for several years and rack every 6 months. This may include 12-18 months or more in barrels, or you could use oak chips. I do a light fining with egg whites just before bottling, which I do typically after 3 years. I don’t usually do lees-stirring, but you could. Now, if you want to bottle your wine in 12 months, then everything changes. I don’t recommend such quick bottling because you will be missing out on aromas and flavors that develop over time during aging. But if you rush things, then you will need to filter.
Your whites had crystals before they were stored at relatively cool temperature. That’s called cold stabilization, and you need to do that. You would need to do it at even colder temperatures as the whites are stable (i.e. not form other crystals) only to the lowest temperature you held the wines at.
All your containers should ALWAYS be topped up with wine, preferably. If you have to use CO2, make sure to replenish often.
Not sure what other help to offer as I don’t see any problems and I don’t know your objectives.
Daniel
Daniel,
how many grams of oak chips per gallon of red or white wine and for how long should one leave the chips in the wine? Do you taste the wine and then decide when to pull the chips? Is there a special prep.. for the oak chips? Thanks for your help again,
Mike
Hi Mike,
This will vary across products, so always be sure to read the product instructions. Generally, I recommend 1-2 g/l for whites and 2-4 g/L for reds for up to 2 weeks. Again, the duration should also be based on the type of wine you are working with and the level of oaking you want. Taste after one week and see how you like; leave it until you get what you like.
I tend to buy new (small) bags, so it’s straight out, a quick hot water rinse and then I put it all in the demijohn or tank. Depending on the quality of the product, some choose to give the chips and extra toast. Simply place dried chips in a toaster over until you get the level of toasting you like.
For older bags that have been open, you may want to to soak the chips for 10-15 mins in a sulfite solution and then rinse abundantly with fresh water.
Good luck.
Daniel
Daniel,
In regards to viniferia vines, Cab. Sauv, Merlot, Chard, Pinor Noir,— own rooted, how cold can they stand? They are planted in the soil in large greenhouses here in Anchorage, Alaska and the greenhouses do have heaters so I can raise the temp if needed. Last year when it was -7F out side, it only got down to 10F above inside with no heating and everything survived. Thanks Mike
Mike,
You should be ok at 10F. Very risky below that. I don’t know about on their own roots; grafted, they will die at just below 0F.
Daniel,
when adding sulfite to a glass carboy of wine, do you have to stir it in the wine or may I simply pour it in through the opening Thanks Mike
Mike,
I cannot over-emphasize the importance of stirring the wine thoroughly to get the sulfite dispersed thoroughly. STIR THOROUGHLY but gently.
Daniel, up here in Anch. Ak. (61.5N) in my unheated greenhouses winter temps can get down to 10+F. Will phylloxera tolerate low soil temp or frozen soil. I know it exist in eastern US, thus our hardy rootstocks, vitis riparia, and berandieri. we use a lot of nematodes in our tomato & cuke soil for thrip control and wondering if there are beneficial micro-organisms that can be used in the soil to protect roots of grape vines?
This is getting out of my expertise now, so I can’t really comment.
Hi Daniel
I am considering doing all my wine with natural fermentaion this year.
I am doing 750 kg each of Chenin Blanc / Merlot / Pinotage & Cab Frank.
I have been doing this successfully for some years but only using bought yeast.
I assume that going the NATURAL route I do not add Sulphor at crush as I do not want to harm the natural yeast.
Other than this I assume I still add Enzymes and Nutrients as per normal.
Is this correct. What must I look out for or be aware of.
Should I check with the farmer to confirm his spray regime as I assume this can also influence the natural yeasts.
Regards.
John
Hi John,
Yes, any information you can get from the grower would be good.
You need to monitor your fermentation very closely; look for signs of a sluggish fermentation and off odors. Other than that, it’s pretty much the same. For the MLF, I would however rely on cultured bacteria to avoid any surprises.
Daniel
Hi Daniel
I am looking for a single source document, that lists the grape varieties, and their range of acidity, tannins, brix, texture, etc. Any chance you know where I could find one? I plan to do some blending with our cold climate varieties. This is new territory for me; I have only used my own grapes grown here in Minnesota
Thanks and hoping you are having a fabulous New year!
Hi Kathi,
Thank you, yes, 2016 is good so far. I trust you too are having a great start of the year.
WINE GRAPES by Jancis Robinson et al. is probably the best (book) reference available if you want to learn grape varieties and their main characteristics of enological significance.
I don’t know of a document that lists range of acidity, tannins, etc. I’m not sure how useful that would be since the ranges would be so large as to prove useless. As you well know, grape chemistry depends on where and how the grapes are grown, and are subject to various other factors such as heat summation, temperature ranges, amount of rainfall, etc etc. I’m not sure how useful it would be to have a list that says, for example, total acidity for variety XYZ is in the range 3-12 g/L.
