60 Kilos of Grapes

[alanwh]

Now down to 1000 and still going strong and still an impressive deepish red colour despite only having a 3rd red grapes in the ferment. Am now wondering that if it was too acidic would the yeast have performed so well ?
As usual I didn't use nutrient. It does taste tart from the trial jar but would expect that to be honest. Thinking of investing in a PH kit of some kind :hmm:

 

[tonyhibbett]

Nutrient is not required for grapes. Hopefully you have removed all pulp and pips by now. You probably missed a trick by not adding oak chips, which would have reduced acidity.
There are basically 3 ways of monitoring acidity: litmus papers, pH meters and titration, the first being a rough guide, the second being a lot more precise and the third generally considered the best, but there is a 4th, which is the experienced taster who also knows what he likes!

 

[alanwh]

Yes everything is removed now Tony, just the fermenting juice :-)
I did think about fermenting with the oak but I'm not really a fan of oaked light wines, so I'm not 100% sure where I/m going with this one just yet. Perhaps I'll bulk age for a limited time with then an extended time without.
Then it will be a matter of judging when the best time to drink would be, by drawing off a sample every 3 or 4 months.
Hasn't been 2 bad though so far, once you get a technique going. Its been quite rewarding so far. fingers crossed for something light and zingy at the end of it

 

[tonyhibbett]

Get those oak chips in. You won't regret it, I can assure you!

 

[alanwh]

Get those oak chips in. You won't regret it, I can assure you!

Ok i'm there. Have a packet of light toasted chips somewhere I'll drop them in when I rack tomorrow. Give them a couple of days maybe a week

 

[tonyhibbett]

2 days will have little or no effect. A week is a minimum. I use them all the time and I never get an oak flavour as such, just a smoother wine. I suspect that the chips may well be from old barrels rather than fresh timber. I left some white wine in an old oak barrel for 3 months. This had no effect on the flavour as such, but it took the rough edges off the young wine. The real difference was after 2 years in bottle.

 

[alanwh]

Well got down to 992 and quite sour. Ended up with 20 Litres, so quite disappointed with that.
But I did have to throw away quite a lot of unripe grapes out of the batch.
Have added a packet of light toasted oak chips and it is now bulk aging. The colour is a lovely lightish red colour, though not light enough to be a rose, not dark enough to be a true red. It's perfectly clear after just a week merrily bubbling away

I did wonder why within the bunches there was such a variation in the ripeness of the grapes. some so ripe they fell off while others were so unripe they were hard and green. Maybe a horticultural problem ? too much shading ?
Either way Unfortunately I don't have any control over this.

 

[tonyhibbett]

My pinot noir is still somewhat sharp but slowly smoothing and the colour is much as you describe, despite the fact that all the grapes were black.
20 litres is not a great haul from 60 kilos of grapes, but if the vines weren't in great shape, it's actually a lot better than what I got last year, which was sweet FA!
I suggest you get a wine acidity test kit, which costs about £6. Although it will state the bleedin' obvious, it will tell you that in precise terms which will enable you to determine what is required to correct the over acidity.

 

[alanwh]

Thanks Tony I'll do that, any ideas for the test kit...Ebay?

 

[tonyhibbett]

Brewuk sell one which I use. Worth ordering other stuff to optimise shipping cost. Another really handy tool is a digital pH meter, which you will get cheap on ebay and for field monitoring sugar levels, the refractometer is the biz.

 

[alanwh]

what PH level will I be looking for Tony ?
Will there be more than one acid present ?

 

[tonyhibbett]

Not since the heady days of LSD have I given so much attention to and appreciation of acid! Perhaps it's a legacy. I hope that's OK, Mr moderator.
Welcome to the wonderful world of mild acids. Some people think that intoxication is purely to do with alcohol. Well it's not. You can drink plum brandy and just feel ill, or cheap whisky and feel totally sober.
Wine is different. For a start, it should never be consumed without good food and never 'glugged' just to get ******. White wine can be amusing, particularly with seafood, but red wine is the real business. with the accompaniment of red meat, so rich in the amino acids that carnivores need to keep their digestive systems healthy.
So, returning to acids, the king is tartaric, in terms of wine. Citric, in terms of rotten teeth, is the king of confectionery and malic is the king of cider, causing premature ageing and dementia.
Unripe grapes contain excessive amounts of malic acid, the principal acid in apples and rhubarb, which make them inferior ingredients for the production of wine. except in limited amounts.
Provided you have not sulphited the juice, there is a good chance that a malolactic fermentation may take place. This converts malic acid into the milder lactic acid, so do not be any hurry to bottle.
A ph of 3.5 is good, as is a total acid reading of 6.5 ppa tartaric.

 

[alanwh]

Well that's the PH meter purchased, got the one with the best reviews, not bad for under a tenner and they pay for the carriage all the way from China.

 

[tonyhibbett]

It's amazing, innit! I got mine from a few miles away, and they sent me 2 by mistake! But beware, it is a seductive and misleading tool and can lead you up the garden path, yet at the same time it gives you an instant insight into what is going on, including what is happening to your water supply and soil. When used with juice and wine, it is important to give a good stir first, to average out.