First time trying red wine from own grown grapes using wild fermentation

[pomme homme]

There's much on the internet concerning the Oberlin (Oberlin Noir) grape - but almost entirely in French - including http://lescepages.free.fr/oberlin_noir.html and https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oberlin_noir. One of the local viticultural experts suggested that it is the variety that I have growing at the far end of my back garden, but its not easy to attribute an identity to a relatively obscure vine from sight of the grape and leaf and taste of the grape. Someome else suggested the vines may be Castelle - but they do not tally by contrast to a plot of vines that I know to be Castelle. The other reason why Oberlin seems a likelihood is that the vines in my front garden are Noah - and both cepages are forbidden for the purposes of commercially produced wines because of, principally, the higher percentage abv levels they can achieve (up to 17% abv). The Noah vine is to be found in France because they were used as rootstock, for grafting the noble varieties of vine, when the latter were affected by the 19th Century phylloxera plague. I suspect that my vines derived from those importees.

 

[MrCart]

I didn't add sugar in the end. Today when stirring it's appears very flat, so fermentation has slowed right down. It does smell quite strong - not sure if that is a good or bad sign - it's not unpleasant.

So next is secondary fermentation. I have 4.5l glass demijohns which I hope to fill at least one - there may be more but certainly not enough to fill a second. I have read that it's best to fill up to leave little airspace, but that won't be possible for the second one - should I use a smaller vessel, like a wine bottle itself?

Should I add anything at this point, any more chemicals or finings? Or just leave it to bubble gently away for a few weeks?

I don't have a press, was planning on just using the mesh bag it's in and a colander and my own strength - any downsides with this?

Thanks for helping me on this journey!

PS I like the merging of discussion with first time wine making from grapes... and obscure grapes growing in the west of France!

 

[MrCart]

I have moved to demijohn, not much left over from one full one so just discarded the excess.

SG was 1.005

 

[tonyhibbett]

Hardly worth the expense of a press for such a small quantity. i have an even smaller (4 l.) batch of cabernet sauvignon. I don't have an oak barrel that small, so I have added a handful of French oak chips for maturation. I have also left a thin layer of spent yeast which will add further character to the wine.
You might like to consider pruning the vine, cutting out weak and unproductive canes and cutting back the fruit bearing ones to 3 buds. As a rule, fruit is produced on new canes.

 

[MrCart]

re: pruning... that was on my Autumn job list!

It's outgrown the spot I put it in now (to be honest never expected it to fruit outside in the North West of England!)

 

[tonyhibbett]

Well it was an exceptional summer. Quite a lot of pinot noir is grown in the UK, but most of it is mixed with chardonnay and pinot meunier for the production of white sparkling wine, not reds.

 

[tonyhibbett]

There's much on the internet concerning the Oberlin (Oberlin Noir) grape

I have 5 marechal foch vines. On searching for this, I found a reference to oberlin 595, (to which it may be related) saying that it produces a mediocre wine, which may be why it's not giving great results.

 

[pomme homme]

If your Marechal Foch vines are genetically related to Oberlin Noir, they shouldn't produce an inherently poor wine. Oberlin Noir is an Alsatian grape by origin - so probably better suited than many black grapes to the cooler climes of the UK - and of it the first of the websites in reply #21 says:

Aujourd'hui, l' Oberlin noir n'est pratiquement plus cultivé, quelques vignes existent ici et là fournissant des vins très agréables bien qu'atypiques

and that it:

donne un vin très coloré, alcoolique, riche en extrait sec, à goût résineux, avec présence d'anthocyanes diglucosides

which indicates that the grape produces an agreeable, but unusual, wine with good colour and a high level of alcohol. However, of the Marechal Foch grapes the same website says that it:

donne un vin tannique, riche en alcool, coloré, plat, de qualité moyenne à saveur parfois herbacée, avec présence d'anthocyanes diglucosides, à boire frais (8°). Il arrive quelquefois de rencontrer des vins confiturés ou fumés. A noter que la macération carbonique lui convient bien comme le vieillissement en fûts de chêne pour lui donner de la charpente. Arômes de cassis, framboise, fraise, touche d'épices, ... .

which, to me, suggests that Marechal Foch grapes are likely to produce a less palatable wine than Oberlin Noir - but that's not to say an unpalatable wine.

 

[MrCart]

I am not seeing any signs of fermentation- could it all be done?

If so just need to wait a while before racking again.

 

[pomme homme]

Today I pressed the black grapes and disposed of the skins, stalks and pips. That reduced my volume from 16 litres to about 10 litres. Having completed the aerobic fermentation, I've racked off into two demijohns in which I'll finish off the anaerobic fermentation. Hopefully this wine will have more body than previous years.

 

[MrCart]

Did you add anything when you racked it? What temperature is it?

 

[pomme homme]

1. No, but I might add a little more yeast as the brix reading was 8 when I racked off and beforehand I cleaned the demijohns with sodium metabisulphite.
2. I don't know but they are in my boiler room and so I'd presume the temperature to be somwhere in excess of 20º.