Daniel
Hello Daniel. When re-hydrating for a seconds run. Does the water matter? What would be better: distilled, spring? Or is good quality tap water ok? Thanks, Pete
Hi Pete,
Good quality tap water is good; otherwise, use spring water.
Daniel
Hello Daniel and happy new year.
Just a quick question on sulphite levels. For my California cabs is used 1/4 tsp sulphite powder per 3 cases of 36 pounds at crush. The wines have completed MF and have been racked once with no addional sulphite. I plan to rack again shortly and was wondering if the SO2 that was added at crush has all dissipated and should I add sulphite assuming that no sulphite remains?
Thanks Daniel.
Hi Vince,
Thank you and a Happy New Year to you too.
Yes! Add sulfite ASAP. Add based on your wine pH. DO IT NOW!!
The free SO2 you added at crush is practically all gone … some dissipates and some binds but no longer protects.
So you need some SO2 in there to keep bacteria from the MLF (and other microbes) in check and to protect from oxidation.
You should invest in a free SO2 measuring instrument … you need to monitor and control free SO2 levels … it will help you make better wines.
Daniel
Thanks for the quick reply Daniel. Where can one buy an SO2 measuring instrument?
I just finished racking and sulphiting the Sonoma and Amador Cabernets. I added 3/8 tsp per each 30 litre batch. I must say that considering the price of these grapes, I was a little disappointed in the depth of colour of the wines, especially the Amador which resembles more a Grenache or Pinot Noir. The Sonoma isn’t much better. The brix levels for these grapes were 23 and 26 , so they were not under ripe and they did appear to be fully ripe from looking at the skin colour. I added pectic enzymes at crush and allowed 3 days of cold soak followed by seven days of fermentation with RC 212 yeast. The only thing I can attribute the lack of colour to, may be that since I did small batches, the temperature never reached a sufficient level. I followed the same regimen for my Ontario Merlot in a 5 bushel batch which developed a much better colour. Do you have any other approaches that I can take in the future to get deeper colour from grapes?
Cheers.
Take a look at this link to a little equipment benchmarking I did.
http://www.techniquesinhomewinemaking.com/attachments/File/Benchmarking%20of%20SO2%20Analysis%20Instruments%20and%20Methods.pdf
For the money and ease of use, I would recommend the Vinmetrica SC-300. It measures free and total SO2 in addition to TA and pH.
I also you recommend you buy a small lab scale for weighing your additives. Teaspoon are very inaccurate, and it’s really important to get your sulfite additions accurately measured.
As for color, your grapes may have been deficient in tannins; it’s not necessarily the case here but it’s a possibility. In any case, you should supplement the must with grape tannins when you have achieved the desired color. You should also use macerating enzymes (like Color Pro) specifically for extracting more color. And use the higher side of the temperature range during fermentation.
Good luck.
Daniel
Hi Daniel, why does the ph of my wine keep rising? I have pinot gris that started out at 3.25ph on Nov 1 with 30ppm SO2 and every month I checked it and adjusted FSO2 and today its up to 3.56? Also my pinot noir started at 3.25(sent to a lab and it finished MLF and now its at 3.99?. My Cab and Chard. also. I use a vinmetrica 300 for ph and FSO2, and MLF. All wines are in glass carboys, topped off + CO2. Will the ph keep going up or will it stabilize at some point? All wines were made from grapes grown here in Alaska. Thanks, Mike
Hi Mike,
The pH should NOT change, not significantly, if you are only aging the wine and not doing any kind of treatments, eg. cold stabilizing. In the worst case, you have some microbial spoilage, but you would notice something either visually or by smell or taste. My guess is that your Vinmetrica SC-300 is out of calibration. It’s really important to calibrate a pH meter and probe on a regular basis with FRESH buffer solutions. The pH probe also needs to be properly maintained and cleaned prior to use. I find that this is most often the problem is such cases as yours. Look into this and if the unit and probe are all ok, than we’ll investigate further.
Daniel
Daniel, I added SO2 to all my carboys of wine (60gallons) but did not mix it, however, a few hours later we had a 6.1 earthquake that lasted for 20 seconds or so. Do you think that should suffice for mixing? Thanks Mike
Mike,
I’m laughing — it’s not funny — but it’s without a doubt the most interesting question I have ever been asked.
My question to you is: Why did you wait for the earthquake to stir the SO2?
Seriously, when adding any additive or processing aid in wine, and especially SO2, it is REALLY important to mix thoroughly. I cannot stress this more. So no, the earthquake, even at 6.8, could not have stirred the wine to sufficiently distribute the SO2 uniformly throughout the wine volume.
Be safe.
Daniel
Daniel, earthquake was 6.8, not 6.1. Mike
Thanks Daniel,
will mix well ASP; any advise on how to mix wine in the glass water jug type of 5 gal carboy? Also when I built my wine bench I anticipated an earth quake and arranged a cargo strap to hold my carboys in place if a quake occurred; good thing as I lost no wine in the 7.1 shake. 4 homes were lost due to gas leaks-fires and stores closed due to items falling off shelfs. Thanks Mike
Mike,
I may just have to add a new chapter in a future edition of my book: Extreme Winemaking in Earthquake-Prone Zones.
A stirring rod with flip paddles does a good job when used on moderate speed with a variable-speed drill. Your local winemaking supply shop should carry them, or you can find them on the net.
Stay safe.
Daniel
Hi Daniel
I am on the road without you book…..I know. Big mistake..
Before I left, I put all of my wine that is finished with MLF into my wine room ( about 140 gallons in various containers ) and closed the door. I am attempting to cold stabilize it all over the next 6 weeks or so. What would be the range of temperature I would need to maintain to accomplish this? Also does humidity have an effect on it? I don’t have any barrels. I turned the fan on, bringing in outside air and the humidity jumped to 70% in about an hour . I monitor it with a La Crosse mobile gauge that gives me read outs on my phone. Thanks Daniel
Hi Kathi,
You need to maintain a steady temperature of around -5C (23F), or pretty close to it. Warmer temperatures will take longer. It’s important that there are no significant temperature fluctuations or it will take longer than the 2 weeks or perhaps not even stabilize properly. Humidity is not an issue if not in barrels. I also don’t advise to cold stabilize in barrels anyways.
Daniel
Thanks Daniel
How much time will it take if I keep the temp between 32 and 37ish. This is where it seems to want to stay. I think I can hold that temp range through Feb and March…maybe a little into April. But I don’t think I can get it any lower. We have a warm winter forecast ( not sub zero) for the remainder of the season Wine room is in the basement with a northern window. I have never tried to hold the temp down, but I don’t think it will be a problem … It is Minnesota after all
A minimum of 2 weeks at 32, more at 37. I incorrectly said 4 weeks in my previous response, but a minimum of 2 weeks at 32. Simply perform a fridge or freezer test after 2 weeks and see if it is stable.
Daniel,
for cold stabilization, at 23F will the wine freeze? My wine is in glass carboys and the alcohol is probably 12to 13%. Also will
the ph rise due to cold stabilization?
Thanks Mike
Mike,
23F is cutting it awfully close if the alcohol level is at 12%, assuming it is a dry wine. I would also be concerned about the glass carboy breaking. Stainless steel or plastic are better making sure to allow for expansion. Assuming your pH is below 3.7, yes, it will increase as acidity drops. Above a pH 3.7, both acidity and pH will decrease. That’s tartrate chemistry for you.
Daniel
That is so interesting! So, if the pH is below 3.7, does that mean only the acids will drop and pH will go up. My pH range is 3.2 to 3.5 depending on which wine. All are in cold room , but it does not seem to want to drop below 40 degree F* That is probably not cold enough…..sigh
Yes, if you look at the relative concentrations of molecular tartaric acid and its ions in wine, you will see that bitartrate ion concentration increases up to approximately 3.7 and then decreases. Tartaric acid concentration decreases throughout pH range while tartrate ion concentration increases.
It will take quite a bit of time, 2-3 weeks, maybe more, to stabilize at 40F. If your objective is to reduce acidity, then yeah, it’s pretty much the only option unless you get hit with a really cold day, in which case you can stabilize in under 3 hours by seeding the wine with very finely ground potassium bitartrate. If your objective is simply to cold stabilize (i.e. you don’t care about TA drops), then you might consider adding some CMC.
Hi Daniel
While my wine is chilling in my wine room up in Minnesota, I get to fret over it from afar….Florida. Thank goodness for technology that gives me hourly temps of wine and …cameras. I’m such a nerd….really
Will I need to rack all of this chilled wine before it warms up again? Would the particles return to liquid form if it gets too warm before I rack?
I will be flying home to winter prune my vineyard in early March. Wondering if I should allow for a day to rack before I come back to Florida for another month
Hi Kathi Jo,
Potassium bitartrate is highly insoluble. It won’t dissolve again unless it is subjected to warm temperatures, and even then, it would need some serious shaking. You may need to give the wine a quick stir as you will likely find some crystals hanging on the glass. Once it’s all sedimented, you’re good to rack.
Safe travels.
Daniel
Daniel, at present its 28 in my van which is where I store the wine to cold stabilize it here in Anchorage Ak. I have both red and white dry wines. We are having a very warm winter, no snow and it will get up to 32 today and on Friday the lows maybe 19 F. I have an electric heater in the van which is insulated and its set at around 28F and I have temperature monitors also so I can keep an eye on the low temps. Will a low of 28F be ok and is 7days long enough for cold stabilization? Thanks Mike
28F is certainly ok but 7 days might be too short, esp. considering that the temperature will likely fluctuate at higher temps. If you won’t be able to cold stabilize this winter, you might consider adding carboxymethylcellulose (CMC).
Daniel, I can keep the wine outside in my van longer if necessary since we can have very cold temps at any time in Feb and in March also. For the next 7 days forecast is for the lows to be 19 to 27F; very warm for Feb! Temps vary wildly up here, so no problem with cold temps. Will give you some temp data in a week or so, Thanks, Mike
Great! Just be careful with glass, if that’s what you are using. I actually don’t recommend it. If the wine freezes, it will break the glass. The glass is also very fragile at cold temp.
Daniel.
Why does one only leave white wine overnight for the gross leese to settle and then rack and ferment when everybody says it is the leese that gives the flavours.
They even add back some leese.
What are the risks leaving for two days on gross leese, but keeping quite cold at the same time.
Do I rack after alcoholic ferment before MLF.
I am doing Chennin Blanc
John,
The term “lees” is generally used to refer to the mass of solids accumulating at the bottom of a fermentation vessel, and which include spent yeast. It is the breakdown of spent yeast cells that can impart additional positive aromas and flavors.
What you are referring is a mass of grape particles that settles overnight and which must be done at cold temperature to prevent fermentation from starting on its own. The cold temperature also helps with precipitation. Since there is no fermentation, there are no yeast lees. But it’s important to remove the grape particles, otherwise, they will interfere with fermentation. Extending the overnight or 24-hour cold settling to 2 days doesn’t add anything.
What people do add back is “fine lees.” Those are the lees resulting from fermentation after an initial racking to remove the gross lees. Gross lees can cause H2S, and so those should be removed soon after completion of fermentation.
There are various definitions of fine and gross lees. I use definitions that are easy to remember and implement. Gross lees are what settles within a 24-hour period. Anything that settles after that are fine lees. And fine lees can contribute positive aromas and flavors without the risk of H2S.
Since the MLF can take weeks, yes, you should definitely rack after the alcoholic fermentation to avoid said H2S problems.
I hope that was clear (pun intended).
Daniel
Daniel, my red and white wines are being cold stabilized in my van which is outside here in Anchorage, Ak. The temps average around 32F. How many weeks at 32F will this take? Also after this cold treatment, the wines need to be racked and can this be done at 33F before I warm them up? Also can the wine be stored at 50F? I have not done any finning or filtering on either red or whites at this point in time. I do have Kitosol 40 , Also have some bentonite. I do have a Buon Vino mini jet filter with the coarse and .45 micro plates. What do you suggest I do after cold treatment? Thanks Mike
Hi Mike,
You may want to follow the thread with Kathi Jo from Feb 4; she is asking similar questions to yours.
It’s hard to tell exactly how long it will take because it all depends on wine chemistry, but it will take a minimum of 2-3 weeks. I suggest you warm up the wines to cellar temperature to rack as oxygen (and gases) are more soluble at colder temperatures. Racking will introduce some oxygen. I assume you are at a point where you want to limit macro-oxygen exposure.
50F is ok for cellaring but do not go much colder.
Cold stabilization should always be done AFTER a bentonite treatment (in whites – I don’t use bentonite in reds) as bentonite will potentially alter tartrate stability — then you’ll have to repeat cold stabilization!! I suggest filtering your whites. You can go directly to #2 pads if you have fined with bentonite. Complete with #3 pads.
For the reds, you can use egg whites, gelatin or Kitosol 40. I don’t have experience specifically with Kitosol 40, so perform bench trials before treating the whole batch to assess results. I find egg whites to be more gentle. I also prefer to age my reds to let them evolve into more complex wines, and so, I will let the wines fine naturally and then do the egg white fining before bottling. I do not filter my reds, but you should if you bottle early.
Good luck.
Daniel
Daniel.
Crystal thanks.
I have red wines in barrels ( 9 ) with turbidity that ranges from 3.94 to 14.8
What is an acceptable count to bottle the wine. What should I use to clarify more, ALBUMIN ?
How long to settle before bottling
John,
You need to get turbidity down below 2.0. Yes, I recommend using egg whites to clarify further. Rack in about 3 weeks.
Daniel,
I’m ready to try potassium bicarbonate to deacidify some wine, but I notice perhaps a change in your technique. In your book you emphasize mixing the chemical with wine (in bold), but in your recent WineMaker Magazine article you emphasize using water to mix. Your proportions have also changed. Would you please confirm the solute and the proportions for me?
Thanks.
Hi Tony,
Yes, I went more conservative in my recent article and relied upon acid-base chemistry and less so on actual results, which can vary widely based on wine chemistry. My point is that you should ALWAYS perform bench trials first before treating an entire batch to see how the wine responds. You’re ok to dissolve in water. Wine pH was my motivation for the original recommendation, but it is wiser to dissolve in water as wine temperature might be low. Just don’t make the water too warm (let alone hot). Let cool and then add to the wine and stir thoroughly.
Daniel
Thanks Daniel. One last question. In my bench trials, should I be able to taste the change in acid immediately, or will I have to wait “…6 – 8 weeks of cellaring” to taste a difference?
Tony
Yes, you should. Just stir the solution in thoroughly, taste the treated sample, and spit it out. The reason for waiting once you treat the whole batch is to allow for sedimentation.
Daniel
Hi Daniel
I am considering making some brandy out of one of my 2015 batches of Marquette. The one that would not go thru MLF…it never did…:(. The other tank is fine. Did not see a chapter in your book about making brandy. I understand it is a whole new level….distilling. Any suggestions on education sources?
Hi Kathi,
MLF can be a bummer to get going if you don’t have all the right conditions, i.e., mainly, pH, temp, SO2 and nutrient availability.
As for brandy, well, home distillation is illegal in the US & Canada, so I can’t give any suggestions.
Daniel
Daniel, my wines have finished cold stabilization as I can see the crystals in the glass carboys. Do I need to rack right away or can I wait a month or 2 and then bottle the whites as they tasted good now; Cab. Sauv. and Pinot noir are still very harsh and Marquette is terrible at this point. I wonder if Marquette will ever develop into a drinkable wine?
Thanks Mike
Hi Mike,
You don’t need to rack right away — tartrates are harmless on wine chemistry. Give the Marquette some time; it might come around. Reds generally need “some” time to open up and show their true colors.
Good luck.
Daniel
Daniel, My Marquette wines ph is 4.1; can I add some acid to it to lower the ph to better protect and thereby use less SO2? Also need to purchase a bottle filler; do you have any thoughts about the enolmatic bottle filler or an Xpressfill machine? At present I have 60 gallons and next year 200 and more later. I do have a bruno filter with the various pads also.
Mike,
First go by taste. If the taste is good at a pH of 4.1, you should consider leaving things alone and just accept having to add more SO2. Perform some bench trials, taste, measure pH, re-adjust as necessary, and repeat, as much as you have to until you reach that point you are happy with.
For filling bottles, I use a 3-spout filler (those models with a tank). A 4th spout would have been nice since I seem to run just a tad ahead of the 3-bottle filler. I also a Buon Vino filler if I’m doing small batches, but definitely the 3-spout filler for large batches, something you should think about if you’re doing 60 gallons already. I have never used an Enolmatic filler but I have heard good things about it.
Hi,Daniel.
I made from Uruguay, South hemisphere so last week made some wine. It is my fourth attempt, the other 3 were very good, but i have a doubt since the first one. When the grapes are just crushed and you have the must, you have to add meta and adjust acid and so on, all these adjustments are base on a must volumen, but i never know the volumen, i know the weight of the must and an approximate volumen of the juice, but not the total volumen of must. What volumen shoul i consider?
Hi Alejandro,
Excellent question, and a frustrating one for amateurs who have to guess the volume for SO2 adds, TA adjustments, etc. But that’s what it boils down to … you have to guess. Your estimate will improve as you get more experience and become more familiar with the different grape varieties. Each variety has its own yield, and which changes with vintage, viticultural practices, winemaking practices, etc.
I work with grapes from the same supplier year after year and I know I consistently get approx 60 L of juice from pressing 100 kg of Chardonnay, and approx 80 L per 100 kg of Cab. So I base my adjustments on those estimates. You can use the same estimates for your varieties. Then you make minor SO2 and TA adjustments once you have real volumes that you can measure.
For SO2 additions at crush, you can use the total weight of fruit. wWe typically add 50 mg/L and that corresponds to 35 mg of sulfite per kg of fruit. So if you have 100 kg of fruit, you would have to add 3.5 g of sulfite. Dissolve the powder in a little water and use a household spray to uniformly spray the whole lot of grapes.
Good luck.
Daniel
Hello, Daniel. I’ve got a question about grape concentrates. The article in WineMaker Magazine some time back about bask-sweetening talked about using grape concentrate instead of sugar. I’ve got a Pinot Noir that is a bit wimpy but with good acid, even after cold stabilizing. Grape concentrate is advertised as adding body, as well as sweetness, but I am concerned about significantly altering the flavor profile of the Pinot if the concentrate is from a big-body grape, like Cab Sauv or Syrah. Do you use grape concentrate for back-sweetening? If so, what type do you use and where do you get it? Your advice and assistance, as always, is deeply appreciated.
Hello Dan,
Back-sweetening by adding grape concentrate is a very common technique in home winemaking. Definitely it can alter the flavor and aroma profiles depending what you use and how much you add. Preferably, you should add a concentrate of the same variety. You should be able to find concentrate at your local home winemaking supply shop.
Personally, I have only added sugar when needing to back-sweeten or, in the case of aromatic varieties, ex. Moscato, I reserve a portion of the juice at pressing, leave it in the freezer, and then add it to the wine in an amount based on desired style. So I’m adding the same variety back in. Look at my blog where I talk about this.
Whenever you add concentrate, reserved juice or another blending wine, you are changing the chemistry of the wine. So be sure to re-test and re-process (if required) the wine to ensure stability … proteins and tartrates, mostly.
Good luck.
Daniel
Hi
Daniel, since my red and white wines are now 8 months old and stored at 55F in 5 gal glass carboys, topped off, gassed with CO2 and sulfated, is it necessary to check every 30 days for Free CO2 and ph?
Thanks Mike
Hi Mike,
Once sulfited to the proper free SO2 level based on pH, a check every 6 months would be recommended. If the wine was aging in barrels, I’d say every 3 months.
Daniel
Hello Daniel, I have recently purchased some Chilean grapes for making wine: Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec and Syrah. They have been cold soaking under 40°F for 4 days now and I checked the SO2 levels..one tank is at 70 ppm SO2 and the other is at 90ppm SO2. I am surprised to see the SO2 levels so high as I made the sanitizing solution to 50 ppm..did the extra SO2 come from the grapes and transportation methods with the SO2 protection they are set to and why is any SO2 in my must?
My main question is how high of a SO2 can be in my grapes at the start of fermentation when I pitch the yeast? I have not been able to find the answer and want to elevate the temps. In my Wine Easy tanks to start fermentation.
I plan to pitch Lalvin RC212 yeast after a Pectic Enzynme dose 1 hr. Prior to pitching the yeast.
It appears many winemakers do not check the SO2 of their must before pitching yeast..and yes many have a slow start for a few days as a result.
Why don’t yeast manufacturers add this important SO2 information to their packages?
Thanks for your help!
Cheers…Tom Mincarelli
Hi Tom,
Some good questions and concerns.
First, you made a 50-ppm sulfite solution but I don’t know how much you added. If the grapes are in good condition, you shouldn’t have to add more than 25 ppm. You should be ok with up to 50 ppm. Yes, there will be some SO2 from grapes, but I don’t think it will be more than 10 ppm at this point. If you follow this regimen, you really don’t need to measure SO2, particularly that it will all be gone by the time fermentation is completed. You will have something in the order of 10 ppm as yeast produces SO2 of its own during fermentation.
You should let the enzymes do their work for at least 24 hours before you pitch the yeast, making sure to stir the must and solids thoroughly.
I hope this helps.
Daniel
HI Daniel,
I added ~1/4 tsp. Or 1.4 g KMS per 6 gallons of must to make ~50ppm SO2.
The grapes looked good…I just wanted to know the maximum ppm SO2 that is safe for pitching the yeast…sounds like you say up to 50 PPM is ok.
I will pitch the enzyme now and recheck SO2 before pitching the yeast.
Good to hear from you and thanks!
Cheers, Tom
Yes, up to 50 ppm, you should be ok. I’m surprised you measured as much 90 ppm. Stir the enzymes in 24 hours prior and stir at least 2-3 times before inoculating — that will help dissipate some of the SO2.
Good luck.
Daniel, is it normal for white wines –pin,gris that started out at harvest to go from a ph of 3.27 and in 8 months to 3.14 and pinot noir to go from 3.32ph at harvest to 3.88 post malo-ferm and now 8 months later to test at 3.65ph? Does a drop in ph mean a negative in wine making?
Thanks for you expert advise and help. Mike
Mike,
For the Pinot Grigio, it’s not abnormal to see such a drop, obviously, all depending on what happened to the wine, i.e. how it was processed. That’s a small drop, probably due to an increase in TA from fermentation. Cold stabilization will drop TA and increase the pH again.
For the Pinot Noir, that’s an unusual increase unless you had a really high malic level prior to MLF. I don’t know what has happened to the wine to comment why it then dropped, by what I consider significantly, 8 months after MLF.
Now then, all this being said and done, you really need to be careful measuring pH. Calibrate your pH meter frequently and cleaning the probe as instructed in your manual. An out-of-calibration meter is often the source of errors.
Daniel
Could describe the procedure for measuring TA using a pH meter and 0.1N Sodium Hydroxide. I believe your book only described using 0.2N Sodium Hydroxide. Thanks.
I don’t know what edition you have, but the 2008 edition gives the formula for calculating TA based on the amount of NaOH used and the concentration. Re. your question specifically, you would still titrate to an endpoint of (pH) 8.2, and you would expect to require double the amount of 0.1N NaOH to titrate the same sample as using 0.2N NaOH.
Hi Daniel.
I have wines that I suspect have a pH that is too high 3.76 and a TA that is too low 4.87.
I need to increase the TA .
It is this years Vintage 2016 March. South Africa
MLF complete 100%.
VA is OK.
I will bottle in Jan 2017.
I am concerned that if I add the required calculated amount of acid ( to get the pH and TA where it should be ) it will not integrate properly as the wine has developed a lot already and I will end up with a very acidic tasting wine.
Is there a rule of thumb as to max Acid to add at this late stage to probably only improve mouth feel.
I realise that a lower pH will also protect the wine and require less So2 but I think it is too late for that.
Please advise
Hi John,
There’s nothing really off about those numbers. Ultimately, you need to decide by tasting; if the wine tastes good and has good balance, why mess with it. There’s nothing to be alarmed about a pH of 3.76. I have made many great wines with a pH of 3.9-4.0, and have drunk others in the 4.2 range. So ok, you need more SO2, but nothing to be concerned about.
If you really want to adjust the acidity, do some bench trials. Try adding the equivalent of 0.5 and 1.0 g/L tartaric acid and compare that to the control. If those are still too low, try 1.5 and 2.0 g/L. You probably don’t want it too high assuming your residual sugar is less than 5 g/L.
Daniel
Hello, Daniel.
I am having some challenges with measuring TA. I use the method posted by the Midwest Grape and Wine Institute at Iowa State University and have done so successfully for a while. A test I ran yesterday gave me a TA of 1.7% which is about twice what it should be. Looking for an obvious fault, I tried to run a normalization test on the NaOH using 0.1 N HCl and Methyl Red indicator. The bottle I have is only about a year old, but the color of the sample was very weak and I was not able to definitively identify the yellow endpoint. I thought Methyl Red would maintain its strength and effectiveness for several years. My challenge is I cannot find any literature on Methyl Red, other than the MDS and generic information on the web. I was hoping to find something from a supplier, but can’t find anyone who carries Methyl Red – not even MoreWine or Midwest Supplies.
Help!
Hi Dan,
There is definitely something wrong — 1.7% (17 g/L) is way too high. You should be able to find methyl red fairly easily from a good chemical supplier. It’s not commonly used in home winemaking, so it might be hard to find in those shops, although I’m surprised MoreWine doesn’t have it. But instead of using a color indicator, why don’t you use a pH meter? It’s better and more accurate. My method is to titrate to a pH of 5.0 but some use a pH of 7.0. It’s like titrating for TA. We in North America titrate to a pH of 8.2; France, for example, titrate to 7.0. The difference has to do with the strength of the reagents; at the strengths we use them, they are still fairly weak, and so the titration endpoint is not necessarily 7.0.
Hope this helps.
Daniel
Hi Dan, soon we will harvest Riesling grapes. I made 5 gallons last year and fermented it to zero sugar and it is dry. All the
Riesling wines in the store are semi sweet; does any winery have a dry Rielsing or is it unpopular? How do they make a semi sweet Riesling and at what Brix do they harvest? Thanks Mike
Hi Mike,
Non-dry Rieslings are very popular, esp. in North America, quite unfortunately. I say quite “unfortunately” because it makes it harder to find good dry Rieslings. There are however plenty; you just have to seek them out.
There are various ways of making off-dry or semi-sweet Rieslings.
You can harvest at a lower Brix, ferment to dryness and then backsweeten to get a lower-alcohol, sweeter-style wine. You could also chaptalize to increase the Brix level and then ferment to dryness and backsweeten or stop the fermentation at some sweetness level and adjust it by backsweetening if you want more sweetness.
Your Brix number (if you have control) and sweetness levels are yours to decide based on your taste.
Good luck.
Daniel (not Dan)
Daniel, My pinot noir is 22B and I need to order supplies. Will Supplies left over from last year be ok to use this year? They were opened and tied tight and stored in 55 F. They are: Opti white, tartaric acid -unopened, viniflora ch35 malolactic culture stored in refrigerator, D254 yeast unopened, go ferm, fermaid K, Lallzyme curves blanc, fermaid O, acti-mil, sur-lie, noblesse, ft blanc soft, opt malo plus. Do you have a good suggestion for making wine from pinot noir grapes? Thanks Mike
Hello Mike,
The most critical “supplies” are the yeast and malo culture. Unopened yeast packages stored in the fridge will be ok, the malo culture too although ideally it should have been stored in the freezer. If they are indeed just 12 months since you bought them and stored in the fridge, I say go ahead and use them.
Suggestions for making Pinot!? Wow! That’s a loaded question. What’s key with Pinot Noir is phenol extraction, both tannins and specially anthocyanins. You need to do several punchdowns each day and be sure to use enzymes and tannins right at crush. I wrote a whole article on making Pinot Noir in the Oct-Nov 2003 issue of WineMaker magazine if you are subscribed to it.
Good luck.
Daniel
Thanks Daniel, I am considering using RC212 yeast+ gro ferm and fermaid O, and lallzyme EXV,+FT Rouge and Opt-Red. Would you suggest adding Tannin Complex post fermentation ? Also ordering Malo Lac. bacteria +acti-ML, and Opti Malo Plus. These items are intended for Pinot Nori, Cab. Sauv. and Sauv. Blanc varieties of grapes I am growing. Can you comment on there use and tell me if I am on the right track. I will ferment in large food grade plastic 10, to 30 gallon containers and do a cold soak at 50 to 55F for 3 days. I have a bladder press also. Thanks for your help, Mike
You don’t need to add tannin complexes post fermentation. Simply age the wine and then do any adjustments — ALWAYS based on taste — before blending/bottling. For the MLF, use either Acti-ML or Opti-Malo; why both? You are on the right track.
Daniel, thanks for your good advise. I have pectin enzyme also so do I use it with the other products I have listed and if so at what time does one add it? Thanks Mike
there’s pectinase in Lallzyme EV-X. You need that
.
Thanks Daniel, Do you suggest adding Bentonite after crushing to pinot noir must? Mike
No. Protein stability won’t (shouldn’t) be an issue here.
Daniel, today crushed my Pinot Noir at 24B and ph!@3.55 and TA-9.4. Its in the cooler and now 49F; added 50ppm SO2 and Lallzyme EX. Will add tomorrow the Opti Red and FT rouge fermentation tannin. Will keep in cooler for 3 days then warm up to 65 and add RC 212yeast plus go-ferm and try to ferment at 80F and ad Fermaid K after 1 or 2 days and again after 8 to 10 B has been consumed. At a ph of 3.55 I will add some tartaric acid to bring ph down to 3.4. Does all this sound Ok. Thanks Mike
Mike,
I would only add Fermaid K once – at one-third sugar depletion. Too much of it can be just as bad as not enough nutrients.
I wouldn’t add tartaric acid – pH is not a problem. Your TA is already high. It will come down a bit when you will do an MLF – I assume you are though you didn’t mention it.
Daniel
Hi Daniel, what do you think about using a Demijohn for MLF? I am thinking of buying a 14 gallon one for my pinot noir. If I only have 12 gallons of wine to put thru MLF and top off with CO2 in a 14 gallon Demijohn is that ok>? Thanks Mike
Hi Mike,
Yes, that’s fine. Replenish the CO2 every 2-3 weeks as it will dissipate and the MLF can take months.
Daniel
Hi Daniel
I just saw your article on Advance Techniques in Winemaker Magazine this month. I was interested in something you mentioned in the section on phenolic extraction. You wrote that the proteins which are found in hybrid and native varieties which bind phenolics and tannins can be defeated through the use of proteases. Can you point to any specific products that I might try? And do you know of any published research that has looked into this issue with proteases as a solution?
Cheers
Dustin
Hi Dustin,
Look for any macerating enzymes with protease side activity. I use Scottzyme Color Pro.
You can read the following paper although it doesn’t answer your question specifically.
Springer, L.F. and G.L. Sacks. 2014. Protein-Precipitable Tannin in Wines from Vitis vinifera and Interspecific Hybrid Grapes (Vitis ssp.): Differences in Concentration, Extractability, and Cell Wall Binding. J. Agric. Food Chem. 62:7515-7523.
Daniel
Hi Dustin
I’ll respond with specifics on Wednesday.
Thank you
Daniel
Hello Daniel – I have 5 gal of Chardonnel. PH3.2, TA approx 1.1.
Brix 22 – Temp 75degrees. Yeast BM 4 x 4, did the hydration per MoreWine reccomendations with Goferm, can’t get fermentation to start, pitched Tue, then again Thu, Sat changed to EC-1118, still won’t start. Any ideas – acid too high, PH too low?
Hi Pete,
pH is good. TA is high but not unseen. These are both ok for fermentation. It should have started by now with EC-1118. If not, trying raising the temperature; once it stars fermenting, drop it again. You seem to have done everything right; I’m assuming the yeast was good and that you indeed rehydrated it properly. Other than that, we would have to have the juice tested by a lab. If you are equipped to measure free SO2, you can at least check that. I doubt free SO2 is a problem unless excessive amounts of sulfite were used. It’s worth checking to eliminate this as a potential source of problem. I don’t know what else it could be based on the info you provided.
Daniel